Legislative Assembly · District of Brighton
Bridget Mullahy
Last verified 29 Sept 2026
Seat context — Brighton›
The Electoral District of Brighton covers about 20 square kilometres of Melbourne's south-eastern bayside suburbs, including Brighton and Elwood plus parts of Brighton East and Hampton. It is one of only three Victorian electorates to have existed continuously since the colony's original 1856 electorates. Liberal MP James Newbury has held the seat since the 2018 election; at the 2022 election he was returned with a two-party-preferred margin of 55.1% to 44.9% over Labor.
Background
Is a business consultant and university lecturer with over 20 years' experience helping leaders and organisations deliver change in healthcare, education and business, per her Victorian Labor profile. SSelf-stated — VICLABOR-MULLAHYVictorian Labor, "Bridget Mullahy — Labor Candidate for Brighton"View source
Says she lectures at Deakin University and RMIT University. SSelf-stated — VICLABOR-MULLAHYVictorian Labor, "Bridget Mullahy — Labor Candidate for Brighton"View source
A search summary of her council campaign site says that since returning in 2019 she has worked as a consultant and lectured in Health Communication at RMIT. RReported — MULLAHY-CAMPAIGNBridget Mullahy, "About Bridget — Labor for South Melbourne Ward"View source
Stood as the Labor-endorsed candidate for South Melbourne Ward in the 2024 City of Port Phillip election. VVerified — TALLY-PORTPHILLIP24The Tally Room, "Port Phillip council election, 2024"View source
She has held no elected office; her profile does not mention the council candidacy.
Says she is a local who values fairness and positive community spirit in Brighton, campaigning for residents of Elwood, Hampton and Brighton. SSelf-stated — VICLABOR-MULLAHYVictorian Labor, "Bridget Mullahy — Labor Candidate for Brighton"View source
Her Brighton profile does not say where she lives; her 2024 candidacy was in South Melbourne Ward, in the neighbouring City of Port Phillip.
Platform
Where they stand, issue by issue — grounded in 2026 Victorian polling, not assumed. Every position is tagged with how we know it.
"Better education, quality healthcare and cost-of-living support for people in Elwood, Hampton and Brighton."
Systems that genuinely serve communities, and authentic local representation.
What Victorians say matters most
5 poll-led issuesCost of living and crime have ranked 1st or 2nd in every Victorian poll since mid‑2025, with debt and housing close behind — see schema §3 for the polling this grouping is based on (DemosAU, Ipsos Issues Monitor, Roy Morgan). The 0-10 'priorityScore' on each candidate's issue entries is NOT a measure of true importance or an independent ranking of what a candidate actually cares about. It reflects how much detail and specificity exists in what that candidate has actually said publicly on that issue -- a named policy mechanism and a verified voting record score higher than a one-line stated priority, regardless of the issue's real-world weight. Render this distinction in the UI wherever the score appears; do not label it just 'Priority' without the qualifier.
Cost of living
Names cost-of-living support as a core priority for Brighton residents.
Labor's 2026 platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, includes a vehicle registration rebate of up to $186, half-price public transport fares from June to December 2026 and free midday electricity from October 2026.
Crime and community safety
Labor's platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, includes a tougher bail regime from 31 March 2026; nothing is attributed to Mullahy personally.
Housing affordability and supply
Labor's platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, includes an $860 million Social Housing Growth Fund; nothing is attributed to Mullahy personally.
State government debt and fiscal management
Labor's platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, projects operating surpluses of $700 million in 2025-26 and $1 billion in 2026-27; nothing is attributed to Mullahy personally.
Infrastructure and public transport delivery
Labor's platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, includes $1.04 billion for roads; nothing is attributed to Mullahy personally.
Also on the record
6 substance issuesThese don't top “biggest issue” polling, but carry real 2026 policy weight and genuine differences between parties.
Education and training
Names better education as a core priority, and lectures at Deakin University and RMIT University.
Labor's platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, includes $5.5 billion of new education investment in 2026-27, continued Free Kinder and the Free TAFE guarantee.
Health and healthcare access
Names quality healthcare as a core priority, and has worked with healthcare organisations for over 20 years.
Labor's platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, includes $3.9 billion of new health investment in 2026-27.
Urban planning and housing density
Labor's platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, favours housing near transport corridors; nothing is attributed to Mullahy personally.
Climate and energy transition
Labor's platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, targets 65% renewables by 2030 and 95% by 2035; nothing is attributed to Mullahy personally.
Treaty and First Nations affairs
Labor's platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, cites implementation of the Statewide Treaty Act 2025 and the Gellung Warl body; nothing is attributed to Mullahy personally.
Regional and rural Victoria
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Local & party context
2 fieldsNot scored the way the eleven issues above are — these are fixed facts about the seat and the party, not positions with more or less emphasis behind them.
Mullahy campaigns on Labor's education, health and cost-of-living themes. SSelf-stated — VICLABOR-MULLAHYVictorian Labor, "Bridget Mullahy — Labor Candidate for Brighton"View source
No point of divergence from the party was found. She has few personal policy statements, so most positions above are Labor's statewide platform.
Track record & prior candidacies
Stood as the Labor-endorsed candidate for South Melbourne Ward in the 2024 City of Port Phillip election, receiving 25.9% of first preferences in the provisional count, second behind Beti Jay (Residents of Port Phillip) on 29.57%; not elected. RReported — TALLY-PORTPHILLIP24The Tally Room, "Port Phillip council election, 2024"View source
She is not among the candidates in the 2018 or 2022 Brighton state results. VVerified — WIKI-BRIGHTON-RESULTSWikipedia, "Electoral results for the district of Brighton"View source
Her Victorian Labor state profile does not mention the 2024 council campaign.
Campaign, money & endorsements
Campaign logistics
Endorsements & Donations
Per the Victorian Electoral Commission's funding guidance (vec.vic.gov.au, accessed 2026-09-29 via search snippets of its independent-candidate and registered-party funding pages), a candidate is eligible for public election funding if they receive at least 4% of first-preference votes in their contest, or are elected. Funding is reimbursed against an audited statement of campaign expenditure, and advance funding must be repaid in full if the threshold is missed.
Mullahy has not previously contested a state election, so she has no state funding entitlement from an earlier contest. Her 2024 council run does not count towards state funding, and Labor's 2022 Brighton candidate polled 24.7%, above the 4% mark.