Legislative Assembly · District of Eltham
Jessie Weatherley
Last verified 29 Sept 2026
Seat context — Eltham›
The Eltham district covers Melbourne's north-eastern suburbs including Eltham, Eltham North, St Helena, Lower Plenty, Montmorency, Diamond Creek and Wattle Glen, plus parts of Greensborough and Briar Hill, spanning about 73 km² in the North-Eastern Metropolitan Region. Labor's Vicki Ward held the seat at the 2022 election with a two-party-preferred margin of 9.0% over the Liberal candidate. The district was created ahead of the 1992 election and was initially won by the Liberal Party, before Labor regained it at the 2002 election and has held it continuously since. The 2026 field is five candidates: Labor's Vicki Ward, the Liberals' Paul Byrnes, the Greens' Rachel Busbridge, the Victorian Socialists' Maeve Riches and One Nation's Jessie Weatherley. At the 2022 election Ward won 44.5% of first preferences and 59.0% two-party-preferred.
Background
Platform
Where they stand, issue by issue — grounded in 2026 Victorian polling, not assumed. Every position is tagged with how we know it.
Crime reduction, education, aged care with dignity, and fiscal accountability.
"Do not complain about something unless you are prepared to be part of the solution."
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
The One Nation Victoria platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would remove insurance duty on premiums and end renewable subsidies; nothing is attributed to Weatherley personally.
Crime and community safety
Says her top priority is crime reduction, motivated by a home break-in and car theft, so that the community feels safe.
The party platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would tighten bail and sentencing for repeat youth offenders.
Housing affordability and supply
The party platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would ban foreign ownership of residential property; nothing is attributed to Weatherley personally.
State government debt and fiscal management
Is concerned about Victorian debt and wants transparency on government spending on police, schools, roads and the CFA.
The party platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would run a comprehensive spending review and phase out payroll tax.
Infrastructure and public transport delivery
Wants transparency on government spending on roads.
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
Wants Australian culture and history in the curriculum, and an emphasis on numeracy, literacy and life skills.
The party platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would establish elected school boards with a parent majority.
Health and healthcare access
Names aged care, with dignity and respect for seniors, as a priority based on her family's experience of degrading care.
Urban planning and housing density
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Climate and energy transition
The party platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, opposes Net Zero by 2050; nothing is attributed to Weatherley personally.
Treaty and First Nations affairs
The party platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would oppose and repeal Victoria's Statewide Treaty framework; nothing is attributed to Weatherley 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.
Her themes sit within One Nation's statewide platform. SSelf-stated — ON-JW, ET-ON-POLICYOne Nation Victoria, "Jessie Weatherley for Eltham"View sourceAustralian Election Tracker, "One Nation policy profile — 2026 Victorian election"View source
No point of divergence was found. Her surname is spelled Weatherley on the party page and Weatherly on The Tally Room.
Track record & prior candidacies
Her profile mentions no prior campaign. SSelf-stated — ON-JWOne Nation Victoria, "Jessie Weatherley for Eltham"View source
She is not among the candidates in the 2018 or 2022 Eltham results. VVerified — WIKI-ELTHAM-RESWikipedia, "Electoral results for the district of Eltham"View source
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.
Weatherley has not previously contested an election, so she has no funding entitlement from an earlier contest. One Nation did not field an Eltham candidate in 2018 or 2022.