Legislative Assembly · District of Hastings
Paul Mercurio
Last verified 30 Sept 2026
Seat context — Hastings›
Hastings is a highly marginal Mornington Peninsula seat covering Hastings, Somerville, Langwarrin and French Island on the western shore of Western Port. The Liberals' Neale Burgess held it at the 2018 election; in 2022 Labor's Paul Mercurio, a former dancer and actor and Mornington Peninsula councillor, gained it, winning 51.4% two-party-preferred against the Liberals' Briony Hutton despite trailing on first preferences (39.8% Liberal to 37.3% Labor). The margin is about 1.4 points. Mercurio is recontesting, and The Tally Room calls the seat a key Liberal target. The 2026 field found is five candidates: Mercurio, the Liberals' Frank Schiefler, the Greens' Isaac Willoughby, One Nation's Peter Angelico and the Animal Justice Party's Chloe Coulson. No Victorian Socialists candidate has been found.
Background
Was a contemporary ballet dancer, choreographer, actor and TV presenter, and also worked as a brewer, cook and restaurateur, before entering parliament. VVerified — MERCURIO-PARLVICParliament of Victoria, "Paul Mercurio — Member page"View source
Was principal dancer with the Sydney Dance Company for ten years, starred in Strictly Ballroom (1992), and hosted the cooking show Mercurio's Menu. RReported — WIKI-MERCURIOWikipedia, "Paul Mercurio"View source
Was a Mornington Peninsula Shire councillor before parliament. VVerified — MERCURIO-PARLVICParliament of Victoria, "Paul Mercurio — Member page"View source
Was elected to the shire council for Watson Ward in November 2020 and was made a Member of the Order of Australia in the 2020 Australia Day Honours. RReported — WIKI-MERCURIOWikipedia, "Paul Mercurio"View source
Platform
Where they stand, issue by issue — grounded in 2026 Victorian polling, not assumed. Every position is tagged with how we know it.
Performing arts advocacy and public transport improvement.
Says he prioritises the community's needs in all decisions and is guided by "fairness, equality, and compassion".
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
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 the 2025 bail law changes.
Housing affordability and supply
Labor's platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, is built around the Big Housing Build.
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.
Infrastructure and public transport delivery
Advocates enhanced public transport to generate employment, economic development and community opportunity.
Wikipedia records he announced funding for bus upgrades, including the cross-peninsula Route 886 starting 5 July 2026.
Labor's platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, includes $1.04 billion for 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
Labor's platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, includes $5.5 billion of new education investment in 2026-27 and the Free TAFE guarantee.
Health and healthcare access
Says arts engagement benefits young people's mental and physical health.
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
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Climate and energy transition
Labor's platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, targets 65% renewables by 2030 and 95% by 2035.
Treaty and First Nations affairs
Labor's platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, cites implementation of the Statewide Treaty Act 2025.
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.
Cross-peninsula bus services, including Route 886. RReported — WIKI-MERCURIOWikipedia, "Paul Mercurio"View source
The Tally Room notes the seat's high share of tradespeople and a possible One Nation pull on Labor's blue-collar vote; nothing is attributed to him. RReported — TALLYROOM-HASTINGSThe Tally Room, "Hastings — Victoria 2026"View source
Track record & prior candidacies
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.
As the sitting member, Mercurio met the "elected" limb of the test in 2022, and his 37.3% first-preference vote was also well above 4%.