Legislative Assembly · District of Ivanhoe
Anthony Carbines
Last verified 29 Sept 2026
Seat context — Ivanhoe›
Ivanhoe is a very safe Labor seat in Melbourne's north-east (Heidelberg, Ivanhoe, Eaglemont, Rosanna, Macleod), won by Anthony Carbines with a 13-point two-party-preferred margin in 2022. Carbines has held the seat since 2010 and is now Minister for Artificial Intelligence and the Digital Economy and Leader of the House, among other portfolios, after the 4 August 2026 ministry. The 2026 field is six candidates: Labor's Carbines, the Liberals' Oscar Lopez, the Greens' Nina Crawley, the Victorian Socialists' Ben Milne, One Nation's Wayne Hutchinson and independent Michelle Kennedy. At the 2022 election Carbines won 42.7% of first preferences and 63.0% two-party-preferred.
Background
Was chief of staff to Labor MP Bronwyn Pike and a City of Banyule councillor before his 2010 election. RReported — WIKI-CARBINESWikipedia, "Anthony Carbines"View source
He initially lost the 2009 Ivanhoe preselection but was reinstated after Premier John Brumby intervened, and the sitting MP then resigned. RReported — WIKI-CARBINESWikipedia, "Anthony Carbines"View source
Lives in the Ivanhoe electorate with his wife Anita and daughter Ava. SSelf-stated — CARBINES-SITEAnthony Carbines MP, "anthonycarbines.org.au"View source
His electorate office is at 149 Burgundy Street, Heidelberg. VVerified — PARL-CARBINESParliament of Victoria, "Anthony Carbines — Member profile"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.
Secure jobs, investment in education and local schools, and the local hospitals as employers and care providers.
As the new Minister for Artificial Intelligence he is to focus on ethical, responsible AI development and digital investment, per the Premier.
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
Says "it's important for people to have secure jobs to meet their financial and family commitments".
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; nothing is attributed to Carbines personally.
Crime and community safety
Was Minister for Police, Crime Prevention and Racing from June 2022, adding Community Safety and Victims in December 2024, until August 2026.
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; nothing is attributed to Carbines personally.
State government debt and fiscal management
Is Minister for Economic Development.
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 Carbines personally.
Infrastructure and public transport delivery
Cites Ford Park improvements in Ivanhoe funded through North East Link's investment in sports facilities.
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
Says "we need to invest in education and local schools".
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
Highlights the Austin, Repatriation, Mercy and Warringal hospitals as vital local employers and health providers.
Is Minister for Medical Research.
Urban planning and housing density
Says his approach includes protecting neighbourhoods from overdevelopment while keeping green spaces.
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 Carbines personally.
Treaty and First Nations affairs
Labor's platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, cites implementation of the Statewide Treaty Act 2025; nothing is attributed to Carbines 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.
Track record & prior candidacies
Current: Minister for Artificial Intelligence and the Digital Economy, Major Events, Medical Research, Racing and Economic Development, and Leader of the House. VVerified — PARL-CARBINES, CARBINES-SITEParliament of Victoria, "Anthony Carbines — Member profile"View sourceAnthony Carbines MP, "anthonycarbines.org.au"View source
Earlier: Minister for Disability, Ageing and Carers and for Child Protection and Family Services (December 2021-June 2022); Minister for Police, Crime Prevention and Racing (June 2022-December 2024); Community Safety and Victims added December 2024. RReported — WIKI-CARBINESWikipedia, "Anthony Carbines"View source
Won Ivanhoe in 2018 with 46.45% of first preferences and 62.37% two-party-preferred against the Liberals' Monica Clark. VVerified — WIKI-IVANHOE-RESWikipedia, "Electoral results for the district of Ivanhoe"View source
Won again in 2022 with 42.7% of first preferences and 63.0% two-party-preferred against the Liberals' Bernadette Khoury. VVerified — WIKI-IVANHOE-RESWikipedia, "Electoral results for the district of Ivanhoe"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.
As the sitting member, Carbines met the "elected" limb of the test at the 2022 election, so his Ivanhoe campaign qualified for public funding.