Legislative Assembly · District of Melton
Marlene West
Last verified 29 Sept 2026
Seat context — Melton›
Melton is a Labor-held outer-western-suburbs seat that becomes an open contest in 2026: sitting MP Steve McGhie, a former paramedic and ambulance union official who has held the seat since 2018, announced in September 2025 that he will not recontest. Labor has preselected local teacher Broden Borg, who grew up in Melton and attended Melton Secondary College. The Liberal candidate is Jarrod Bingham; the Greens' candidate is Veronika Levchenkova, a local mother of four and community organiser. The 2026 field is seven candidates: Labor's Broden Borg, the Liberals' Jarrod Bingham, the Greens' Veronika Levchenkova, Family First's Marlene West, One Nation's Matthew Katselis, the Animal Justice Party's Fiona Adin-Jones and the New Democrats' Jasleen Kaur. At the 2022 election McGhie won 37.7% of first preferences and 54.6% 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.
Protecting "the sanctity of life from conception to natural death" and defending traditional family values.
Combating "harmful gender ideologies" in schools and preserving religious freedom.
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
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Crime and community safety
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Housing affordability and supply
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
State government debt and fiscal management
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Infrastructure and public transport delivery
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
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 to combat "harmful gender ideologies" in schools.
Health and healthcare access
Opposes abortion and euthanasia under the banner of protecting life, and has worked as a general and mental health nurse.
Urban planning and housing density
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Climate and energy transition
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Treaty and First Nations affairs
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
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 stated positions follow Family First's faith-and-family platform. SSelf-stated — FF-WEST-2026, FF-VIC2026Family First Party Australia, "Marlene West, Candidate for Melton"View sourceFamily First Party Australia, "Victorian Election (2026 candidates)"View source
Party positions on cost of living, housing and infrastructure could not be retrieved, so those issues are left empty.
Track record & prior candidacies
Her profile mentions no prior candidacy. SSelf-stated — FF-WEST-2026Family First Party Australia, "Marlene West, Candidate for Melton"View source
She is not among the candidates in the 2018 or 2022 Melton results; Family First's 2022 candidate was Richard Brunt (2.5%). VVerified — WIKI-MELTON-RESWikipedia, "Electoral results for the district of Melton"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.
West has not previously contested an election, so she has no funding entitlement from an earlier contest. Family First's 2022 Melton candidate polled 2.5%, below the 4% mark.