Legislative Council · Northern Victoria Region
Athol Thomas
Last verified 30 Sept 2026
Seat context — Northern Victoria Region›
Northern Victoria elects 5 MLCs and comprises 11 Legislative Assembly districts across north-central Victoria — Benambra, Bendigo East, Bendigo West, Eildon, Euroa, Macedon, Mildura, Murray Plains, Ovens Valley, Shepparton and Yan Yean. A bill abolishing group voting tickets for the Council has passed the Assembly and is before the Legislative Council's 11–13 August sitting.
Background
Platform
Where they stand, issue by issue — grounded in 2026 Victorian polling, not assumed. Every position is tagged with how we know it.
Supporting farmers and small businesses, opposing the Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund levy, resisting renewable energy infrastructure mandates in regional areas, and reliable, affordable energy.
"Net zero is a costly ideology that ignores the realities of regional life."
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.
Crime and community safety
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Housing affordability and supply
The party platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would ban foreign ownership of residential property.
State government debt and fiscal management
Opposes the Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund levy.
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
The party platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would establish elected school boards with a parent majority.
Health and healthcare access
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Urban planning and housing density
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Climate and energy transition
Opposes renewable energy infrastructure mandates in the regions and wants reliable, affordable energy, calling net zero a 'costly ideology'.
The party platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, opposes Net Zero by 2050.
Treaty and First Nations affairs
The party platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would oppose and repeal Victoria's Statewide Treaty framework.
Regional and rural Victoria
Wants farmers and small businesses supported against current government policies and regional funding and services delivered.
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.
His themes sit within One Nation's statewide platform. SSelf-stated — ON-AT, ET-ON-POLICYOne Nation Victoria, "Athol Thomas for Northern Victoria"View sourceAustralian Election Tracker, "One Nation policy profile — 2026 Victorian election"View source
Wikipedia's 2026 candidates table lists them under the Northern Victoria Region. RReported — WIKI-2026CANDSWikipedia, "Candidates of the 2026 Victorian state election"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.
Thomas has not previously contested a state election on the sources retrieved, and One Nation's earlier results in this region were not retrieved.