Legislative Assembly · District of Ovens Valley
Ben Gilbert
Last verified 29 Sept 2026
Seat context — Ovens Valley›
Ovens Valley is a rural seat in Victoria's north-east, created in 2014 and covering about 10,558 sq km along the Ovens and Murray valleys, including Wangaratta, Yarrawonga, Cobram, Myrtleford, Bright and Glenrowan. The Nationals' Tim McCurdy has held it since its creation (and its predecessor Murray Valley from 2010); in 2022 he won 52.1% of first preferences and 68.0% to 32.0% two-party-preferred against Labor's Zuvele Leschen. Under the Coalition agreement the Liberals are not standing against him. The 2026 field is four candidates: McCurdy, independent Steve Manning (endorsed by the community group Voices for Ovens Valley), the Greens' Ben Gilbert and One Nation's James Rouel. An August 2026 ACM/Border Mail readers' survey found One Nation leading voter intention at 33%, ahead of independents (20%) and the Nationals (17%), and no Labor candidate has been identified.
Background
Platform
Where they stand, issue by issue — grounded in 2026 Victorian polling, not assumed. Every position is tagged with how we know it.
Immediate climate action, affordable housing, sustainable infrastructure, renewable energy investment, secure well-paid work, and dental and mental health access through Medicare.
Says he is "greatly concerned by the climate crisis and lack of care for our communities by the major parties".
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
Names secure, well-paid employment as a priority.
The Greens' platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would make public transport permanently free and freeze rents for two years.
Crime and community safety
The Greens' platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would raise the age of criminal responsibility to at least 14; nothing is attributed to Gilbert personally.
Housing affordability and supply
Names affordable and accessible housing as a priority.
The Greens' platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would build 88,000 public homes with $4 billion initial investment.
State government debt and fiscal management
The Greens' platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would raise land tax to 5.3% for investors with $5 million or more of residential property; nothing is attributed to Gilbert personally.
Infrastructure and public transport delivery
Names sustainable infrastructure as a priority.
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 Greens' platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would reinstate $2.4 billion in delayed public-school funding; nothing is attributed to Gilbert personally.
Health and healthcare access
Names dental and mental health access through Medicare as a priority.
The Greens' platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would fund 500 more psychologists and psychiatrists.
Urban planning and housing density
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Climate and energy transition
Names immediate climate action and investment in renewable energy as his first priorities.
The Greens' platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would reach 100% renewable electricity by 2030 and ban new coal and gas projects.
Treaty and First Nations affairs
The Greens' platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would back the Statewide Treaty Bill without amendment; nothing is attributed to Gilbert personally.
Regional and rural Victoria
Says rural communities in Ovens Valley can lead the renewable energy transition.
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 priorities sit within the Victorian Greens' statewide platform. SSelf-stated — GREENSVIC-GILBERT, ET-GREENS-POLICYAustralian Greens Victoria, "Ben Gilbert — candidate profile"View sourceAustralian Election Tracker, "Greens policy profile — 2026 Victorian election"View source
No point of divergence was found.
Track record & prior candidacies
He was the Greens' candidate for the federal seat of Indi in 2022, receiving 3,626 votes (3.57%). VVerified — WIKI-INDI22Wikipedia, "Electoral results for the Division of Indi"View source
His Victorian Greens profile as retrieved does not mention the 2022 federal campaign.
He is not among the candidates in the 2018 or 2022 Ovens Valley results; the Greens' candidates were Vicki Berry (4.51%) in 2018 and Zoe Kromar (9.0%) in 2022. VVerified — WIKI-OV-RESWikipedia, "Electoral results for the district of Ovens Valley"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.
Gilbert's 2022 Indi result (3.57%) was a federal contest under AEC rules. The Greens' 2022 Ovens Valley candidate polled 9.0%, above the 4% mark.