The Public Ledger

Legislative Assembly · District of Ashwood

Matt Fregon

Last verified 21 Aug 2026

LaborIncumbent · seeking re-election
Candidate photo — pending
Seat context — Ashwood›
Illustration pending

Ashwood is a Legislative Assembly district in Melbourne's south-eastern suburbs, created in the 2021 electoral redistribution and first contested at the 2022 state election; it covers Ashburton, Ashwood, Chadstone, Glen Iris and Mount Waverley plus parts of Burwood, Burwood East and Camberwell. It combines territory from the abolished districts of Burwood and Mount Waverley. At its first contest in 2022, sitting Mount Waverley MP Matt Fregon (Labor) won the new seat with 56.15% of the two-candidate-preferred vote against the Liberal candidate, a margin of roughly 6.2 points.

Identity & ballot position§ 01
House
Legislative Assembly
Seat
Ashwood
Incumbent
Yes — since 26 Nov 2022 Fregon was previously Member for Mount Waverley from 2018, then won the newly created Ashwood seat at the 26 November 2022 state election with 56.15% of the two-candidate-preferred vote, a margin of about 6.2 points over the Liberal candidate. VVerified — VEC-ASHWOOD-RESULTS, PARLIAMENT-VIC-FREGONVictorian Electoral Commission, "Ashwood District results (2022 state election)"View sourceParliament of Victoria, "Member for Ashwood: Matt Fregon"View source
Party
Labor
Ballot position
Not yet assigned
§ 02

Background

Occupation / profession

Sitting Labor Member of the Legislative Assembly, currently representing Ashwood; first elected to Parliament in 2018 (initially as Member for Mount Waverley). VVerified — PARLIAMENT-VIC-FREGONParliament of Victoria, "Member for Ashwood: Matt Fregon"View source

Before entering Parliament, he owned and operated a small IT business, Throughput IT, on High Street Road in Glen Iris, for around two decades, founded in 1999. RReported — ABC-ASHWOOD-GUIDE-2022, ABC-MOWA-GUIDE-2018, FREGON-SITE-ABOUTABC News, "Ashwood (Key Seat) - VIC Electorate, Candidates, Results" (2022)View sourceABC News, "Mount Waverley - VIC Electorate, Candidates, Results" (2018)View sourcemattfregon.com.au, "About Matt"View source

He is reported to have spent close to a decade working in the corporate sector before launching his own IT business. RReported — ABC-MOWA-GUIDE-2018ABC News, "Mount Waverley - VIC Electorate, Candidates, Results" (2018)View source

As a young person he worked in his father's pharmacy in Ferntree Gully, an experience he says taught him "the value of community and giving back." SSelf-stated — FREGON-SITE-ABOUTmattfregon.com.au, "About Matt"View source

Prior public roles

Served as President of Pinewood Preschool prior to entering Parliament. SSelf-stated — FREGON-SITE-ABOUTmattfregon.com.au, "About Matt"View source

Local reporting around his first (2018) campaign corroborated a preschool/kindergarten volunteer role. RReported — ABC-MOWA-GUIDE-2018, JUNCTION-JOURNALISM-FREGON-2018ABC News, "Mount Waverley - VIC Electorate, Candidates, Results" (2018)View sourceJunction Journalism, "Mount Waverley - Labor: Matt Fregon" (26 Oct 2018)View source

Described it with less specificity and shorter duration than his own site — variously as volunteering on the preschool's executive board for about three years, or as a kindergarten volunteer for "a couple of years." RReported — ABC-MOWA-GUIDE-2018, JUNCTION-JOURNALISM-FREGON-2018ABC News, "Mount Waverley - VIC Electorate, Candidates, Results" (2018)View sourceJunction Journalism, "Mount Waverley - Labor: Matt Fregon" (26 Oct 2018)View source

No record was found of Fregon holding local council office, formal trade union office, or a state or national ALP administrative party position before his preselection and first election in 2018.

His campaign site, Parliament of Victoria bio, Wikipedia, and contemporary 2018/2022 election-guide coverage were checked and none mention any such role.

Local ties

Born and raised in Melbourne's eastern suburbs, growing up in Ferntree Gully. SSelf-stated — FREGON-SITE-ABOUTmattfregon.com.au, "About Matt"View source

Moved to Mount Waverley — within the area now split into the Ashwood electorate — with his wife Rebecca and their daughter in 2010, and the family has remained in the area since. SSelf-stated — FREGON-SITE-ABOUTmattfregon.com.au, "About Matt"View source

A 2018 candidate profile instead reported he "moved to Glen Waverley nine years ago" (i.e. c. 2009) — a minor discrepancy in both the suburb named and the exact year against his own site's 2010/Mount Waverley account; both suburbs are adjacent and within the same general area. RReported — JUNCTION-JOURNALISM-FREGON-2018Junction Journalism, "Mount Waverley - Labor: Matt Fregon" (26 Oct 2018)View source

Family ties to local education: his mother was a teacher, his wife Rebecca is a teacher, and his mother-in-law was a teacher at Glen Waverley Secondary College. SSelf-stated — FREGON-SITE-ABOUTmattfregon.com.au, "About Matt"View source

He is listed as a "Friend" of the Friends of Waverley City & Eastern Lions Soccer Clubs coterie group, filed under the group's Government/MP category rather than as a playing or administrative member. RReported — EASTERN-LIONS-COTERIEFriends of Waverley City & Eastern Lions Soccer Clubs, "Matt Fregon MP"View source

No evidence was found that he is an active playing member, coach, or committee office-holder of any local sporting club, despite the soccer-club coterie listing and his stated advocacy for "local schools, cultural groups, and sporting clubs."

Education

Holds a Bachelor of Business from Deakin University. SSelf-stated — FREGON-SITE-ABOUTmattfregon.com.au, "About Matt"View source

Wikipedia specifies this more precisely as a Bachelor of Business (Computing), completed in 1992. RReported — WIKIPEDIA-FREGONWikipedia, "Matt Fregon"View source

Attended Fairhills High School, in Melbourne's outer east, per ABC News's 2018 election-guide candidate profile. RReported — ABC-MOWA-GUIDE-2018ABC News, "Mount Waverley - VIC Electorate, Candidates, Results" (2018)View source

§ 03

Platform

Where they stand, issue by issue — grounded in 2026 Victorian polling, not assumed. Every position is tagged with how we know it.

Stated top campaign priorities

States his priority is to improve local education, build infrastructure, and bring more jobs to our community.

Every family is affected by the cost of living. The Allan Labor Government is delivering real assistance.

Fregon's campaign site lists mental health awareness and support for public education among his core advocacy areas.

He frames his role around fostering local connections, citing support for "local schools, cultural groups, and sporting clubs" and "local community groups and their fantastic volunteers."

SSelf-stated — FREGON-SITE-HOMEmattfregon.com.au, "Matt Fregon MP — home page"View sourceSSelf-stated — FREGON-SITE-COLmattfregon.com.au, "Cost of Living Support"View sourceSSelf-stated — FREGON-SITE-ABOUTmattfregon.com.au, "About Matt"View sourceSSelf-stated — FREGON-SITE-ABOUTmattfregon.com.au, "About Matt"View source

What Victorians say matters most

5 poll-led issues

Cost 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

iWhat this coversPosition on everyday household costs — groceries, utilities, insurance, transport.
Candidate’s priority7 / 10

Fregon's campaign site details the Allan Labor Government's cost-of-living package as delivered relief.

Free public transport extended through May then half-price for the rest of the year, a 20% rebate on car registration with flexible 3-, 6- and 12-month registration terms, and a $100 reduction applied to default electricity offers.

He also cites free kindergarten for three- and four-year-olds (worth up to $2,500 a year per family) and rental protections limiting rent increases to once a year with 60 days' notice as cost-of-living measures.

SSelf-stated — FREGON-SITE-COLmattfregon.com.au, "Cost of Living Support"View sourceSSelf-stated — FREGON-SITE-COLmattfregon.com.au, "Cost of Living Support"View sourceSSelf-stated — FREGON-SITE-COLmattfregon.com.au, "Cost of Living Support"View source

Crime and community safety

iWhat this coversPosition on crime rates, policing and community safety, including youth crime and bail law.
Candidate’s priority8 / 10

Speaking on the Youth Justice Bill 2024's bail amendments in the Legislative Assembly, Fregon argued the changes preserve the presumption of innocence — "if you are up for bail – if you do not get it or you do get it – you have not been found guilty" — while giving bail decision-makers clearer guidance on assessing the risk of repeat offending.

He cited recent incidents "in Hawthorn this morning" and in his own district to argue for distinguishing vulnerable young offenders from those who are, in his words, "basically off the rails," saying the amendments send a message that "the community expects the risk to that community to be taken into consideration when bail is considered."

VVerified — HANSARD-YOUTHJUSTICE-BAIL-270824Hansard, Parliament of Victoria, "Youth Justice Bill 2024 — second reading, 27 August 2024" (27 Aug 2024)View sourceVVerified — HANSARD-YOUTHJUSTICE-BAIL-270824Hansard, Parliament of Victoria, "Youth Justice Bill 2024 — second reading, 27 August 2024" (27 Aug 2024)View source

Housing affordability and supply

iWhat this coversPosition on home ownership costs, rental affordability, and housing supply/planning.
Candidate’s priority8 / 10

In a Legislative Assembly housing debate, Fregon traced Australia's housing affordability problem to policy choices made around 1999, including negative gearing and the capital gains tax discount, saying that combination "supercharged" demand pressure.

He argued supply is "the lever that we can affect as a government".

Defended the government's activity centre strategy, telling Parliament Victoria must plan 20–30 years ahead for population growth toward 9 million people by 2050: "if we do not plan for the growth, it will just happen regardless and there will be more issues."

He voted for the Consumer and Planning Legislation Amendment (Housing Statement Reform) Bill 2024 at its second reading in February 2025.

VVerified — HANSARD-HOUSING-100925Hansard, Parliament of Victoria, "Housing — Legislative Assembly debate, 10 September 2025" (10 Sept 2025)View sourceVVerified — HANSARD-HOUSING-100925Hansard, Parliament of Victoria, "Housing — Legislative Assembly debate, 10 September 2025" (10 Sept 2025)View sourceVVerified — HANSARD-HOUSING-100925Hansard, Parliament of Victoria, "Housing — Legislative Assembly debate, 10 September 2025" (10 Sept 2025)View sourceVVerified — HANSARD-HOUSING-STMT-REFORM-VOTE-060225Hansard, Parliament of Victoria, "Consumer and Planning Legislation Amendment (Housing Statement Reform) Bill 2024 — second reading vote, 6 February 2025" (6 Feb 2025)View source

State government debt and fiscal management

iWhat this coversPosition on debt levels and what they mean for future taxes and service funding.
Candidate’s priority2 / 10

No dedicated Fregon speech or statement on state debt, borrowing levels, or future tax/service-funding trade-offs was found in Hansard or campaign material.

As a government backbencher he has voted with the Allan Labor Government's budget and appropriation bills without recorded independent commentary on fiscal strategy.

Infrastructure and public transport delivery

iWhat this coversPosition on congestion, commute reliability, and cost/timeline overruns on major projects.
Candidate’s priority6 / 10

Fregon has repeatedly raised the Suburban Rail Loop in Parliament, telling the Assembly of visiting the Burwood construction site with Minister Harriet Shing and Upper House colleagues John Berger and Sonja Terpstra to see "the very large hole in Burwood that is going to have the tunnel-boring machines and the Suburban Rail Loop going into the ground next year."

In a later constituency question he pressed the government on the timeline for tunnel-boring machines to begin underground work at the Burwood site, referencing a site visit by Whitehorse Mayor Andrew Davenport and the work of contractor Laing O'Rourke.

He raised e-scooter age restrictions with the Minister for Public and Active Transport on behalf of Ashburton Primary School students, and separately used a 2022 adjournment debate to raise bus service concerns affecting Ashwood High School.

VVerified — HANSARD-SRL-STMT-020425Hansard, Parliament of Victoria, "Suburban Rail Loop — members statement, 2 April 2025" (2 Apr 2025)View sourceVVerified — HANSARD-SRL-TUNNEL-260825Hansard, Parliament of Victoria, "Ashwood electorate — constituency question, 26 August 2025" (26 Aug 2025)View sourceVVerified — HANSARD-ESCOOTER-200325, FREGON-SITE-BUS-ADJHansard, Parliament of Victoria, "Ashwood electorate — constituency question, 20 March 2025" (20 Mar 2025)View sourcemattfregon.com.au, "Adjournment on Ashwood High School Bus Services"View source

Also on the record

6 substance issues

These don't top “biggest issue” polling, but carry real 2026 policy weight and genuine differences between parties.

Education and training

iWhat this coversPosition on school funding and infrastructure, curriculum and teaching quality, university funding and research, and TAFE/VET.
Candidate’s priority7 / 10

Fregon used a constituency question to seek the Minister for Early Childhood's help formally opening the Pinewood Early Years Hub in Ashwood, noting it was built with a $2 million Building Blocks grant and combines a children's centre, kindergarten and maternal and child health services — "it is where my three little kids went."

Local reporting on his August 2025 members statement describes him telling Parliament about the schoolwide positive behaviour program at Ashburton Primary School (expanding to over 400 Victorian schools by 2028) and a tour of upgraded facilities at Holmesglen TAFE.

His campaign site lists $50 million in local school infrastructure upgrades and Free TAFE among the achievements he points to under the Allan Labor Government.

VVerified — HANSARD-PINEWOOD-HUB-090323Hansard, Parliament of Victoria, "Pinewood Early Years Hub — adjournment/members contribution, 9 March 2023" (9 Mar 2023)View sourceRReported — DINDI-LOCALPAPER-310825The Local Paper (dindi.com.au), "MONASH: Ashwood thrives, MP tells Parliament" (31 Aug 2025)View sourceSSelf-stated — FREGON-SITE-ABOUTmattfregon.com.au, "About Matt"View source

Health and healthcare access

iWhat this coversPosition on hospital and clinic funding, GP/specialist access and wait times, and ambulance performance including ramping.
Candidate’s priority3 / 10

Fregon's campaign site lists a 24-hour ambulance station for the electorate among his government's healthcare achievements, but no Hansard speech or detailed policy statement from him on hospital funding, GP access or ambulance ramping was found.

SSelf-stated — FREGON-SITE-ABOUTmattfregon.com.au, "About Matt"View source

Urban planning and housing density

iWhat this coversPosition on zoning and density, heritage and consultation processes, urban sprawl versus infill, and access to parks and green space.
Candidate’s priority7 / 10

In the same housing debate, Fregon engaged directly with a Camberwell constituent's concerns about the government's activity-centre rezoning, telling Parliament "the process for the first tranche ... has been more extensive."

Acknowledged planning changes naturally generate resistance from existing residents.

He supports directing higher density to nominated activity-centre hubs rather than broad rezoning, framed around 20–30-year population planning rather than ad hoc development.

VVerified — HANSARD-HOUSING-100925Hansard, Parliament of Victoria, "Housing — Legislative Assembly debate, 10 September 2025" (10 Sept 2025)View sourceVVerified — HANSARD-HOUSING-100925Hansard, Parliament of Victoria, "Housing — Legislative Assembly debate, 10 September 2025" (10 Sept 2025)View sourceVVerified — HANSARD-HOUSING-100925Hansard, Parliament of Victoria, "Housing — Legislative Assembly debate, 10 September 2025" (10 Sept 2025)View source

Climate and energy transition

iWhat this coversPosition on renewable energy targets, offshore wind delivery, transmission infrastructure, and the reinstated State Electricity Commission.
Candidate’s priority3 / 10

Fregon's campaign site lists "climate action and renewable energy investment" and the Container Deposit Scheme among Allan Labor Government achievements he cites, but no Hansard speech by him specifically addressing the SEC, offshore wind delivery, or transmission infrastructure was found.

SSelf-stated — FREGON-SITE-ABOUTmattfregon.com.au, "About Matt"View source

Treaty and First Nations affairs

iWhat this coversPosition on implementing the Statewide Treaty and the new Gellung Warl representative body, and on future local treaties.
Candidate’s priority4 / 10

Fregon is recorded in Hansard as a contributor to the second-reading debate on the Statewide Treaty Bill 2025 in the Legislative Assembly.

The bill, which established the Gellung Warl representative body, passed with Labor government support in October 2025.

The specific text of his individual remarks could not be retrieved from the available record.

VVerified — HANSARD-TREATY-141025Hansard, Parliament of Victoria, "Statewide Treaty Bill 2025 — second reading debate, 14 October 2025" (14 Oct 2025)View sourceVVerified — HANSARD-TREATY-141025Hansard, Parliament of Victoria, "Statewide Treaty Bill 2025 — second reading debate, 14 October 2025" (14 Oct 2025)View sourceVVerified — HANSARD-TREATY-141025Hansard, Parliament of Victoria, "Statewide Treaty Bill 2025 — second reading debate, 14 October 2025" (14 Oct 2025)View source

Regional and rural Victoria

iWhat this coversPosition on water security, the native-forest-logging transition, road and service funding, and population decline in country towns.
Candidate’s priority1 / 10

Ashwood is an inner/middle south-eastern Melbourne seat with no regional or rural component; no statement specific to water security, the native-forest-logging transition, or country-town population decline was found, and none would ordinarily be expected of an Ashwood-based backbencher.

Local & party context

2 fields

Not 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.

Seat-specific issues

Fregon raised Monash Council's decision to make Ruth, the long-serving crossing guard at Parkhill Primary School, redundant, asking the Minister for Local Government what could be done to let her complete her employment. VVerified — HANSARD-PARKHILL-CROSSING-030425Hansard, Parliament of Victoria, "Ashwood electorate — constituency questions, 3 April 2025" (3 Apr 2025)View source

He told Parliament she is "much loved" by the community and that he'd received substantial constituent correspondence opposing the decision. VVerified — HANSARD-PARKHILL-CROSSING-030425Hansard, Parliament of Victoria, "Ashwood electorate — constituency questions, 3 April 2025" (3 Apr 2025)View source

He sought a ministerial opening for the Pinewood Early Years Hub, a $2 million Monash Council partnership project integrating a children's centre, kindergarten and maternal and child health services in Ashwood. VVerified — HANSARD-PINEWOOD-HUB-090323Hansard, Parliament of Victoria, "Pinewood Early Years Hub — adjournment/members contribution, 9 March 2023" (9 Mar 2023)View source

He has used an adjournment debate to raise bus service problems affecting Ashwood High School. SSelf-stated — FREGON-SITE-BUS-ADJmattfregon.com.au, "Adjournment on Ashwood High School Bus Services"View source

He has repeatedly briefed Parliament on progress at the Suburban Rail Loop's Burwood tunnel-boring site within his electorate, including contractor Laing O'Rourke's work and expected 2026 tunnelling start. VVerified — HANSARD-SRL-STMT-020425, HANSARD-SRL-TUNNEL-260825Hansard, Parliament of Victoria, "Suburban Rail Loop — members statement, 2 April 2025" (2 Apr 2025)View sourceHansard, Parliament of Victoria, "Ashwood electorate — constituency question, 26 August 2025" (26 Aug 2025)View source

He engaged with a Camberwell constituent's objections to the government's proposed Camberwell activity centre rezoning, one of the local flashpoints of the statewide housing-statement planning reforms. VVerified — HANSARD-HOUSING-100925Hansard, Parliament of Victoria, "Housing — Legislative Assembly debate, 10 September 2025" (10 Sept 2025)View source

His campaign site lists locally delivered projects including the Mount Waverley Reserve Pavilion and an off-leash dog park at Mount Waverley Linear Reserve, the rebuild of Syndal South Primary School's Block A, and a competition-grade gymnasium at Pinewood Primary School. SSelf-stated — FREGON-SITE-HOMEmattfregon.com.au, "Matt Fregon MP — home page"View source

Party platform alignment

As a government backbencher and Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, Fregon's recorded votes and Hansard contributions show consistent alignment with Labor's official platform. VVerified — HANSARD-HOUSING-STMT-REFORM-VOTE-060225, HANSARD-YOUTHJUSTICE-BAIL-270824, HANSARD-NERL-VOTE-300424, HANSARD-TREATY-141025, WIKIPEDIA-FREGONHansard, Parliament of Victoria, "Consumer and Planning Legislation Amendment (Housing Statement Reform) Bill 2024 — second reading vote, 6 February 2025" (6 Feb 2025)View sourceHansard, Parliament of Victoria, "Youth Justice Bill 2024 — second reading, 27 August 2024" (27 Aug 2024)View sourceHansard, Parliament of Victoria, "National Energy Retail Law (Victoria) Bill 2024 — division on procedural motion, 30 April 2024" (30 Apr 2024)View sourceHansard, Parliament of Victoria, "Statewide Treaty Bill 2025 — second reading debate, 14 October 2025" (14 Oct 2025)View sourceWikipedia, "Matt Fregon"View source

He supported the Housing Statement Reform Bill, the Youth Justice Bill 2024's bail amendments, the National Energy Retail Law (Victoria) Bill 2024, and the Statewide Treaty Bill 2025. VVerified — HANSARD-HOUSING-STMT-REFORM-VOTE-060225, HANSARD-YOUTHJUSTICE-BAIL-270824, HANSARD-NERL-VOTE-300424, HANSARD-TREATY-141025, WIKIPEDIA-FREGONHansard, Parliament of Victoria, "Consumer and Planning Legislation Amendment (Housing Statement Reform) Bill 2024 — second reading vote, 6 February 2025" (6 Feb 2025)View sourceHansard, Parliament of Victoria, "Youth Justice Bill 2024 — second reading, 27 August 2024" (27 Aug 2024)View sourceHansard, Parliament of Victoria, "National Energy Retail Law (Victoria) Bill 2024 — division on procedural motion, 30 April 2024" (30 Apr 2024)View sourceHansard, Parliament of Victoria, "Statewide Treaty Bill 2025 — second reading debate, 14 October 2025" (14 Oct 2025)View sourceWikipedia, "Matt Fregon"View source

No instance of him voting against government legislation or publicly breaking from the party line was found. VVerified — HANSARD-HOUSING-STMT-REFORM-VOTE-060225, HANSARD-YOUTHJUSTICE-BAIL-270824, HANSARD-NERL-VOTE-300424, HANSARD-TREATY-141025, WIKIPEDIA-FREGONHansard, Parliament of Victoria, "Consumer and Planning Legislation Amendment (Housing Statement Reform) Bill 2024 — second reading vote, 6 February 2025" (6 Feb 2025)View sourceHansard, Parliament of Victoria, "Youth Justice Bill 2024 — second reading, 27 August 2024" (27 Aug 2024)View sourceHansard, Parliament of Victoria, "National Energy Retail Law (Victoria) Bill 2024 — division on procedural motion, 30 April 2024" (30 Apr 2024)View sourceHansard, Parliament of Victoria, "Statewide Treaty Bill 2025 — second reading debate, 14 October 2025" (14 Oct 2025)View sourceWikipedia, "Matt Fregon"View source

V VerifiedS Self-statedR Reported— hover or tap any mark for what it means
§ 04

Track record & prior candidacies

Terms served

Member for Mount Waverley in the Legislative Assembly (Labor), first elected at the 24 November 2018 Victorian state election; served the full 59th Parliament term until the seat was abolished and redistributed (largely into the new district of Ashwood) ahead of the 2022 election. VVerified — PARLIAMENT-VIC-FREGON, WIKIPEDIA-FREGONParliament of Victoria, "Member for Ashwood: Matt Fregon"View sourceWikipedia, "Matt Fregon"View source

Member for Ashwood in the Legislative Assembly (Labor), elected at the 26 November 2022 Victorian state election with 56.15% two-candidate-preferred against the Liberal candidate Asher Judah. VVerified — PARLIAMENT-VIC-FREGON, VEC-ASHWOOD-RESULTS, ABC-ASHWOOD-GUIDE-2022Parliament of Victoria, "Member for Ashwood: Matt Fregon"View sourceVictorian Electoral Commission, "Ashwood District results (2022 state election)"View sourceABC News, "Ashwood (Key Seat) - VIC Electorate, Candidates, Results" (2022)View source

Continuously serving through the current (60th) Parliament to the present (August 2026), ahead of contesting the seat again at the 28 November 2026 election. VVerified — PARLIAMENT-VIC-FREGON, VEC-ASHWOOD-RESULTS, ABC-ASHWOOD-GUIDE-2022Parliament of Victoria, "Member for Ashwood: Matt Fregon"View sourceVictorian Electoral Commission, "Ashwood District results (2022 state election)"View sourceABC News, "Ashwood (Key Seat) - VIC Electorate, Candidates, Results" (2022)View source

No local council term, no federal parliamentary term, and no term in the Legislative Council were found in his official Parliament of Victoria biography, party biography, or any secondary source checked; his political career appears confined to the two Legislative Assembly terms above. RReported — PARLIAMENT-VIC-FREGON, WIKIPEDIA-FREGON, VICLABOR-FREGON-BIOParliament of Victoria, "Member for Ashwood: Matt Fregon"View sourceWikipedia, "Matt Fregon"View sourceVictorian Labor Party, "Matt Fregon | Labor State Team"View source

Portfolios held

No ministerial, shadow ministerial, or parliamentary secretary position has ever been held; his official Parliament of Victoria profile lists no such positions. VVerified — PARLIAMENT-VIC-FREGONParliament of Victoria, "Member for Ashwood: Matt Fregon"View source

During the 59th Parliament (as Member for Mount Waverley, 2018–2022), served as Deputy Government Whip for the Labor government. VVerified — HANSARD-FREGON-DEPSPEAKERHansard, Parliament of Victoria, "Legislative Assembly Hansard, 20 December 2022 — Election of Deputy Speaker (Matt Fregon)" (20 Dec 2022)View source

During the 59th Parliament, also served as a member of the Standing Orders Committee and the House Committee — both procedural/administrative joint parliamentary committees rather than policy inquiry committees. VVerified — HANSARD-FREGON-DEPSPEAKERHansard, Parliament of Victoria, "Legislative Assembly Hansard, 20 December 2022 — Election of Deputy Speaker (Matt Fregon)" (20 Dec 2022)View source

Elected Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Assembly on 20 December 2022 (nominated by Anthony Carbines, seconded by Sarah Connolly), a position he has continuously held through the 60th Parliament to the present (August 2026). VVerified — HANSARD-FREGON-DEPSPEAKER, FREGON-SITE-ABOUTHansard, Parliament of Victoria, "Legislative Assembly Hansard, 20 December 2022 — Election of Deputy Speaker (Matt Fregon)" (20 Dec 2022)View sourcemattfregon.com.au, "About Matt"View source

No search turned up membership of any Legislative Assembly or joint investigatory policy committee (e.g. Public Accounts and Estimates, Legal and Social Issues, Environment and Planning) during the current term. RReported — PARLIAMENT-VIC-FREGONParliament of Victoria, "Member for Ashwood: Matt Fregon"View source

His institutional roles have been procedural (whip, Standing Orders/House Committee, Deputy Speaker) rather than policy-inquiry committee work. RReported — PARLIAMENT-VIC-FREGONParliament of Victoria, "Member for Ashwood: Matt Fregon"View source

Notable votes, bills, committee work

No Hansard division record, news report, or secondary source found in this research shows Fregon crossing the floor, voting against the Labor Party line, sponsoring a private member's bill, or being the subject of any political controversy. RReported — WIKIPEDIA-FREGONWikipedia, "Matt Fregon"View source

Searches for dissent, controversy, and notable votes returned nothing tying him to any break from the government/party position. RReported — WIKIPEDIA-FREGONWikipedia, "Matt Fregon"View source

His parliamentary contributions found in this research are routine local-member activity. SSelf-stated — DINDI-LOCALPAPER-310825The Local Paper (dindi.com.au), "MONASH: Ashwood thrives, MP tells Parliament" (31 Aug 2025)View source

Members' statements and adjournment-style remarks on local matters such as social housing redevelopment (Alamein Avenue and Electra Avenue, funded via the Housing Australia Future Fund), a positive-behaviour program at Ashburton Primary School, and Holmesglen TAFE facility upgrades — consistent with a loyal, locally-focused backbench Labor MP rather than a policy specialist or dissenting voice. SSelf-stated — DINDI-LOCALPAPER-310825The Local Paper (dindi.com.au), "MONASH: Ashwood thrives, MP tells Parliament" (31 Aug 2025)View source

His institutional trajectory — Deputy Government Whip in his first term, then Deputy Speaker from the start of his second term — reflects a party-trusted, procedurally-engaged but policy-quiet backbench career. VVerified — HANSARD-FREGON-DEPSPEAKERHansard, Parliament of Victoria, "Legislative Assembly Hansard, 20 December 2022 — Election of Deputy Speaker (Matt Fregon)" (20 Dec 2022)View source

Anthony Carbines' nomination speech for Deputy Speaker specifically praised him for being "well acquainted with the forms, practices and procedures of the house" and for commanding "respect... from members across the chamber," i.e. institutional/procedural credibility rather than policy achievement. VVerified — HANSARD-FREGON-DEPSPEAKERHansard, Parliament of Victoria, "Legislative Assembly Hansard, 20 December 2022 — Election of Deputy Speaker (Matt Fregon)" (20 Dec 2022)View source

Previous candidacies

No evidence was found of Fregon contesting any election — state, federal, or local government — prior to his 2018 Mount Waverley win. RReported — PARLIAMENT-VIC-FREGON, FREGON-SITE-ABOUT, WIKIPEDIA-FREGON, VICLABOR-FREGON-BIOParliament of Victoria, "Member for Ashwood: Matt Fregon"View sourcemattfregon.com.au, "About Matt"View sourceWikipedia, "Matt Fregon"View sourceVictorian Labor Party, "Matt Fregon | Labor State Team"View source

His pre-political background (running a small IT business in Glen Iris for about 20 years and volunteering as President of Pinewood Preschool) is consistently described across his official parliamentary biography, campaign website, party biography, and Wikipedia as leading directly into his first (successful) run in 2018, with no mention anywhere of an earlier campaign. RReported — PARLIAMENT-VIC-FREGON, FREGON-SITE-ABOUT, WIKIPEDIA-FREGON, VICLABOR-FREGON-BIOParliament of Victoria, "Member for Ashwood: Matt Fregon"View sourcemattfregon.com.au, "About Matt"View sourceWikipedia, "Matt Fregon"View sourceVictorian Labor Party, "Matt Fregon | Labor State Team"View source

His 2018 Mount Waverley win was itself an upset first-time victory. SSelf-stated — ABC-MOWA-GUIDE-2018ABC News, "Mount Waverley - VIC Electorate, Candidates, Results" (2018)View source

Labor's Fregon (43.7% first preference) trailed sitting Liberal MP Michael Gidley (46.0% first preference) but won 51.8% two-candidate-preferred after a 6.8% swing to Labor, described in ABC's election coverage as a "shock Labor victory" in a previously marginal Liberal-held seat — the kind of surprise win typically associated with a fresh, first-time candidate rather than a repeat contestant. SSelf-stated — ABC-MOWA-GUIDE-2018ABC News, "Mount Waverley - VIC Electorate, Candidates, Results" (2018)View source

§ 05–08

Campaign, money & endorsements

Campaign logistics

Social
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Contact
See Parliament of Victoria member listing.
How-to-vote card
Not yet published

Endorsements & Donations

Organisational

No organisational endorsements beyond Fregon's standing as the Australian Labor Party's endorsed candidate could be verified in public sources as of August 2026.

Searches covered his official campaign site and social channels, his Parliament of Victoria and Labor Party profile pages, Trades Hall/union channels, local business chamber (Monash/Waverley area) pages, and local sporting/community club pages (including a directory listing on the Eastern Lions Soccer Club site that named him only as a local business/MP listing, not an endorsement).

None returned a named union, business chamber, advocacy-group scorecard, or sporting/community club endorsement specific to Fregon or the 2026 Ashwood race.

Individual
No endorsements from other politicians, public figures, or local identities beyond routine Labor Party colleagues could be verified in public sources as of August 2026. No campaign-launch coverage, media report, or social media post naming a specific individual endorser was found.
VEC disclosure
Not yet available.
Public funding

Under the Electoral Act 2002, a Legislative Assembly candidate is eligible for public election funding if they receive at least 4% of first-preference votes in their district or are elected.

Funding is calculated against the candidate's audited campaign expenditure and first-preference vote count, up to legislated maximums indexed annually to CPI; for the 2026-27 financial year (covering the 28 November 2026 election) the VEC's indexed rate is $7.70 per first-preference vote for Legislative Assembly candidates.

As the sitting MP who won Ashwood with 56.15% two-candidate-preferred at the 2022 election, Fregon would be expected to clear the 4% first-preference threshold comfortably and qualify for funding at this rate, subject to submitting an audited statement of campaign expenditure within the required post-election period.

Separately, Victoria's donation-disclosure and public-funding framework was disrupted in 2026: the High Court struck down Part 12 of the Electoral Act 2002 on 15 April 2026 in Hopper & Anor v State of Victoria, opening a roughly eight-week regulatory gap; Parliament restored the framework via the Electoral Further Amendment Act 2026, which received Royal Assent on 9 June 2026, with retrospective disclosure obligations (donations of $1,250+ during the gap) and cap-repayment requirements (amounts above $5,030) applying to that interim period.

No Fregon-specific disclosure record tied to this gap was found; the disruption otherwise does not alter his expected eligibility for public funding at the indexed per-vote rate above, per the VEC's own funding guidance, accessed 2026-08-21.

Dataset housekeeping

Nomination status
Expected — Fregon is the sitting Member for Ashwood; no VEC nomination can be confirmed before nominations open on 4 November 2026, but he is the clear expected Labor candidate.
Last verified
21 Aug 2026
Sources
See the Source register below — every V/S/R mark on this page names its specific source on hover.

Source register

PARLIAMENT-VIC-FREGON
Parliament of Victoria, “Member for Ashwood: Matt Fregon” — Official government register — View source · accessed 19 Aug 2026
VEC-ASHWOOD-RESULTS
Victorian Electoral Commission, “Ashwood District results (2022 state election)” — Official government register — View source · accessed 19 Aug 2026
FREGON-SITE-ABOUT
mattfregon.com.au, “About Matt” — Candidate's own material — View source · accessed 21 Aug 2026
ABC-ASHWOOD-GUIDE-2022
ABC News, “Ashwood (Key Seat) - VIC Electorate, Candidates, Results” (2022) — News — View source · accessed 21 Aug 2026
ABC-MOWA-GUIDE-2018
ABC News, “Mount Waverley - VIC Electorate, Candidates, Results” (2018) — News — View source · accessed 21 Aug 2026
JUNCTION-JOURNALISM-FREGON-2018
Junction Journalism, “Mount Waverley - Labor: Matt Fregon” (26 Oct 2018) — News — View source · accessed 21 Aug 2026
WIKIPEDIA-FREGON
Wikipedia, “Matt Fregon” — Encyclopedia (crowdsourced) — View source · accessed 21 Aug 2026
EASTERN-LIONS-COTERIE
Friends of Waverley City & Eastern Lions Soccer Clubs, “Matt Fregon MP” — Local community organisation — View source · accessed 21 Aug 2026
FREGON-SITE-HOME
mattfregon.com.au, “Matt Fregon MP — home page” — Candidate's own material — View source · accessed 21 Aug 2026
FREGON-SITE-COL
mattfregon.com.au, “Cost of Living Support” — Candidate's own material — View source · accessed 21 Aug 2026
FREGON-SITE-BUS-ADJ
mattfregon.com.au, “Adjournment on Ashwood High School Bus Services” — Candidate's own material — View source · accessed 21 Aug 2026
HANSARD-YOUTHJUSTICE-BAIL-270824
Hansard, Parliament of Victoria, “Youth Justice Bill 2024 — second reading, 27 August 2024” (27 Aug 2024) — Official government register — View source · accessed 21 Aug 2026
HANSARD-HOUSING-100925
Hansard, Parliament of Victoria, “Housing — Legislative Assembly debate, 10 September 2025” (10 Sept 2025) — Official government register — View source · accessed 21 Aug 2026
HANSARD-HOUSING-STMT-REFORM-VOTE-060225
Hansard, Parliament of Victoria, “Consumer and Planning Legislation Amendment (Housing Statement Reform) Bill 2024 — second reading vote, 6 February 2025” (6 Feb 2025) — Official government register — View source · accessed 21 Aug 2026
HANSARD-SRL-STMT-020425
Hansard, Parliament of Victoria, “Suburban Rail Loop — members statement, 2 April 2025” (2 Apr 2025) — Official government register — View source · accessed 21 Aug 2026
HANSARD-SRL-TUNNEL-260825
Hansard, Parliament of Victoria, “Ashwood electorate — constituency question, 26 August 2025” (26 Aug 2025) — Official government register — View source · accessed 21 Aug 2026
HANSARD-ESCOOTER-200325
Hansard, Parliament of Victoria, “Ashwood electorate — constituency question, 20 March 2025” (20 Mar 2025) — Official government register — View source · accessed 21 Aug 2026
HANSARD-PINEWOOD-HUB-090323
Hansard, Parliament of Victoria, “Pinewood Early Years Hub — adjournment/members contribution, 9 March 2023” (9 Mar 2023) — Official government register — View source · accessed 21 Aug 2026
HANSARD-PARKHILL-CROSSING-030425
Hansard, Parliament of Victoria, “Ashwood electorate — constituency questions, 3 April 2025” (3 Apr 2025) — Official government register — View source · accessed 21 Aug 2026
HANSARD-TREATY-141025
Hansard, Parliament of Victoria, “Statewide Treaty Bill 2025 — second reading debate, 14 October 2025” (14 Oct 2025) — Official government register — View source · accessed 21 Aug 2026
HANSARD-NERL-VOTE-300424
Hansard, Parliament of Victoria, “National Energy Retail Law (Victoria) Bill 2024 — division on procedural motion, 30 April 2024” (30 Apr 2024) — Official government register — View source · accessed 21 Aug 2026
DINDI-LOCALPAPER-310825
The Local Paper (dindi.com.au), “MONASH: Ashwood thrives, MP tells Parliament” (31 Aug 2025) — Local news — View source · accessed 21 Aug 2026
HANSARD-FREGON-DEPSPEAKER
Hansard, Parliament of Victoria, “Legislative Assembly Hansard, 20 December 2022 — Election of Deputy Speaker (Matt Fregon)” (20 Dec 2022) — Official government register — View source · accessed 21 Aug 2026
VICLABOR-FREGON-BIO
Victorian Labor Party, “Matt Fregon | Labor State Team” — Party's own material — View source · accessed 21 Aug 2026