Legislative Assembly · District of Bellarine
Ross McRae
Last verified 29 Sept 2026
Seat context — Bellarine›
The Legislative Assembly district of Bellarine stretches from the Bellarine Peninsula to the outer eastern suburbs of Geelong, covering Barwon Heads, Clifton Springs, Drysdale, Ocean Grove, Point Lonsdale, Portarlington, Queenscliff and the Geelong suburb of Leopold. It has traditionally been a marginal seat that has changed hands between Labor and Liberal since being recreated in 1985. Labor's Alison Marchant won the seat at the 2022 election, defeating the Liberal candidate on a two-candidate-preferred vote of 58.46% to 41.54% — a margin of roughly 17 points.
Background
Describes himself as a cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and technology professional with business ownership experience and a corporate governance background, per his One Nation profile. SSelf-stated — ON-MCRAEOne Nation Victoria, "Ross McRae for Bellarine"View source
No employer or business is named, and his work was not independently confirmed.
Says he served ten years in the Australian Army, which he credits with shaping his values around "leadership, teamwork, personal responsibility". SSelf-stated — ON-MCRAEOne Nation Victoria, "Ross McRae for Bellarine"View source
No rank, unit or service dates are given, and the service was not independently confirmed.
His profile mentions no council term, union role or party office. SSelf-stated — ON-MCRAEOne Nation Victoria, "Ross McRae for Bellarine"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.
Adequate infrastructure, affordable household bills, community safety and local business prosperity.
Heritage protection, and government accountability for taxpayer value.
Says he is not pursuing a political career but is standing because he believes the community "deserves better".
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 affordable household bills as a core priority, without a specific measure.
The One Nation Victoria platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would remove insurance duty on premiums, end renewable subsidies and hold supermarkets accountable for price gouging.
Crime and community safety
Names community safety as a core priority, without a specific measure.
The party platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would tighten bail and sentencing for repeat youth offenders and expand youth detention capacity.
Housing affordability and supply
The party platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would ban foreign ownership of residential property and speed land releases and approvals; nothing is attributed to McRae personally.
State government debt and fiscal management
Says government must be accountable for taxpayer value, and cites a corporate governance background.
The party platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would run a comprehensive spending review, cap spending on high-profile projects and phase out payroll tax.
Infrastructure and public transport delivery
Names adequate infrastructure as a core priority, without naming a project.
The party platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would invest in regional roads, telecommunications and water.
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; nothing is attributed to McRae personally.
Health and healthcare access
The party platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would offer GP incentives in shortage areas; nothing is attributed to McRae personally.
Urban planning and housing density
Names heritage protection among his priorities, without naming a site.
Climate and energy transition
The party platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, opposes Net Zero by 2050 and would end new renewable subsidies; nothing is attributed to McRae personally.
Treaty and First Nations affairs
The party platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would oppose and repeal Victoria's Statewide Treaty framework; nothing is attributed to McRae 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.
McRae's priorities (infrastructure, household bills, safety, accountability) sit within One Nation's statewide themes. SSelf-stated — ON-MCRAE, ON-VIC-PLATFORMOne Nation Victoria, "Ross McRae for Bellarine"View sourceOne Nation Victoria, "Victoria, it's time to take our state back"View source
No point of divergence was found. He has made few personal policy statements, so most positions above are the party's, not his.
Track record & prior candidacies
His profile mentions no prior campaign. SSelf-stated — ON-MCRAEOne Nation Victoria, "Ross McRae for Bellarine"View source
He is not among the candidates in the 2022 Bellarine state election. VVerified — WIKI-BELL-RESULTSWikipedia, "Electoral results for the district of Bellarine"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.
McRae has not previously contested an election, so he has no funding entitlement from an earlier contest.