Legislative Assembly · District of Bendigo East
Tim Rickwood
Last verified 29 Sept 2026
Seat context — Bendigo East›
Bendigo East covers the eastern part of the city of Bendigo (including East Bendigo, Epsom, Flora Hill and White Hills) plus surrounding rural areas such as Axedale and Huntly, spanning roughly 2,711 sq km. It has been held by Labor's Jacinta Allan since 1999, who won it again in 2022 with a two-candidate-preferred margin of about 20.5 points over the Liberal candidate. Allan — a former Premier of Victoria — announced on 14 August 2026 that she will not recontest the seat, opening what had been a very safe Labor electorate to a genuinely live contest; Labor announced Bendigo Senior Secondary College teacher Tim Rickwood as its replacement candidate on 18 September 2026. The Victorian Socialists' original candidate, sitting Greater Bendigo councillor Owen Cosgriff, withdrew 16 July 2026 citing family health issues; the party's own candidates page now lists Denali Norsen as his replacement.
Background
A teacher at Bendigo Senior Secondary College, per local press coverage of his selection. RReported — BA-LABOR, CM-LABORBendigo Advertiser, "Bendigo ALP candidates vow to continue Labor's legacy if they win in November"View sourceCastlemaine Mail, "Bendigo Labor candidates announced"View source
His Victorian Labor candidate page could not be retrieved in this pass.
Lives in Spring Gully with his wife and young daughter, and grew up in the Bendigo region. RReported — CM-LABOR, BA-LABORCastlemaine Mail, "Bendigo Labor candidates announced"View sourceBendigo Advertiser, "Bendigo ALP candidates vow to continue Labor's legacy if they win in November"View source
Grew up in a single-parent household with financial constraints, which he says shaped his belief in education's power to transform lives. RReported — CM-LABORCastlemaine Mail, "Bendigo Labor candidates announced"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.
"As a teacher at BSSC, I see every day how education can change a young person's life."
Wants Bendigo and Central Victoria to remain a place where people can "receive a great education, access quality health care, find secure work and build a good life close to home".
"I want my daughter to have every single opportunity to reach her potential", and every child in the region to reach theirs.
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
Labor's 2026 platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, includes a vehicle registration rebate of up to $186, half-price public transport fares from June to December 2026 and free midday electricity from October 2026; nothing is attributed to Rickwood personally.
Crime and community safety
Labor's platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, includes a tougher bail regime from 31 March 2026 and Adult Time for Violent Crime for ages 14 and over; nothing is attributed to Rickwood personally.
Housing affordability and supply
Labor's platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, includes an $860 million Social Housing Growth Fund for more than 7,000 homes; nothing is attributed to Rickwood personally.
State government debt and fiscal management
Labor's platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, projects operating surpluses of $700 million in 2025-26 and $1 billion in 2026-27; nothing is attributed to Rickwood personally.
Infrastructure and public transport delivery
Labor's platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, includes $1.04 billion for roads, 70% of it regional; nothing is attributed to Rickwood personally.
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
Makes education his key campaign platform, saying "good schools and a strong TAFE system are vital to Bendigo's future".
Wants to keep Bendigo and Central Victoria a place where people can receive a great education; he teaches at Bendigo Senior Secondary College.
Labor's platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, includes $5.5 billion of new education investment in 2026-27, continued Free Kinder and the Free TAFE guarantee.
Health and healthcare access
Supports quality healthcare access, and backs women's health initiatives including menopause and pelvic floor clinics.
Said he was proud of Jacinta Allan's record in delivering the hospital for Bendigo.
Urban planning and housing density
Labor's platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, favours housing near transport corridors; nothing is attributed to Rickwood personally.
Climate and energy transition
Labor's platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, targets 65% renewables by 2030 and 95% by 2035; nothing is attributed to Rickwood personally.
Treaty and First Nations affairs
Labor's platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, cites implementation of the Statewide Treaty Act 2025 and the permanent Gellung Warl body; nothing is attributed to Rickwood personally.
Regional and rural Victoria
Wants young people to build good lives "close to home" in Central Victoria; no rural policy is attributed to him.
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.
Schools and TAFE in Bendigo, where he teaches. RReported — GOLDCENTRAL-LABOR, CM-LABORGold Central Victoria, "Fresh blood in the region for Labor"View sourceCastlemaine Mail, "Bendigo Labor candidates announced"View source
Women's health clinics (menopause and pelvic floor). RReported — BA-LABORBendigo Advertiser, "Bendigo ALP candidates vow to continue Labor's legacy if they win in November"View source
Rickwood says he wants to continue Jacinta Allan's work in the seat, and campaigns on Labor's education and health record. RReported — BA-LABOR, GOLDCENTRAL-LABORBendigo Advertiser, "Bendigo ALP candidates vow to continue Labor's legacy if they win in November"View sourceGold Central Victoria, "Fresh blood in the region for Labor"View source
No point of divergence from the party was found. He has few personal policy statements beyond education, so most positions above are Labor's statewide platform.
Track record & prior candidacies
He is not among the candidates in the 2018 or 2022 Bendigo East results, where the Labor candidate was Jacinta Allan. VVerified — WIKI-BEAST-RESULTSWikipedia, "Electoral results for the district of Bendigo East"View source
No earlier campaign was mentioned, so this appears to be his first state contest.
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.
Rickwood has not previously contested an election, so he has no funding entitlement from an earlier contest. Labor's 2022 Bendigo East candidate polled 48.3%, well above the 4% mark.