Legislative Assembly · District of Bendigo West
Maree Edwards
Last verified 3 Sept 2026
Seat context — Bendigo West›
Bendigo West covers about 1,524 km² centred on the city of Bendigo, including Castlemaine, Maldon, Eaglehawk, Golden Square and Kangaroo Flat. It has been a safe Labor seat almost continuously since 1924, apart from a single Liberal term from 1992 to 1996. At the 2022 election, sitting Labor MP Maree Edwards won re-election with a two-party-preferred margin of 14.6% (64.6% to 35.4%) over the Liberal candidate. Edwards announced on 27–28 August 2026 that she will not recontest the seat in 2026, and Labor announced health policy professional Brenton Baldwin as its replacement candidate on 18 September 2026.
Background
Member of the Legislative Assembly for Bendigo West since 27 November 2010. VVerified — PARL-EDWARDSParliament of Victoria, "Maree Edwards - Member profile"View source
Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Victoria since 2 August 2022 — the fourth woman to hold the position — after serving as Deputy Speaker from 7 March 2017. VVerified — PARL-SPEAKERParliament of Victoria, "Maree Edwards elected Speaker" (2 Aug 2022)View source
Before entering Parliament, worked for around 11 years as an electorate officer to her predecessor as Member for Bendigo West, Labor MP Bob Cameron. RReported — BA-RETIREBendigo Advertiser, "Maree Edwards quits prior to election, Labor plans in tatters" (27 Aug 2026)View source
Also worked in local government administration in Maryborough and Benalla earlier in her career, though no specific title or dates are given in available biographical material. SSelf-stated — DARUDisability Advocacy Resource Unit (DARU), "Maree Edwards MP — conference speaker bio"View source
Born in Maryborough, Victoria, the daughter of factory workers. RReported — AT-RETIREThe Australia Today, "Victorian Speaker Maree Edwards quits politics, leaving Labor to defend both Bendigo seats without incumbents" (28 Aug 2026)View source
Says she joined the Australian Labor Party in 1999, motivated by concern that the Kennett government had neglected regional Victoria. SSelf-stated — DARUDisability Advocacy Resource Unit (DARU), "Maree Edwards MP — conference speaker bio"View source
Had lived in the Bendigo area for around two decades before first winning Bendigo West in 2010. SSelf-stated — ABC-BW22ABC News, "Bendigo West - VIC Electorate, Candidates, Results"View source
Raised four children in the region while completing her university degree as a mature-age student. SSelf-stated — DARU, PARL-EDWARDSDisability Advocacy Resource Unit (DARU), "Maree Edwards MP — conference speaker bio"View sourceParliament of Victoria, "Maree Edwards - Member profile"View source
Describes volunteer work with the Young Mothers' Association (a precursor to the Australian Breastfeeding Association) and as a support "Connector" for people affected by cancer; no dates given in available material. SSelf-stated — DARUDisability Advocacy Resource Unit (DARU), "Maree Edwards MP — conference speaker bio"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.
N/A — Maree Edwards announced in August 2026 that she will not recontest Bendigo West in 2026; Section 3 (Platform) was not researched in this pass since there is no active 2026 candidacy to profile.
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
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Crime and community safety
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Housing affordability and supply
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
State government debt and fiscal management
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
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
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Health and healthcare access
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Urban planning and housing density
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Climate and energy transition
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Treaty and First Nations affairs
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
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.
Track record & prior candidacies
Member for Bendigo West since first elected on 27 November 2010; re-elected in 2014, 2018 and 2022 — four terms in total. VVerified — PARL-EDWARDSParliament of Victoria, "Maree Edwards - Member profile"View source
Won the seat on debut in 2010 against a statewide swing away from Labor, then increased her margin at each subsequent election through to 2022. RReported — WP-BWRESULTSWikipedia, "Electoral results for the district of Bendigo West"View source
Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, 7 March 2017 to 2 August 2022. VVerified — PARL-SPEAKERParliament of Victoria, "Maree Edwards elected Speaker" (2 Aug 2022)View source
Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Victoria since 2 August 2022 — the fourth woman to hold the position — re-elected unopposed in December 2022 and serving through to the 2026 election. VVerified — PARL-SPEAKER, WP-SPEAKERParliament of Victoria, "Maree Edwards elected Speaker" (2 Aug 2022)View sourceWikipedia, "Speaker of the Victorian Legislative Assembly"View source
Never held a ministerial or parliamentary secretary portfolio across four terms in state Parliament. VVerified — PARL-EDWARDSParliament of Victoria, "Maree Edwards - Member profile"View source
Chaired the Family and Community Development Committee, a joint parliamentary committee, whose work during her time on it included inquiries into abuse of people with disabilities in institutional and residential settings, autism service provision, and perinatal services in Victoria. SSelf-stated — SITE-EDWARDSMaree Edwards MP, "Meet Maree (About page)"View source
Also chaired the Bendigo Metro Rail Taskforce and the Bendigo Tech School project committee, and (as of 2026) the Virginia Hill Estate Revitalisation Project Consultative Committee. SSelf-stated — SITE-EDWARDSMaree Edwards MP, "Meet Maree (About page)"View source
Voted in favour of the Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill 2017, which passed the Legislative Assembly 47 votes to 37 after more than 24 hours of debate — a conscience vote not bound by party lines. VVerified — GGA-VAD, ABC-VADGo Gentle Australia, "MP voting record — Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill"View sourceABC News, "Voluntary assisted dying bill passes Victoria's Upper House" (22 Nov 2017)View source
Locally credited with securing school upgrades across the electorate, the return of TAFE courses to Castlemaine, new kindergartens, and the redevelopment of Kalianna Special School and Castlemaine Secondary College during her time as local MP. SSelf-stated — SITE-EDWARDS, CM-RETIREMaree Edwards MP, "Meet Maree (About page)"View sourceCastlemaine Mail, "Bendigo West MP Maree Edwards calls time" (28 Aug 2026)View source
Publicly praised, including by former Premier Jacinta Allan, for her support of the local community following the January 2026 bushfire at Harcourt in her electorate. RReported — ABC-RETIREABC News, "'There's a lot at risk': Maree Edwards latest Bendigo Labor woman to quit" (28 Aug 2026)View source
No record found of any parliamentary censure, formal dissent from the party whip (outside the standard conscience-vote allowance on assisted dying), or public controversy during her time in office. VVerified — WP-EDWARDSWikipedia, "Maree Edwards"View source
Campaign, money & endorsements
Campaign logistics
Endorsements & Donations
Standard Electoral Act threshold applies — figure to confirm against current VEC guidance.