Legislative Assembly · District of Croydon
Grant Hutchinson
Last verified 30 Sept 2026
Seat context — Croydon›
Croydon is a 41.99 km² Legislative Assembly district in Melbourne's outer east, part of the North-Eastern Metropolitan Region. Created in the 2014 redistribution, it has been held by the Liberal Party continuously since then, currently by David Hodgett. At the 2022 election Hodgett retained Croydon on a 51.4%-48.6% two-party-preferred margin over Labor. Hodgett is retiring at the 2026 election; the Liberal Party has preselected Grant Hutchinson to replace him, so none of the candidates is the sitting member.
Background
Is the founder, managing partner and a senior lawyer at Hutchinson Legal in Ringwood, with practice areas of commercial litigation, corporate governance and business law. RReported — SM-HUTCHLilydale Star Mail, "Grant Hutchinson is the Liberal candidate for Croydon"View source
While studying economics and law he worked for the federal Treasury. RReported — SM-HUTCHLilydale Star Mail, "Grant Hutchinson is the Liberal candidate for Croydon"View source
Has lived in the Croydon district since he was a child, attending Croydon Central Primary School and Melba Secondary College (then Maroondah High). RReported — SM-HUTCHLilydale Star Mail, "Grant Hutchinson is the Liberal candidate for Croydon"View source
Says he has raised his family and built his business in Croydon. SSelf-stated — LIBV-GRANT-HUTCHINSONLiberal Victoria, "Grant Hutchinson — Liberal candidate profile" (2 Mar 2026)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.
Better healthcare at Maroondah Hospital, harsher penalties for repeat offenders, and expanded housing supply in appropriate areas.
Names easing cost-of-living pressures, local health services and reducing crime as priorities.
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
Lists harsher penalties for repeat offenders among his priorities.
The Coalition's bail and sentencing policy, per the ABC, would automatically deny bail to reoffenders under a one-strike rule and treat burglary, serious assault and attempted murder as adult offences.
Housing affordability and supply
Backs expanded housing supply "in appropriate areas".
The Coalition would lift the first-home buyer threshold to remove stamp duty on homes up to $1 million, per a housing-policy comparison; nothing is attributed to Hutchinson personally.
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
Names better healthcare at Maroondah Hospital as a priority.
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.
His three priorities (repeat offenders, Maroondah Hospital, housing supply) sit within the Coalition's statewide themes. RReported — EM-CROY, ABC-BAIL-2026The Eastern Melburnian, "Victorian Election 2026: Eastern Melbourne Candidates"View sourceABC News, "Victorian opposition announces bail, sentencing policy including 'one strike' bail rule"View source
Coalition costings on other issues could not be retrieved, so those issues are left empty.
Track record & prior candidacies
A roundup of the Croydon field says none of the five candidates has prior electoral experience. RReported — EM-CROYThe Eastern Melburnian, "Victorian Election 2026: Eastern Melbourne Candidates"View source
He is not among the candidates in the 2018 or 2022 Croydon results; the Liberals' candidate at both was the retiring incumbent David Hodgett (48.0% in 2018, 43.0% in 2022). VVerified — WIKI-CROY-RESWikipedia, "Electoral results for the district of Croydon (Victoria)"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.
Hutchinson has not previously contested an election, so he has no funding entitlement from an earlier contest. The Liberals' 2022 Croydon candidate polled 43.0% and won the seat.