Legislative Assembly · District of Essendon
Tommy Le Deux
Last verified 30 Sept 2026
Seat context — Essendon›
The district of Essendon covers Melbourne's inner north-western suburbs of Essendon, Moonee Ponds and Ascot Vale. It has been held since 2014 by Labor's Danny Pearson, who won it by a two-candidate-preferred margin of about 24.9 points at the 2022 election, making it a safe Labor seat. In April 2026 Pearson announced he would step down from his ministerial roles and not contest Essendon at the 2026 election, ending a 12-year parliamentary career.
Background
Described in press and by Tally Room commenters as a financial services employee at NAB and a part-time local bartender. RReported — TALLY-ESSENDON26, LEDEUX-SEARCHThe Tally Room, "Essendon – Victoria 2026 (article and comments)"View sourceSearch results (Tommy Le Deux), "Tommy Le Deux — Liberal candidate coverage"View source
Says he works in financial services and part time at the Laurel Hotel in Ascot Vale. SSelf-stated — LIBV-TOMMY-LE-DEUXLiberal Victoria, "Tommy Le Deux — Liberal candidate profile" (15 May 2026)View source
Lives and works locally in the Essendon area, and is a distant relative of the Le Deux and Hawkins families of Geelong Football Club. RReported — LEDEUX-SEARCH, TALLY-ESSENDON26Search results (Tommy Le Deux), "Tommy Le Deux — Liberal candidate coverage"View sourceThe Tally Room, "Essendon – Victoria 2026 (article and comments)"View source
Senator James Paterson described him as "a genuine local" and Jess Wilson's candidate for Essendon. RReported — PATERSON-POSTSenator James Paterson (Facebook), "Tommy Le Deux — Liberal for Essendon"View source
Says he was raised in a small business family and is a renter. SSelf-stated — LIBV-TOMMY-LE-DEUXLiberal Victoria, "Tommy Le Deux — Liberal candidate profile" (15 May 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.
Names a lower cost of living, safer streets, better health and more affordable housing 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
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.
Nothing on crime is attributed to Le Deux personally.
Housing affordability and supply
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 Le Deux 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
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
He is not among the candidates in the 2018 or 2022 Essendon results; the Liberals' 2022 candidate was Angelo Baronessa (29.5%). VVerified — WIKI-ESSENDON-RESULTSWikipedia, "Electoral results for the district of Essendon"View source
No earlier campaign was found, so this appears to be his first.
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.
Le Deux has not previously contested an election, so he has no funding entitlement from an earlier contest. The Liberals' 2022 Essendon candidate polled 29.5%.