Legislative Assembly · District of Eureka
Paul Ballinger
Last verified 29 Sept 2026
Seat context — Eureka›
Eureka is a Legislative Assembly seat covering east/south-east Ballarat suburbs (Eureka, Brown Hill, Ballarat East, Golden Point, Canadian, Mount Pleasant, Mount Clear, Mount Helen and Buninyong) plus large parts of the Golden Plains and Moorabool shires. It was created by the 2021 redistribution and first contested at the 2022 election, largely replacing the abolished district of Buninyong. Labor's Michaela Settle, the sitting Member for Buninyong, recontested and won the new seat of Eureka in 2022, defeating the Liberal candidate 57.2%-42.8% (a 14.3-point margin). The 2026 field is seven candidates: Labor's Michaela Settle, the Liberals' Emma Muir, the Greens' Sam McColl, One Nation's Paul Ballinger, Family First's Ian Harkness, the Animal Justice Party's Wendy Morrison and the Victorian Socialists' Andy Raven. At the 2022 election Settle won 41.0% of first preferences.
Background
His One Nation page lists 30 years in finance, and work as a qualified carpenter/joiner, construction supervisor, video hire business owner and retail newsagency proprietor. SSelf-stated — ON-PBOne Nation Victoria, "Paul Ballinger for Eureka"View source
A roundup of the field says he ran two Ballarat retail businesses, a video hire shop and a newsagency. RReported — WVB-EUREKAWest Vic Brolga, "Victorian Election 2026: Western Victorian Candidates"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.
Cost-of-living relief, community safety, road repair, timely healthcare, fiscal responsibility and less government intervention.
"Victoria needs to be revitalised, less government intervention, and focus on providing great services and encourage investment into our state."
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 cost-of-living relief for Victorians as his first priority.
The One Nation Victoria platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would remove insurance duty on premiums and end renewable subsidies; nothing is attributed to Ballinger personally.
Crime and community safety
Names community safety and security as a priority.
The party platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would tighten bail and sentencing for repeat youth offenders.
Housing affordability and supply
The party platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would ban foreign ownership of residential property; nothing is attributed to Ballinger personally.
State government debt and fiscal management
Names fiscal responsibility in service delivery, reduced government intervention and state investment as priorities.
The party platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would run a comprehensive spending review and phase out payroll tax.
Infrastructure and public transport delivery
Names repair of road damage as a priority.
Roundup coverage lists pothole repairs among his priorities.
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 Ballinger personally.
Health and healthcare access
Names timely healthcare access as a priority.
Urban planning and housing density
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Climate and energy transition
The party platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, opposes Net Zero by 2050; nothing is attributed to Ballinger 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 Ballinger 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.
His themes sit within One Nation's statewide platform. SSelf-stated — ON-PB, ET-ON-POLICYOne Nation Victoria, "Paul Ballinger for Eureka"View sourceAustralian Election Tracker, "One Nation policy profile — 2026 Victorian election"View source
No point of divergence was found.
Track record & prior candidacies
His profile mentions no prior campaign. SSelf-stated — ON-PBOne Nation Victoria, "Paul Ballinger for Eureka"View source
He is not among the candidates in the 2022 Eureka results. VVerified — WIKI-EUREKA-RESWikipedia, "Electoral results for the district of Eureka"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.
Ballinger has not previously contested an election, so he has no funding entitlement from an earlier contest. One Nation did not field a Eureka candidate in 2022.