Legislative Assembly · District of Eureka
Sam McColl
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 Victorian Greens profile describes him as a local renter, community volunteer and frontline worker. SSelf-stated — GREENS-MCCOLLAustralian Greens Victoria, "Sam McColl, Candidate for Eureka"View source
A roundup of the field describes him as a former ambulance dispatcher and call-taker with firsthand knowledge of regional road-safety impacts. 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.
"Housing, health and climate justice for regional Victoria."
Says rising living costs, housing pressure and limited service access are the community's concerns, and wants to be "a representative for Eureka who listens, includes people in decisions".
Also names family violence and road-safety improvements among his 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
Names rising living costs as a community concern.
The Greens' platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would make public transport permanently free and freeze rents for two years; nothing is attributed to McColl personally.
Crime and community safety
Names family violence among his priorities.
The Greens' platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would raise the age of criminal responsibility to at least 14; nothing is attributed to McColl personally.
Housing affordability and supply
Names housing as a top priority and housing pressure as a community concern.
The Greens' platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would build 88,000 public homes with $4 billion initial investment.
State government debt and fiscal management
The Greens' platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would raise land tax to 5.3% for investors with $5 million or more of residential property; nothing is attributed to McColl personally.
Infrastructure and public transport delivery
Names road safety among his priorities, drawing on his ambulance-dispatch work.
The Greens' platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would make trains, trams and buses permanently free.
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 Greens' platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would reinstate $2.4 billion in delayed public-school funding; nothing is attributed to McColl personally.
Health and healthcare access
Names health and limited service access as priorities.
The Greens' platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would fund 500 more psychologists and psychiatrists.
Urban planning and housing density
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Climate and energy transition
Names climate justice as a top priority.
The Greens' platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would reach 100% renewable electricity by 2030 and ban new coal and gas projects.
Treaty and First Nations affairs
The Greens' platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would back the Statewide Treaty Bill without amendment; nothing is attributed to McColl personally.
Regional and rural Victoria
Frames his priorities around "regional Victoria" and limited service access.
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 priorities sit within the Victorian Greens' statewide platform. SSelf-stated — GREENS-MCCOLL, ET-GREENS-POLICYAustralian Greens Victoria, "Sam McColl, Candidate for Eureka"View sourceAustralian Election Tracker, "Greens policy profile — 2026 Victorian election"View source
No point of divergence was found.
Track record & prior candidacies
He stood for the Greens in Eureka at the 2022 election, receiving 10.8% of first preferences. VVerified — WIKI-EUREKA-RESWikipedia, "Electoral results for the district of Eureka"View source
His 2026 Greens profile as retrieved says nothing about the 2022 campaign.
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.
McColl polled 10.8% in Eureka in 2022, above the 4% mark, so that campaign qualified for public funding.