Legislative Assembly · District of Eureka
Wendy Morrison
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
In 2022 she was employed as a legal assistant, having spent several years as a camp cook with safari companies across Australia. RReported — MM-MORRISON22The Moorabool News, "Campaign for "animals, people, and planet""View source
A 2026 roundup says she was born in Ballarat and previously toured Australia as a guide. 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.
In 2022 she said: "I want to be a voice for animals, people, and planet."
Her 2022 priorities were political representation for animals, an immediate transition to clean energy and rapid emissions cuts, wildlife protection and eco-tourism in the Moorabool/Eureka region, and better public transport.
The 2026 sources found give only "animal welfare advocacy" for her; her 2022 priorities are shown here as the best available guide.
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
In 2022 she called for improved public transport to reduce road traffic.
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
In 2022 she called for wildlife protection and eco-tourism development in the Moorabool/Eureka region.
Climate and energy transition
In 2022 she called for an immediate transition to clean energy and rapid emissions reduction.
Treaty and First Nations affairs
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Regional and rural Victoria
In 2022 she was motivated to become an animal advocate after seeing distressed sheep in a truck during drought in 2003.
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
She stood for the Animal Justice Party in Eureka at the 2022 election, receiving 1,519 votes (3.4%). VVerified — WIKI-EUREKA-RESWikipedia, "Electoral results for the district of Eureka"View source
She also ran for the party at the 2018 state election, per 2022 coverage and a 2026 roundup. RReported — MM-MORRISON22, WVB-EUREKAThe Moorabool News, "Campaign for "animals, people, and planet""View sourceWest Vic Brolga, "Victorian Election 2026: Western Victorian Candidates"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.
Morrison polled 3.4% in Eureka in 2022, just under the 4% mark, so that campaign did not qualify for public funding.