Legislative Assembly · District of Melton
Jarrod Bingham
Last verified 30 Sept 2026
Seat context — Melton›
Melton is a Labor-held outer-western-suburbs seat that becomes an open contest in 2026: sitting MP Steve McGhie, a former paramedic and ambulance union official who has held the seat since 2018, announced in September 2025 that he will not recontest. Labor has preselected local teacher Broden Borg, who grew up in Melton and attended Melton Secondary College. The Liberal candidate is Jarrod Bingham; the Greens' candidate is Veronika Levchenkova, a local mother of four and community organiser. The 2026 field is seven candidates: Labor's Broden Borg, the Liberals' Jarrod Bingham, the Greens' Veronika Levchenkova, Family First's Marlene West, One Nation's Matthew Katselis, the Animal Justice Party's Fiona Adin-Jones and the New Democrats' Jasleen Kaur. At the 2022 election McGhie won 37.7% of first preferences and 54.6% two-party-preferred.
Background
Is a 35-year-old professional snake wrangler, per Moorabool News. RReported — MN-BINGHAMThe Moorabool News, "Snake wrangler running for Libs at state election"View source
Describes himself as a volunteer firefighter and snake catcher. SSelf-stated — LIBV-JARROD-BINGHAMLiberal Victoria, "Jarrod Bingham — 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.
Says he expects a big swing away from Labor at the November election and wants to return Melton to conservative hands for the first time in almost 50 years.
Says he sought Liberal endorsement because "in order to change a government you have to be part of a team", and that he wholeheartedly believes in the party's values.
Says he wants to make Melton safer and more affordable, with better transport and less traffic.
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 is attributed to Bingham 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 Bingham 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
Is a volunteer CFA firefighter and Moorabool Shire councillor.
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.
Bingham says he joined the Liberal team after running as an independent, and believes in every Liberal value. RReported — MN-BINGHAMThe Moorabool News, "Snake wrangler running for Libs at state election"View source
No personal policy statements were found, so most issues are left empty.
Track record & prior candidacies
He stood as an independent in Melton in 2018, receiving 2,842 votes (6.76%). VVerified — WIKI-MELTON-RESWikipedia, "Electoral results for the district of Melton"View source
He stood as an independent in Melton again in 2022, as Jarrod James Bingham, receiving 2,186 votes (5.8%). VVerified — WIKI-MELTON-RESWikipedia, "Electoral results for the district of Melton"View source
Moorabool News confirms he stood for the seat as an independent in 2018 and 2022. RReported — MN-BINGHAMThe Moorabool News, "Snake wrangler running for Libs at state election"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.
Bingham polled 6.76% in 2018 and 5.8% in 2022 as an independent, both above the 4% mark, so both campaigns qualified for public funding. The Liberals' 2022 Melton candidate polled 24.3%.