Legislative Assembly · District of Mordialloc
Tim Richardson
Last verified 29 Sept 2026
Seat context — Mordialloc›
Mordialloc is a Labor-held bayside seat in Melbourne's south-east, held by Tim Richardson since 2014. In 2022 he won 44.0% of first preferences and 58.2% to 41.8% two-party-preferred against the Liberals' Phillip Pease. Richardson is recontesting, now as Minister for Local Government, Consumer Affairs and Renters after the 4 August 2026 ministry. The 2026 field is five candidates: Richardson, the Liberals' Paul O'Halloran, the Greens' Alex Breskin, One Nation's Nadia Ticehurst and the Victorian Socialists' Mahee Hossain. The Tally Room says the seat used to be more marginal and that a Liberal or One Nation candidate could potentially win.
Background
Lives in Chelsea with his two daughters. SSelf-stated — RICHARDSON-SITETim Richardson MP, "timrichardsonmp.com.au"View source
His electorate office is at 557 Main Street, Mordialloc. VVerified — RICHARDSON-PARLVICParliament of Victoria, "Tim Richardson — Member page"View source
Holds a Bachelor of Laws and Commerce from Deakin University and was the first in his family to attend university. RReported — WIKI-RICHARDSONWikipedia, "Tim Richardson (politician)"View source
Also completed the Australian Institute of Company Directors course. SSelf-stated — RICHARDSON-SITETim Richardson MP, "timrichardsonmp.com.au"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 wants to "leave our community in a better place than it was the day before", with education, transport, local jobs, health, emergency services and community support.
Holds the Local Government, Consumer Affairs and Renters portfolios.
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
Is Minister for Consumer Affairs and Minister for Renters.
Labor's 2026 platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, includes a vehicle registration rebate of up to $186, half-price public transport fares from June to December 2026 and free midday electricity from October 2026; nothing is attributed to Richardson personally.
Crime and community safety
Was Parliamentary Secretary for Men's Behaviour Change from 2024 to 2026.
Housing affordability and supply
Is Minister for Renters.
Labor's platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, is built around the Big Housing Build.
State government debt and fiscal management
Labor's platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, projects operating surpluses of $700 million in 2025-26 and $1 billion in 2026-27; nothing is attributed to Richardson personally.
Infrastructure and public transport delivery
Cites major transport projects including level crossing removals and the Mordialloc Freeway.
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
Cites school and kindergarten upgrades, and was Parliamentary Secretary for Schools from 2018 to 2022.
Was Parliamentary Secretary for Schools.
Health and healthcare access
Names health services among his areas of advocacy.
Was Parliamentary Secretary for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention and for Health Infrastructure.
Urban planning and housing density
Runs community surveys on local development questions such as the Rossdale Golf Course.
Climate and energy transition
Labor's platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, targets 65% renewables by 2030 and 95% by 2035; nothing is attributed to Richardson personally.
Treaty and First Nations affairs
Labor's platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, cites implementation of the Statewide Treaty Act 2025; nothing is attributed to Richardson personally.
Regional and rural Victoria
Is Minister for Local Government.
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.
Richardson voted against voluntary assisted dying and moved from Labor Right to Labor Left after the 2022 election, per Wikipedia. RReported — WIKI-RICHARDSONWikipedia, "Tim Richardson (politician)"View source
As a Cabinet minister his portfolio positions are the government's own policy.
Track record & prior candidacies
Current: Minister for Local Government, Consumer Affairs and Renters. VVerified — RICHARDSON-PARLVIC, WIKI-RICHARDSONParliament of Victoria, "Tim Richardson — Member page"View sourceWikipedia, "Tim Richardson (politician)"View source
Earlier: Cabinet Secretary (April-August 2026) and a series of parliamentary secretary roles since 2018. RReported — WIKI-RICHARDSONWikipedia, "Tim Richardson (politician)"View source
Won Mordialloc in 2018 with 50.15% of first preferences and 62.90% two-party-preferred against the Liberals' Geoff Gledhill. VVerified — WIKI-MOR-RESWikipedia, "Electoral results for the district of Mordialloc"View source
Won again in 2022 with 44.0% of first preferences and 58.2% two-party-preferred against the Liberals' Phillip Pease. VVerified — WIKI-MOR-RESWikipedia, "Electoral results for the district of Mordialloc"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.
As the sitting member, Richardson met the "elected" limb of the test at the 2022 election, so his Mordialloc campaign qualified for public funding.