Legislative Council · North-Eastern Metropolitan Region
Richard Welch
Last verified 30 Sept 2026
Seat context — North-Eastern Metropolitan Region›
North-Eastern Metropolitan elects 5 MLCs and comprises 11 Legislative Assembly districts spanning Melbourne's inner-eastern suburbs (Bulleen, Doncaster) north across the Yarra to Lower Plenty and Eltham, and across to Bayswater, Croydon and the Dandenong Ranges — Bayswater, Box Hill, Bulleen, Bundoora, Croydon, Eltham, Glen Waverley, Ivanhoe, Mill Park, Ringwood and Warrandyte. Renamed from Eastern Metropolitan Region at the 2022 election. A bill abolishing group voting tickets for the Council has passed the Assembly and is before the Legislative Council's 11–13 August sitting.
Background
His parliamentary profile describes 15 years working internationally in financial services and technology, including roles at Bankers Trust and Merrill Lynch, and later a technology entrepreneur and inventor who set up manufacturing operations in India managing over 300 staff. SSelf-stated — PARL-RWParliament of Victoria, "Richard Welch MLC"View source
Says he was founding CEO for 14 years of a sports technology business pioneering AI motion tracking used by cricket bodies internationally. SSelf-stated — LIBV-RICHARD-WELCHLiberal Victoria, "Richard Welch — Liberal candidate profile" (14 Apr 2025)View source
Says he worked in financial services at Bankers Trust, Mercury and Merrill Lynch. SSelf-stated — LIBV-RICHARD-WELCHLiberal Victoria, "Richard Welch — Liberal candidate profile" (14 Apr 2025)View source
Holds an MBA from Imperial College London. SSelf-stated — PARL-RWParliament of Victoria, "Richard Welch MLC"View source
Says he holds a Certificate of International Trade and the Political Economy from the London School of Economics. SSelf-stated — LIBV-RICHARD-WELCHLiberal Victoria, "Richard Welch — Liberal candidate profile" (14 Apr 2025)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.
Energy policy, decarbonisation and nuclear energy alternatives, tax reform, local government modernisation, and positioning Victoria as an innovation hub in AI, 3D printing and automation.
Names energy, decarbonisation and nuclear energy, tax and debt strategy, and local government reform as policy interests.
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.
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.
State government debt and fiscal management
Names tax reform as a policy interest.
Infrastructure and public transport delivery
Wants Victoria positioned as an innovation hub in AI, 3D printing and automation, and holds the shadow Industry, Manufacturing and Innovation, and AI and Digital Economy portfolios.
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
Names local government modernisation as a policy interest.
Climate and energy transition
Names energy policy, decarbonisation and nuclear energy alternatives as policy interests.
Treaty and First Nations affairs
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
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.
Wikipedia's 2026 candidates table lists him first under the North-Eastern Metropolitan Region for the Liberals. RReported — WIKI-2026CANDSWikipedia, "Candidates of the 2026 Victorian state election"View source
As a shadow minister his positions follow the Liberals' platform; no divergence was found.
Track record & prior candidacies
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 a sitting MLC elected in 2022, Welch met the "elected" limb of the test for that contest, so his campaign qualified for public funding.