Legislative Assembly · District of Pakenham
Radmila Dyson
Last verified 30 Sept 2026
Seat context — Pakenham›
Pakenham becomes an open contest in 2026: sitting Labor MP Emma Vulin, who won the seat on the tightest margin in Victoria at the 2022 election, announced in September 2025 that she will not recontest, citing her 2024 motor neurone disease diagnosis. Labor has preselected Alessandra Soliven, who would become Victoria's youngest-ever MP if elected at 24. The field also includes the Greens' Nasser Yawari, Liberal's Radmila Dyson (selected 19 August 2026 after a contested preselection), Victorian Socialists' Stephanie Grigg, One Nation state leader Warren Pickering, and two independents, Raymond French and Mary-Kate Louis.
Background
Self-described as co-founder of Officer City Soccer Club, where she serves as Treasurer and Equity & Inclusion Officer. SSelf-stated — LLP-BOARDLiving & Learning Pakenham, "Board of Governance"View source
Local reporting describes her as the club's Diversity and Inclusion Officer, working alongside club president Cheree Appledore. RReported — STARNEWS-FEMFOOTYPakenham Officer Star News (Star Community), "Female Football lights up" (8 May 2025)View source
Current board member of Living & Learning Pakenham, a community adult-education organisation. VVerified — LLP-BOARDLiving & Learning Pakenham, "Board of Governance"View source
Says she founded the Officer Table Tennis and Badminton clubs, having seen local children miss out on those sports. SSelf-stated — LIBV-RADMILA-DYSONLiberal Victoria, "Radmila Dyson — Liberal candidate profile" (31 Aug 2026)View source
"A driving force behind the club's inclusive culture and community engagement, supporting its growth, whose diversity proudly reflects the local community." SSelf-stated — LLP-BOARDLiving & Learning Pakenham, "Board of Governance"View source
Has helped Officer City Soccer Club deliver programs in partnership with Football Victoria, Monash Health, Proud2Play, and local community groups. SSelf-stated — LLP-BOARDLiving & Learning Pakenham, "Board of Governance"View source
Described as "a passionate advocate for female inclusion in sports after participating in a Football Victoria leadership program." RReported — CMY-DISA-2024Centre for Multicultural Youth, "2024 DISA Forum"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.
Backs the party's plan for 3,000 more police and 200 additional PSOs, including locally.
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
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
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.
Track record & prior candidacies
Organised Officer City Soccer Club's Female Football Week celebrations as the club's Diversity and Inclusion Officer, including an all-club tournament spanning junior and senior divisions. RReported — STARNEWS-FEMFOOTYPakenham Officer Star News (Star Community), "Female Football lights up" (8 May 2025)View source
Named co-winner, with fellow club volunteer Cheree Appledore, of Monash Health's 2025 Health Promotion Award in the Inclusion category, for their work at Officer City Soccer Club. RReported — MONASH-HEALTH-AWARDSMonash Health, "Celebrating our annual Health Promotion Awards 2025" (5 Dec 2025)View source
Selected to address a crowd of over 22,000 at an AAMI Stadium Matildas match on the importance of women's inclusion in sport. RReported — CARDINIA-SPORTPORTALCardinia Shire Council (Creating Cardinia), "Recognising Cardinia Shire sporting club volunteers"View source
Participated as a panelist on the "Why Intersectionality?" discussion at the Centre for Multicultural Youth's 2024 DISA Forum, described there as an advocate for female inclusion in sport following a Football Victoria leadership program. RReported — CMY-DISA-2024Centre for Multicultural Youth, "2024 DISA Forum"View source
Does not appear as a candidate — successful or unsuccessful — in the Victorian Electoral Commission's official results for the 2020 or 2024 Cardinia Shire Council elections, the local council covering the Pakenham/Officer area. VVerified — VEC-CARDINIA-2024, VEC-CARDINIA-2020Victorian Electoral Commission, "2024 Council Election Results — Cardinia Shire Council"View sourceVictorian Electoral Commission, "2020 Council Election Results — Cardinia Shire Council"View source
David Farrelly, one of the two contenders Dyson defeated for Liberal preselection, was the party's Pakenham candidate at the 2022 state election, losing to Labor's Emma Vulin by a margin of roughly 0.4 points (50.4%–49.6% two-party-preferred). VVerified — WIKI-PAKENHAMWikipedia, "Electoral district of Pakenham"View source
The preselection process itself, decided 19 August 2026 against fellow contender Monty Sodhi and Farrelly, ran more than eight months from the close of applications and was characterised by the Pakenham Gazette as a "turbulent contest." RReported — GAZETTE-DYSON, GAZETTE-DYSON-CONTEST, GAZETTE-HQ-INTERVENE, GAZETTE-WILSON-VISIT, GAZETTE-YEARINREVIEWPakenham Gazette, "Libs pick their candidate" (19 Aug 2026)View sourcePakenham Gazette, "Liberals to decide Pakenham candidate this weekend — what we know about the turbulent contest" (11 Aug 2026)View sourcePakenham Gazette, "Liberal HQ intervened against ex-Pakenham candidate, insiders reveal as preselection looms" (25 Nov 2025)View sourcePakenham Gazette, "Wilson questioned on lack of local Liberal candidate as campaign hits Pakenham" (25 July 2026)View sourcePakenham Gazette, "Year in Review: Liberal preselection drama spills into Gazette pages" (2 Jan 2026)View source
Gazette headlines from the preceding months point to significant internal party friction — reported Liberal HQ intervention against a candidate, a federal MP publicly rebuked over a Remembrance Day event. RReported — GAZETTE-DYSON, GAZETTE-DYSON-CONTEST, GAZETTE-HQ-INTERVENE, GAZETTE-WILSON-VISIT, GAZETTE-YEARINREVIEWPakenham Gazette, "Libs pick their candidate" (19 Aug 2026)View sourcePakenham Gazette, "Liberals to decide Pakenham candidate this weekend — what we know about the turbulent contest" (11 Aug 2026)View sourcePakenham Gazette, "Liberal HQ intervened against ex-Pakenham candidate, insiders reveal as preselection looms" (25 Nov 2025)View sourcePakenham Gazette, "Wilson questioned on lack of local Liberal candidate as campaign hits Pakenham" (25 July 2026)View sourcePakenham Gazette, "Year in Review: Liberal preselection drama spills into Gazette pages" (2 Jan 2026)View source
A state deputy leader's resignation amid reported "infighting," and a July 2026 campaign visit to Pakenham by the party leader before any candidate had been selected. RReported — GAZETTE-DYSON, GAZETTE-DYSON-CONTEST, GAZETTE-HQ-INTERVENE, GAZETTE-WILSON-VISIT, GAZETTE-YEARINREVIEWPakenham Gazette, "Libs pick their candidate" (19 Aug 2026)View sourcePakenham Gazette, "Liberals to decide Pakenham candidate this weekend — what we know about the turbulent contest" (11 Aug 2026)View sourcePakenham Gazette, "Liberal HQ intervened against ex-Pakenham candidate, insiders reveal as preselection looms" (25 Nov 2025)View sourcePakenham Gazette, "Wilson questioned on lack of local Liberal candidate as campaign hits Pakenham" (25 July 2026)View sourcePakenham Gazette, "Year in Review: Liberal preselection drama spills into Gazette pages" (2 Jan 2026)View source
Full article text behind the Gazette's paywall was not accessible to confirm details beyond the headlines themselves. RReported — GAZETTE-DYSON, GAZETTE-DYSON-CONTEST, GAZETTE-HQ-INTERVENE, GAZETTE-WILSON-VISIT, GAZETTE-YEARINREVIEWPakenham Gazette, "Libs pick their candidate" (19 Aug 2026)View sourcePakenham Gazette, "Liberals to decide Pakenham candidate this weekend — what we know about the turbulent contest" (11 Aug 2026)View sourcePakenham Gazette, "Liberal HQ intervened against ex-Pakenham candidate, insiders reveal as preselection looms" (25 Nov 2025)View sourcePakenham Gazette, "Wilson questioned on lack of local Liberal candidate as campaign hits Pakenham" (25 July 2026)View sourcePakenham Gazette, "Year in Review: Liberal preselection drama spills into Gazette pages" (2 Jan 2026)View source
Campaign, money & endorsements
Campaign logistics
Endorsements & Donations
Under the Electoral Act 2002 as reinstated by the Electoral Further Amendment Act 2026, a candidate becomes eligible for public election funding by receiving at least 4% of first-preference votes in their contest, or by being elected.
Funding is then calculated against an audited statement of campaign expenditure and the candidate's vote count, up to legislated maximum amounts; for a major-party-endorsed candidate such as Dyson, funding is administered through the Liberal Party's registered-party public funding entitlement rather than claimed individually (per the VEC's own funding guidance, accessed 2026-08-23).