Legislative Assembly · District of Ripon
Megan Read
Last verified 30 Sept 2026
Seat context — Ripon›
Ripon is a Labor-held marginal seat in western Victoria, and a genuine three-cornered Coalition contest in 2026. Labor's Martha Haylett won it in 2022 with 38.5% of first preferences and 53.0% two-party-preferred against the Liberals' Louise Staley, and is recontesting against the Nationals' Jo Armstrong and the Liberals' Megan Read (who replaced Andrew Kilmartin after his Huntington's-disease-related withdrawal). The Greens' Tim Drylie, One Nation's Donna Buxton and the Victorian Socialists' Taylah Brennan-Jones are also standing, and The Tally Room says Labor's hold is far from solid and could fall to either the Nationals or One Nation.
Background
Platform
Where they stand, issue by issue — grounded in 2026 Victorian polling, not assumed. Every position is tagged with how we know it.
Fairer outcomes from the renewable energy rollout, bushfire recovery support and scrapping Labor's Emergency Services and Volunteers Tax.
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
Wants the Emergency Services and Volunteers Tax scrapped.
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; nothing is attributed to Read 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 Read personally.
State government debt and fiscal management
Has fought to scrap the Emergency Services and Volunteers Tax.
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
Campaigns for fairer outcomes from the renewable energy infrastructure rollout.
Treaty and First Nations affairs
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Regional and rural Victoria
Wants regional Victoria to have a strong voice and a fresh start.
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 is not among the candidates in the 2018 or 2022 Ripon results; the Liberals' candidate at both was Louise Staley (38.93% in 2018, 36.2% in 2022). VVerified — WIKI-RIPON-RESWikipedia, "Electoral results for the district of Ripon"View source
No earlier election candidacy was found.
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.
Read has not previously contested an election. The Liberals' 2022 Ripon candidate polled 36.2%.