Legislative Assembly · District of Shepparton
Cayla Fin
Last verified 30 Sept 2026
Seat context — Shepparton›
Shepparton is a regional Goulburn Valley seat covering Shepparton, Mooroopna, Nathalia and Numurkah. The Nationals' Kim O'Keeffe, a former Greater Shepparton mayor, won it in 2022 from long-time independent Suzanna Sheed, taking 32.1% of first preferences to Sheed's 29.4% and winning 56.8% to 43.2% in the two-candidate count. O'Keeffe announced on 21 July 2026 that she will not recontest, so 2026 is an open contest. The Nationals preselected Greater Shepparton mayor Shane Sali on 5 September 2026, beating prosecutor Alexander Lew. The Tally Room lists the controversial Greater Shepparton Secondary College 'super school' and the 2022 floods among local issues. The 2026 field found is five candidates: Sali, Labor's Cayla Fin, the Greens' Grace Verney, One Nation's Phillip Bryant and the Victorian Socialists' Karen Hocking. No Liberal or independent candidate has been found, and Wikipedia's 2026 table shifts the party labels for Verney, Bryant and Hocking.
Background
Platform
Where they stand, issue by issue — grounded in 2026 Victorian polling, not assumed. Every position is tagged with how we know it.
Strong local services for families, quality accessible healthcare in rural and regional areas, and equal opportunities for rural communities.
"Rural and regional communities deserve the same opportunities as anywhere else in Victoria, and only Labor will deliver."
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
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.
Crime and community safety
Labor's platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, includes the 2025 bail law changes.
Housing affordability and supply
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.
Infrastructure and public transport delivery
Labor's platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, includes $1.04 billion for roads.
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
Works in the TAFE sector.
Labor's platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, includes $5.5 billion of new education investment in 2026-27 and the Free TAFE guarantee.
Health and healthcare access
Names quality, accessible healthcare in rural and regional areas as a priority.
Labor's platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, includes $3.9 billion of new health investment in 2026-27.
Urban planning and housing density
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Climate and energy transition
Labor's platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, targets 65% renewables by 2030 and 95% by 2035.
Treaty and First Nations affairs
Labor's platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, cites implementation of the Statewide Treaty Act 2025.
Regional and rural Victoria
Says "rural and regional communities deserve the same opportunities as anywhere else in Victoria, and only Labor will deliver".
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
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.
Fin has not previously contested an election. Labor's 2022 Shepparton candidate polled 7.95%, above the 4% mark.