Legislative Assembly · District of Shepparton
Phillip Bryant
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
Served 7.5 years in the defence force and has been a CFA volunteer for over 30 years, including interstate taskforce deployments. SSelf-stated — ON-PBOne Nation Victoria, "Phillip Bryant for Shepparton"View source
The Tally Room describes him as a low-profile candidate who won One Nation's endorsement over higher-profile contender Steven Threlfall. RReported — TALLYROOM-SHEPThe Tally Room, "Shepparton — Victoria 2026"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.
Support for small businesses, backing emergency services and first responders, regional economic growth and family stability, and reversing policies he sees as damaging.
"One Nation is the only party with the vision and determination to make needed changes."
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
Names regional economic growth and family stability as priorities.
The One Nation Victoria platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would remove insurance duty on premiums and end renewable subsidies.
Crime and community safety
Wants emergency services and first responders backed, drawing on over 30 years as a CFA volunteer.
Housing affordability and supply
The party platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would ban foreign ownership of residential property; nothing is attributed to Bryant personally.
State government debt and fiscal management
Wants support for small businesses facing taxation and regulatory burdens.
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
The party platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would establish elected school boards with a parent majority; nothing is attributed to Bryant personally.
Health and healthcare access
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Urban planning and housing density
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Climate and energy transition
The party platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, opposes Net Zero by 2050; nothing is attributed to Bryant personally.
Treaty and First Nations affairs
The party platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would oppose and repeal Victoria's Statewide Treaty framework; nothing is attributed to Bryant personally.
Regional and rural Victoria
Names regional economic growth as a priority.
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.
His themes sit within One Nation's statewide platform. SSelf-stated — ON-PB, ET-ON-POLICYOne Nation Victoria, "Phillip Bryant for Shepparton"View sourceAustralian Election Tracker, "One Nation policy profile — 2026 Victorian election"View source
No point of divergence was found.
Track record & prior candidacies
His profile says he is a first-time candidate. SSelf-stated — ON-PBOne Nation Victoria, "Phillip Bryant for Shepparton"View source
He is not among the candidates in the 2022 Shepparton results. VVerified — WIKI-SHEP-RESWikipedia, "Electoral results for the district of Shepparton"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.
Bryant has not previously contested an election, and One Nation did not field a Shepparton candidate in 2022.