Legislative Assembly · District of Warrandyte
Mark Burnside
Last verified 30 Sept 2026
Seat context — Warrandyte›
Warrandyte is a Liberal seat in Melbourne's outer east, covering Warrandyte, North Warrandyte, Warrandyte South, Warranwood, Wonga Park, Parkwood and parts of Donvale and Doncaster East. Ryan Smith held it for 16 years and won it in 2022 with 47.3% of first preferences and 54.3% two-party-preferred against Labor. Nicole Werner won the seat at the 26 August 2023 by-election after his resignation, with 57.3% of first preferences and 71.0% against the Greens' Tomas Lightbody in the two-candidate count, and is recontesting. Local issues include the Suburban Rail Loop and densification around Doncaster, the Five Ways intersection and the Green Wedge. The 2026 field found is three candidates: Werner, One Nation's Mark Burnside and the Victorian Socialists' John Stanley. No Labor or Greens candidate has been found, and Wikipedia's 2026 table leaves Burnside and Stanley without party labels.
Background
Platform
Where they stand, issue by issue — grounded in 2026 Victorian polling, not assumed. Every position is tagged with how we know it.
Road and pothole repairs, local infrastructure, preserving the Green Wedge and parks, footpaths in underserved suburbs, and community safety and emergency services resources.
"It's time the people of Warrandyte had a real voice in parliament to advocate on their behalf for real change."
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
Says he personally experiences rising household costs.
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
Says that as a victim of crime he has seen how under-resourced Warrandyte's emergency services are, and wants community safety and emergency services resourced.
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 Burnside personally.
State government debt and fiscal management
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Infrastructure and public transport delivery
Wants road and pothole repairs, local infrastructure improvements and safe footpaths in underserved suburbs.
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 Burnside personally.
Health and healthcare access
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Urban planning and housing density
Wants the Green Wedge and parks preserved.
Climate and energy transition
The party platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, opposes Net Zero by 2050; nothing is attributed to Burnside 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 Burnside personally.
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.
His themes sit within One Nation's statewide platform. SSelf-stated — ON-MB, ET-ON-POLICYOne Nation Victoria, "Mark Burnside for Warrandyte"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 mentions no prior campaign. SSelf-stated — ON-MBOne Nation Victoria, "Mark Burnside for Warrandyte"View source
He is not among the candidates in the 2022 general election or the 2023 by-election. VVerified — WIKI-WAR-RESWikipedia, "Electoral results for the district of Warrandyte"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.
Burnside has not previously contested an election, and One Nation did not field a Warrandyte candidate in 2022 or at the 2023 by-election.