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| 2018 Victorian state election | |
|---|---|
| Election name | 2018 Victorian state election |
| Country | Australia |
| Type | parliamentary |
| Previous election | 2014 Victorian state election |
| Previous year | 2014 |
| Next election | 2022 Victorian state election |
| Next year | 2022 |
| Election date | 24 November 2018 |
| Turnout | 4,042,160 (90.6%) |
2018 Victorian state election
The 2018 Victorian state election was held on 24 November 2018 to elect the 59th Parliament of Victoria, including all 88 seats in the Victorian Legislative Assembly and 40 seats in the Victorian Legislative Council. The contest featured the incumbent Australian Labor Party led by Premier Daniel Andrews, the Liberal Party of Australia (Victorian Division) led by Matthew Guy, and the National Party of Australia (Victoria) led by Peter Walsh, with significant candidacies from the Australian Greens and multiple minor parties and independents across metropolitan and regional electorates. The election resulted in a decisive victory for Labor, reshaping representation across Melbourne and regional Victoria and influencing subsequent policy debates for the Andrews ministry and Victorian institutions.
In the lead-up to the election, Labor under Daniel Andrews governed after winning the 2014 contest, defeating a Liberal–National coalition led by Denis Napthine and later Matthew Guy; the Andrews ministry pursued major infrastructure projects like the Melbourne Metro Rail Project and the Suburban Rail Loop proposal, while state debates engaged actors such as the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC), the Victorian Electoral Commission, and advocacy groups including Australian Education Union and CFMEU. The opposition landscape featured the Liberal Party, the Nationals, and the Liberal Democratic Party (Australia) with state campaigns influenced by federal issues involving Malcolm Turnbull, Scott Morrison, and policy disputes over taxation, energy, and transport; social movements and media outlets such as The Age, Herald Sun, and ABC News shaped public discourse. The composition of the Legislative Council after 2014, with crossbenchers from Derryn Hinch's Justice Party, Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party, and the Greens, prompted strategic preference negotiations involving figures like Cory Bernardi and organizations including GetUp!.
Victoria used full preferential voting for the Victorian Legislative Assembly and single transferable vote with group voting tickets for the Victorian Legislative Council, administered by the Victorian Electoral Commission, under boundaries redrawn by a redistribution committee chaired by representatives from institutions such as the Court of Appeal of Victoria and reflecting census data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The redistribution altered seats including Altona, Bendigo East, Frankston, and Ripon, changing margins and prompting incumbent MPs like Catherine King and Liam Pullen to reassess target seats; the changes intersected with statutory rules from the Constitution Act 1975 and decisions by the Electoral Boundaries Commission (Victoria). Legislative Council region boundaries and quota calculations affected party strategies for regions such as the Northern Metropolitan Region, Eastern Victoria Region, and Western Metropolitan Region, influencing preference deals among parties including the Greens, Labor, Liberal, Shooters and Fishers, and minor parties such as Flux Party and Reason.
The campaign featured television and radio coverage by Seven Network, Network Ten, and SBS Television, with leaders' debates involving Daniel Andrews, Matthew Guy, and minor leaders like Sally Capp and Catherine Cumming; campaign themes included infrastructure spending on projects like the West Gate Tunnel, education policy debated with representatives from Victorian Institute of Teaching and health funding interactions with Alfred Hospital, while law-and-order rhetoric engaged unions such as the Victorian Trades Hall Council and business groups like the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Preference negotiations and advertising saw interventions by national players such as Turnbull-era federal figures and advocacy by GetUp!, while controversies involved social media activity linked to candidates associated with United Patriots Front and coverage by outlets including The Guardian Australia. Polling by firms like Newspoll, Essential Media Communications, and YouGov tracked voting intentions, while campaign funding disclosures and electoral advertising regulation invoked scrutiny under the Electoral Act 2002 and investigations referencing the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission.
Labor, led by Daniel Andrews, won a convincing majority in the Victorian Legislative Assembly, increasing its seat count and defeating opposition candidates including senior Liberals such as Matthew Guy in key metropolitan electorates like Gippsland South and Narre Warren North; the Liberals and Nationals faced losses with leadership consequences for figures such as Matthew Guy and shadow ministers including Cory Bernardi (note: federal)-adjacent commentators. The Greens, led federally by figures like Richard Di Natale and locally by activists such as Sam Hibbins, made gains in inner-city seats including Richmond and secured Legislative Council representation in regions like Southern Metropolitan Region. Minor parties and independents such as the Derryn Hinch's Justice Party, Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party, and community independents won or retained seats on the Council, altering balance-of-power dynamics in the upper house; turnout and two-party-preferred swings were reported by the Victorian Electoral Commission and analysed by academic institutions like University of Melbourne and Monash University.
Following the election, Daniel Andrews was sworn in for a second term as Premier at Government House with ministers from the Andrews ministry including figures such as Jacinta Allan, James Merlino, and Tim Pallas taking portfolios; cabinet reshuffles reflected policy priorities on infrastructure, health, and education with legislative programs debated in the Parliament of Victoria. The Liberal Party underwent leadership changes with Matthew Guy resigning as leader and successors engaging in renewal processes involving party figures like Michael O'Brien and Peter Walsh, while crossbench negotiations in the Legislative Council required deal-making with parties including the Greens and Derryn Hinch's representatives to pass legislation related to the Suburban Rail Loop and stage funding for the Melbourne Metro Rail Project. The election influenced federal-state interactions involving the Morrison government and federal ministers such as Josh Frydenberg, and shaped policy debates in institutions including the Victorian Auditor-General's Office and the Victorian Ombudsman as the Andrews government implemented its agenda.
Category:Elections in Victoria (Australia)Category:2018 elections in Australia