The Dunkley byelection is approaching, with Victorians in the electorate heading to the polls next Saturday 2 March.
The byelection comes in the wake of Labor MP Peta Murphy’s death in December 2023. She died at the age of 50 after a long battle with breast cancer.
There are eight candidates vying for the seat, including Labor’s Jodie Belyea and Liberal candidate and current Mayor of Frankston, Nathan Conroy.
Major implications are expected from the byelection in the division, which Labor holds with a margin of 6.3 per cent. A win for Labor could cement the loosened grip the Liberal party has in Victoria: the 2022 election results saw Labor win 24 seats, while the Liberal party secured just eight.
However, party officials predict a swing against the Labor party due to rises in mortgages and the cost of living, as well as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s lowered popularity. A win for the Liberal party could be used as political ammunition for the Liberal party, led by Peter Dutton, firing attacks on the Albanese government and the people’s lack of trust in them.
Here’s what we know about the major party candidates for the Division of Dunkley.
Jodie Belyea, Labor
Jodie Belyea, a trained tertiary teacher, women’s health advocate and mother from Frankston, Victoria, announced she would be running as the Labor candidate in January this year.
In a post on Instagram, Belyea presents herself as an ordinary, middle-class Australian with “two dogs and a mortgage”.
In 2018, Belyea founded a volunteer-led women’s health organisation called Women’s Spirit Project. The organisation offers health and well-being programs to women “doing it tough” in the area. It was here, Belyea said, that she first met the late Peta Murphy, who she worked closely with in the community.
“Peta and I shared a passion for making a difference in our local community,” Belyea wrote in an Instagram post.
“Peta was an incredibly talented and inspiring woman. And I want to continue her legacy – that’s why I’m running for Dunkley.”
Belyea said she will be a “strong local voice” for the constituents of Dunkley, advocating for health and medicare, housing affordability and support during Australia’s cost-of-living crisis.
“I’m not interested in playing politics,” she said. “I’ll work with all levels of government, local business and the community sector… to make sure our community isn’t left behind and everyone can get ahead.”
Nathan Conroy, Liberal
Frankston’s local government leader, Mayor Nathan Conroy, announced in January he would be taking leave from the role, entering the race for the federal seat for Dunkley.
Conroy was born in Ireland and moved to Australia when he was 19 years old. He entered local politics in 2020, elected on the Frankston City Council and serving as Deputy Mayor. A year later, he was elected as Mayor and has served the people of Frankston for three consecutive years.
Now, at 31, he is vying to become the federal Member for Dunkley. The division was once a strong Liberal seat, with the conservative party holding power from 1996 until 2019, when the late Peta Murphy MP was elected.
In a video posted on Instagram, Conroy said he is excited to be in the running for the job.
“We need to make sure that people are happy, ad that we have a vision, a hope, a dream for people going forward,” Conroy said.
“People need that, at the end of the day – a little bit of aspiration – and I think Frankston is on the cusp of it. And I want to, as the Member for Dunkley, see that through.”
The byelection in Dunkley will be held next Saturday March 2.