Two new faces will be hoping to retain Labor’s hold on Bendigo at the upcoming state election.
Friday, September 18th saw the party reveal its lower-house candidates for the region: Brenton Baldwin, who’s running in the electorate Bendigo West, and Tim Rickwood in Bendigo East.
In an exclusive interview with our newsroom, Mr Baldwin described himself as a local “born and raised” in Bendigo, with generations of his family having lived in the city for “over 150 years”.
He said that his campaign and Labor’s will have a focus on health.
“I myself have a background in the not-for-profit health sector, so I’m really passionate about ensuring that locals in Bendigo have access to… world-class health facilities here,” Mr Baldwin said.
Bendigo West is currently held by another member of the party, Maree Edwards, who’ll be retiring from politics at the conclusion of this current term of the Victorian parliament.
But Mr Baldwin’s succeeding her as MP isn’t a certainty, as the National Party is strongly contesting the seat with their candidate, David Hutchings.
“I’m under no illusion that it’s going to be a real challenge,” Mr Baldwin said of his chances.
“But I know that I’m someone who prides myself on being a hard worker, and I’ll be spending time with Maree out in the community, talking to local people about what matters to them.”
His Bendigo East counterpart, Mr Rickwood is making education a key platform of his campaign, being an employee of Bendigo Senior Secondary College.
“As a teacher at BSSC, I see every day how education can change a young person’s life,” Mr Rickwood said in a statement.
“We want Bendigo and Central Victoria to continue to be a place where people can receive a great education, access quality health care, find secure work and build a good life close to home.”
Mr Rickwood was contacted for further comment.
Former premier Jacinta Allan currently holds Bendigo East and like Ms Edwards, will not be seeking re-election at the upcoming poll in November.
Her seat has also been eyed by the Nationals, with Andrew Lethlean to run on their behalf after nearly winning a Federal contest against Labor’s Lisa Chesters in 2025.
The state election will be held on November 28th.
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