# 2023 Mulgrave state by-election

The 2023 Mulgrave state by-election was held on 18 November 2023 to elect the next member for Mulgrave in the Victorian Legislative Assembly, following the resignation of Victorian Premier and incumbent MP Daniel Andrews.

## Background
### Resignation of Daniel Andrews

At a media conference on 26 September 2023, Daniel Andrews announced his resignation as premier, leader of the Victorian Labor Party, and member for Mulgrave, to take effect the following day. The resignation came exactly 10 months into his four year elected term as member for Mulgrave. He cited thoughts of life following his premiership, which he felt meant "it is time to go".
Following the 2022 Victorian state election Daniel Andrews had committed to govern and remain in Parliament for a full four year term.

### Seat details

Mulgrave has been represented in the Victorian Legislative Assembly on two separate occasions. Its first appearance as an electoral district was during the 1958 Victorian state election, when it was captured by Ray Wiltshire of the Victorian Liberal Party. At the time, Mulgrave was regarded as a secure stronghold for the Liberal Party as its two-party-preferred vote never reached below 60 per cent. Wiltshire continued to serve as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Mulgrave until the 1967 Victorian state election, when the district was abolished. Subsequently, it was replaced by Syndal which Wiltshire represented until his retirement in 1976. The electorate was reestablished at the 2002 Victorian state election, replacing Dandenong North and won by Daniel Andrews who had held the seat up until his resignation in 2023.

### Demographics

At the 2021 Australian census, Mulgrave had a median age of 40, slightly higher than the state and the rest of Australia. The electorate also boasts a significant population with Chinese ancestry comprising 17% of its residents, compared to the state where the rate is 6%. There are also large Vietnamese and Greek communities. Furthermore, 30% of Mulgrave's residents have attained a bachelor's degree or higher, and the median weekly personal income stands at $693.
Two-party-preferred vote in Mulgrave, 2002–2022 :
| Election | Election | 2002 | 2006 | 2010 | 2014 | 2018 | 2022 |
| | Labor | 66.20% | 65.60% | 58.48% | 54.50% | 62.71% | 60.20% |
| | Liberal | 33.80% | 35.40% | 41.52% | 45.50% | 37.30% | 39.80% |
| Government | Government | ALP | ALP | L/NP | ALP | ALP | ALP |

### 2022 results

2022 Victorian state election: Mulgrave :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labor | Daniel Andrews | 19,365 | 51.0 | −8.5 |
| | Independent | Ian Cook | 6,838 | 18.0 | +18.0 |
| | Liberal | Michael Piastrino | 6,528 | 17.2 | −11.0 |
| | Greens | Robert Lim | 1,930 | 5.1 | −1.3 |
| | Freedom | Aidan McLindon | 824 | 2.2 | +2.2 |
| | Family First | Jane Foreman | 749 | 2.0 | +2.0 |
| | Animal Justice | David Mould | 419 | 1.1 | +0.9 |
| | Democratic Labour | Maree Wood | 327 | 0.9 | −1.3 |
| | Independent | Fotini Theodossopoulou | 305 | 0.8 | +0.8 |
| | Independent | Andrew King | 173 | 0.4 | +0.4 |
| | Ind. (PIBCI) | Joseph Toscano | 155 | 0.4 | +0.4 |
| | Independent | Anne Moody | 146 | 0.4 | +0.4 |
| | Independent | Howard Lee | 120 | 0.3 | +0.3 |
| | Independent | Ezra J. D. Isma | 92 | 0.2 | +0.2 |
| Total formal votes | Total formal votes | Total formal votes | 37,924 | 91.2 | −2.7 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 3,650 | 8.7 | +2.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 41,574 | 88.4 | +3.3 |
| Notional two-party-preferred count ||||||
| | Labor | Daniel Andrews | 22,976 | 60.2 | −5.6 |
| | Liberal | Michael Piastrino | 15,191 | 39.8 | +5.6 |
| Two-candidate-preferred result ||||||
| | Labor | Daniel Andrews | 23,070 | 60.8 | −5.0 |
| | Independent | Ian Cook | 14,854 | 39.2 | +39.2 |
| | Labor hold | Labor hold | Swing | −5.0 | |

## Candidates

| Party | Candidate | Background |
| Libertarian | Ethelyn King | Candidate for South-East Metro at the 2022 Victorian election. |
| Sustainable Australia | Celeste Ackerly | Student |
| Independent | Ian Cook | Former businessman and candidate for Mulgrave at the 2022 Victorian election. |
| Family First | Jane Foreman | Candidate for Mulgrave at the 2022 Victorian election. |
| Liberal | Courtney Mann | Political staffer, educator, and candidate for Mulgrave at the 2010 Victorian election. |
| Victorian Socialists | Kelly Cvetkova | Retail worker, student and candidate for Thomastown at the 2022 Victorian election. |
| Greens | Rhonda Garad | Greater Dandenong Councillor |
| Labor | Eden Foster | Mayor of Greater Dandenong |
| Independent | Tina Theodossopoulou | Landscaper and candidate for Mulgrave at the 2022 Victorian election. |
| Animal Justice | Bronwyn Currie | Perennial candidate, HR consultant and activist. |

## Party how to vote Cards

Preferences as listed on each parties how to vote card :
| Party | LBT | SAP | Ian C. | FFV | LIB | VS | GRN | ALP | T.T. | AJ |
| Libertarian | 1 | | 2 | 4 | 2 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 6 |
| Sustainable Australia | 6 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 4 |
| Ian Cook | 2 | | 1 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 9 |
| Family First | 3 | | 4 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 10 |
| Liberal | 4 | | 5 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 2 | 7 |
| Victorian Socialists | 10 | | 8 | 9 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 2 |
| Greens | 8 | | 9 | 10 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 3 |
| Labor | 7 | | 10 | 7 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 8 | 5 |
| Tina Theodossopoulou | 5 | | 6 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 1 | 8 |
| Animal Justice | 9 | | 7 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 1 |

## Results

2023 Mulgrave state by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labor | Eden Foster | 14,481 | 40.18 | −10.82 |
| | Liberal | Courtney Mann | 7,817 | 21.69 | +4.50 |
| | Independent | Ian Cook | 6,780 | 18.81 | +0.80 |
| | Greens | Rhonda Garad | 2,153 | 5.97 | +0.89 |
| | Victorian Socialists | Kelly Cvetkova | 1,315 | 3.65 | +3.65 |
| | Family First | Jane Foreman | 1,111 | 3.08 | +1.11 |
| | Libertarian | Ethelyn King | 1,046 | 2.90 | +2.90 |
| | Independent | Tina Theodossopoulou | 662 | 1.84 | +1.04 |
| | Animal Justice | Bronwyn Currie | 403 | 1.12 | +1.12 |
| | Sustainable Australia | Celeste Ackerly | 276 | 0.77 | +0.77 |
| Total formal votes | Total formal votes | Total formal votes | 36,044 | 94.46 | +3.13 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 2,112 | 5.54 | −3.13 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 38,156 | 80.94 | −7.46 |
| Notional two-party-preferred count ||||||
| | Labor | Eden Foster | 19,704 | 54.67 | −5.53 |
| | Liberal | Courtney Mann | 16,340 | 45.33 | +5.53 |
| Two-candidate-preferred result ||||||
| | Labor | Eden Foster | 20,363 | 56.49 | −4.34 |
| | Independent | Ian Cook | 15,681 | 43.51 | +4.34 |
| | Labor hold | Labor hold | Swing | −4.34 | |