Labor parachutes Finance Minister into Eastern Victoria

VICTORIAN Labor hasn’t officially announced its Legislative Council election team for the 2026 State Election, ahead of the close of candidate nominations on Monday, November 9.

But they have confirmed the Finance Minister, Enver Erdogan, will replace the relocated Tom McIntosh and the retiring Harriet Shing in the number one position on the ticket in Eastern Victoria, almost certainly ensuring he’ll be a member of the next parliament.

He had been in second place on the party’s ticket for the Northern Metropolitan region, an increasingly precarious position for an ambitious but relatively newly arrived party leader.

Elected to State Parliament in August 2019, as well as being the State’s finance minister since August 2026, he’s been the Minister for Casino, Gaming and Liquor Regulation since December 2024, in charge of action on the state’s illicit tobacco trade, and the Minister for Government Services, since August 2026.

It is not known exactly where Tom McIntosh will bob up, but he has been linked with Mr Erdogan’s old region of Northern Metro.

Whether he will be in a winnable position or at risk of exiting the parliament if Labor polls poorly is unknown but many in the Eastern Victoria region, impressed with his efforts, are annoyed at Labor’s shuffling of the deckchairs.

Labor candidate for the lower house seat of Gippsland East, Sonny Stephens, even launched a petition to keep McIntosh, and told ABC Gippsland that he considered him to be a “stunningly good politician”. He said local Labor members were frustrated with “a process that doesn’t appear to reward effort”.

It has not been confirmed by Mr Erdogan where he will live if he wins election to Eastern Victoria, although in a February 2023 parliamentary speech, he described “Metropolitan Melbourne” as his home.

He has however previously served as a councillor in the former City of Moreland, covering suburbs including Brunswick, Coburg and Fawkner.

So, presumably he presently lives in Melbourne’s northern suburbs where he also studied at La Trobe University, obtaining a Bachelor of Economics and a Bachelor of Laws.

He later completed a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice at the Leo Cussen Centre for Law and was admitted to the Supreme Court of Victoria in 2011 working as an Associate at the law firm Maurice Blackburn, specialising in representing injured workers.

He was elected to the City of Moreland (Merri-bek) in 2008 and served until 2012. He also sat on the Board of the Municipal Association of Victoria, the peak body representing local councils in the state.

Erdogan is married and has two daughters. He describes himself as passionate about both Australian Rules Football and soccer, and is a lifelong supporter of the Collingwood Football Club.

But whether he will be “passionate” enough about the Eastern Victoria region to live here is anyone’s guess.

The Legislative Council Electorate of Eastern Victoria, covers the Lower House (Legislative Assembly) electorates of Bass, Evelyn, Gippsland East, Gippsland South, Hastings, Monbulk, Mornington, Morwell, Narracan, Nepean and Pakenham; so, there’s ample choice if he decides to live in the electorate he represents.

'Melbourne Cup' field for Eastern Victoria

There's already a Melbourne Cup field of candidates for Eastern Victoria, which at present include:

• Clay Esler, One Nation
• Danielle Burridge, Legalise Cannabis
• Dylan Edwards, Victorian Socialists
• Helen Jeges, Animal Justice Party
• Jessica McAuliffe, Animal Justice Party
• Mat Morgan, The Greens
• Matt Green, Liberal
• Max Forward, Victorian Socialists
• Melina Bath, The Nationals
• Neil Davison, One Nation
• Renee Heath, Liberal
• Enver Erdogan, Labor
• Leticia Laing, Labor

Where should Enver Erdogan live?

Should the State’ Finance Minister Enver Erdogan take it all the way and win one of five Upper House Seats for Eastern Victoria he has a wonderful selections of places to live, if he moves out of Melbourne’s northern suburbs.

Here are a few suggestions:

• Electorate of Bass: Towns of Bass, Cape Paterson, Clyde, Corinella, Cowes, Grantville, Inverloch, Kilcunda, Koo Wee Rup, Lang Lang, Pearcedale, Rhyll, San Remo, Tooradin, Ventnor and Wonthaggi.
• Electorate of Evelyn: Towns of Coldstream, Gruyere, Lilydale, and Wonga Park.
• Electorate of Gippsland East: Towns of Bairnsdale, Lakes Entrance, Orbost, Omeo, Maffra and Heyfield
• Electorate of Gippsland South: Towns of Foster, Korumburra, Leongatha, Mirboo North, Port Albert, Port Welshpool, Rosedale, Sale and Yarram.
• Electorate of Hastings: Towns of Hastings, Tyabb, Somerville, Bittern and part of Langwarrin, plus French Island if you really want to get out there!
• Electorate of Monbulk: The towns of Monbulk, Olinda and Silvan as well as some outer suburbs such as Belgrave and Tecoma.
• Electorate of Mornington: Towns of Mornington, Mount Eliza, Mount Martha and Tuerong, and parts of Baxter and Moorooduc.
• Electorate of Morwell: It covers the regional centres of Moe, Morwell and Traralgon, as well as the surrounding rural areas in the middle of Gippsland
• Electorate of Narracan: It covers the Warragul–Drouin urban area, as well as many smaller rural towns in north-west Gippsland including Bunyip, Yarrago, Trafalgar, Neerim South and Noojee.
• Electorate of Nepean: It covers the southernmost part of the Mornington Peninsula with towns including Rosebud, Dromana and Red Hill.
• Electorate of Pakenham: It includes the outer south-eastern suburbs of Officer, Officer South, and Pakenham, as well as less populated locations in the hills.