MORNINGTON Peninsula businessman Adrian Maher has launched his campaign to contest the seat of Mornington as an independent at the upcoming state election.
Maher, who grew up and lives on the Mornington Peninsula with his wife and two children, is running a “people powered” campaign where he is calling on voters to submit their priority issues to help shape his “10 Peninsula Promises”.
“If elected to the crossbench, I pledge to maximise my vote by refusing to pass any government legislation, supply, or budgets until those 10 community-driven priorities are fully funded,” said Maher.
Maher’s business past has spanned life coaching, film and television production, media training, and communications management. More recently, his website lists “project support, funding and delivery” and his consultancy firm’s website states “Our team has led some of Australia’s largest projects and biggest systems and technical integration over the last 30 years”.
Maher said “years of inertia” on the Mornington Peninsula has led to this degradation of services.
“We need a strong voice. Clear priorities. And a no-nonsense mandate that Spring Street not only hears, but acts,” said Maher.
Maher told The News he is entirely self-funded and completely unaligned with big donor groups or political parties. Maher has committed to pausing all operations of his technology consulting firm upon launching his campaign.
“I am not a career politician; I am a project director who knows how to fix unstuck systems, from major hospitals to renewable energy networks,” said Maher.
“The major parties answer to their backroom bosses and factional donors. I answer exclusively to the people of Mornington, Mount Eliza, and Mount Martha. The people make the decisions, not powers managing us from above.”
One of Maher’s major concerns is the lack of effective public transport on the peninsula. To illustrate his point, Maher took to social media to demonstrate it would be possible to run from Mornington to Melbourne quicker than someone could catch public transport.
“Our public transport is so abysmal that a parent or worker trying to get to the city is effectively stranded,” Maher said.
“I could literally run to Melbourne faster than our current transit system could get me there.”
Maher told The News the current metro designation for the Mornington Peninsula gives us the “worst of both worlds”.
“We are deemed metropolitan Melbourne, but don’t get any of the infrastructure benefits of metro Melbourne. But because we are metro, we don’t attract any of that high-level regional spending that the regions benefit from,” he said.
Maher does not believe the solution lies in becoming regional, but in demanding a fair share from the government.
Maher’s campaign has already begun to take shape with five of his priorities already selected:
- Better commuting: Two high-speed commuter ferries from Mornington to Melbourne.
- Better access to jobs: Express buses from Mount Martha, Mornington and Mount Eliza to Frankston and Dandenong, using dedicated bus lanes.
- Stronger families: Three Sunday Child Activity Centres, in Mount Martha, Mornington and Mount Eliza, giving parents three hours each week to rest and recharge.
- Mental health without the financial stress: No-Gap Mental Health Care, so people aren’t forced to choose between their mental health and their hip pocket.
- Doctors you can afford: Access for everyone to bulk-billing GPs.
“This is the first five, and there are five more Peninsula Promises to come.”
Maher joins Liberal incumbent Chris Crewther, One Nation candidate Ashli Beards, and another independent Melissa Goffin, in the race for the seat. Labor is yet to nominate a candidate, but a source told The News the party will be contesting.
Maher’s website is: adrianmaher.com.au.
First published in the Mornington News – 15 September 2026
