WITH less than three weeks until the Victorian state election, nominations have closed for candidates planning to contest the poll.
At the time of printing, seven candidate nominations for the seat of Hastings had been posted onto the Victorian Electoral Commission’s website: Isaac Willoughby (Greens), Michael Denman (Victorian Socialists), Paul Mercurio (Labor), Frank Schiefler (Liberal), Peter Angelico (One Nation), Chloe Coulson (Animal Justice Party), and Jason Smart (Independent).
Incumbent Mercurio holds the seat with a 1.35% margin after winning the long-held Liberal seat in the 2022 election.
Challenging him is 33-year-old Liberal candidate Frank Schiefler, an army veteran and Hastings resident.
Also contesting is long-time Liberal Party member Peter Angelico who quit the party to join the Libertarian Party, contesting the Nepean by-election, before switching to One Nation for this poll.
Another election veteran is Jason Smart who contested the 2025 federal election for Clive Palmer’s Trumpet of Patriots before having a falling out with the party and instead encouraging people to vote for One Nation’s Mike Brown instead.
Brown is contesting the state election in Nepean, this time for Family First.
Dual commitments have been made by both Liberal and Labor to upgrade facilities at Somerville Recreation Reserve, and Liberal Schiefler has campaigned hard on law and order.
Other issues in the seat are the state of the road infrastructure, cost of living, homelessness and public transport.
The state election will be held on Saturday 28 November.
First published in the Western Port News – 11 November 2026
