Portfolio — 28 August 2026

The dominant signal from the Macedon district on 28 August 2026 is pre-election positioning, with the Member for Macedon, Ms Thomas, using Assembly time to announce Labor's candidate for the forthcoming state election and to catalogue recent government investments in the district. Ms Thomas announced that Annette Death — a Riddells Creek local and two-time Macedon Ranges mayor — will contest the seat of Macedon for Labor [TA-260826-vichns-9f81c0b98fb9:s029].

The candidate's local profile and mayoral record were central to how the Member framed the announcement, grounding the nomination in community standing rather than factional context.

Ms Thomas also placed on the record a series of government commitments in the district [TA-260826-vichns-9f81c0b98fb9:s029]. These spanned emergency services — a new CFA station at Riddells Creek with drive-through vehicle bays, storage, operational areas, and multipurpose facilities — community recreation through shelter and amenity works at Treetops scout camp, and local economic activation via a Tiny Towns-funded town centre plan for Riddells Creek.

The breadth of the investments, crossing emergency services, regional development, and community infrastructure, reflects a pattern of localised policy enumeration typical of pre-election Assembly contributions.

Separately, the Leader of the House moved by leave to suspend standing and sessional orders to allow the Member for Macedon, alongside the members for Ringwood and Bayswater, to deliver valedictory speeches of up to 15 minutes each following the matter of public importance [TA-260826-vichns-9f81c0b98fb9:s008]. The motion was agreed to. The valedictory provision confirms that the Member for Macedon is not contesting the forthcoming election, a context that frames the candidate announcement and the investment enumeration as part of a deliberate transition record being laid before the Assembly.