‘Abandoned their own supporters’: Labor won’t run in Warrandyte byelection, MPs told

Labor has decided not to run a candidate in next month’s Warrandyte byelection to save money for the 2026 state election, handing a boost to the Liberals’ chances of retaining the seat and Opposition Leader John Pesutto’s odds of keeping his job.

State MPs were told of the decision on Wednesday morning, according to a Labor MP not authorised to speak publicly.

Liberal candidate Nicole Tai-Ei Werner is now the clear frontrunner to win the Warrandyte byelection.Credit: Penny Stephens

The development increases the chances of Liberal candidate Nicole Ta-Ei Werner – a former youth pastor and Liberal staffer – entering parliament, given she will only face off against the Greens, independent and minor party candidates in the conservative-held seat.

The byelection had been considered a high-stakes contest for Pesutto before Wednesday’s news. Three frontbench Coalition MPs had told The Age Pesutto would face an immediate spill motion should the seat fall to Labor.

The Liberals hold the seat with a margin of just over 4 per cent.

Asked if the premier was disappointed with the decision, a spokeswoman for Daniel Andrews said: “Decisions on contesting byelections are a matter for the party.”

The Victorian Labor Party’s administrative wing was contacted for comment. In an email to Warrandyte branch members, seen by The Age, party faithful were told that entering the race would have placed significant strain on the party’s bank accounts.

“[The byelection] would inevitably use resources that we would otherwise use to give our party the best chance to retain government in 2026,” the email read. “To improve the lives of all Victorians, we need to be in government.”

One Liberal MP, who wished to remain anonymous to discuss the byelection as frankly as possible, said Labor could have given Pesutto “a real fright”. The MP went on to say they suspected the government was worried about its chances of nabbing the seat following last week’s cancellation of the Commonwealth Games.

“It’s comical,” the Liberal MP said. “You can’t tell me they don’t have money, you can’t tell me they don’t have a candidate [ready to go], you can’t tell me they couldn’t have given it a red-hot go. They’ve abandoned their own supporters and I couldn’t be more thankful.”

A Labor MP, who wished to remain anonymous for the same reasons, said it was a poor decision not to field a candidate.

“A political party has one job – field candidates,” the MP said.

But the Labor source rejected the idea that the Games factored into the party’s decision-making.

Another Labor source said some MPs “quite like Pesutto being there” – a reference to the tension between the opposition leader and those within his party who did not want to see upper house MP Moira Deeming booted to the crossbench after she attended a rally on the steps of parliament that was gatecrashed by neo-Nazis.

As The Age previously reported, Labor MPs were overwhelmingly of the view the party needed to field a candidate. But party officials were concerned about the high cost of running a campaign in a non-government seat. A strong Labor campaign in Warrandyte was estimated to cost up to $500,000.

Voters will head to the polls on Saturday, August 26. The byelection was triggered by the resignation of state Liberal MP Ryan Smith.

Pesutto and Werner have said two key pillars of their campaign will be the rising cost of living and overdevelopment.

Warrandyte was retained by Liberal Ryan Smith at the previous election. He announced his retirement in May.Credit: ABC

In a statement, Werner said Labor’s decision not to run demonstrated the party’s neglect of the northeastern suburbs.

“It shows that they are not interested in listening to, or acting on, the issues and concerns of local residents,” she said. “I am ready to listen and here to serve the people of Warrandyte.”

Werner added she would fight for upgrades to the “five-ways” intersection along Ringwood-Warrandyte Road, as well as upgrades to local schools and community facilities.

“I will work to restore integrity to our finances and restore confidence in our state. We all want a Victoria we can be proud of.”

The Greens have preselected 25-year-old Manningham City councillor Tomas Lightbody for the upcoming byelection. Snake catcher Raymond Hoser, from Park Orchards, is running as an independent.

The Victorian Socialists and Sustainable Australia Party are also fielding candidates. Independent Maya Tesa, who has previously run for the Liberal Democrats, has also joined the race.

More than 50,000 people are enrolled to vote in the byelection, according to the Victorian Electoral Commission.

Early voting will begin on Monday, August 14.

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