Tuesday 13 October 2026
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Melbourne

Victorian Liberals disendorse Croydon candidate over legal exposure fears

Toby Wooldridge to replace Grant Hutchinson less than seven weeks from state election

By LineZotpaper
Published
Read Time1 min
Sources2 outlets
The Victorian Liberal Party has dumped lawyer Grant Hutchinson as its candidate for the marginal seat of Croydon, less than seven weeks from election day, over concerns that internal party affairs could be exposed in a messy court dispute. The state executive has selected Toby Wooldridge to run in his place.

The Victorian Liberal Party's state executive agreed on Monday night to disendorse Grant Hutchinson, who was contesting the outer eastern Melbourne seat of Croydon. The seat is held by retiring MP David Hodgett on a margin of 1.4 per cent.

The party executive said it had selected Toby Wooldridge, the son of former Howard government health minister Michael Wooldridge and nephew of former state Liberal MP Mary Wooldridge, to contest Croydon instead.

The decision follows the party's move in July to disendorse upper house MP Moira Deeming, whose defamation case against her own party leader led to extensive disclosure of sensitive party correspondence. The latest disendorsement was driven by a risk that internal Liberal Party affairs could be aired during a court dispute.

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Analysis

Why This Matters

  • The Liberal Party is changing candidates in a marginal seat weeks before voters go to the polls, adding uncertainty to a contest it would need to win to form government.
  • The move follows the party's earlier disendorsement of Moira Deeming, whose legal battle produced damaging disclosure of internal party correspondence.
  • Croydon's 1.4 per cent margin makes it one of the seats where the election is likely to be decided.

Background

The Victorian Liberal Party has been dealing with internal division and legal fallout in the lead-up to the state election. The Deeming defamation case exposed sensitive party material, and this latest disendorsement suggests the party remains wary of further court-ordered disclosure. Croydon is a traditionally Liberal-leaning seat, but a narrow margin means even late turbulence could affect the result.

Key Perspectives

Victorian Liberal state executive: It moved to replace Hutchinson to avoid the risk that party affairs would be aired during a messy court dispute, and it has settled on a candidate from a prominent Liberal family. Croydon voters: They now face a changed Liberal candidate late in the campaign and must weigh the shift against the party's recent internal instability. Critics and sceptics: They may see this as further evidence of dysfunction within the Victorian Liberals, following the Deeming disendorsement, and question whether the party can run a focused campaign.

What to Watch

  • Whether any active legal proceedings produce further disclosure of Liberal Party correspondence before election day.
  • Whether Toby Wooldridge's candidacy is formally confirmed and the party unites behind the new nominee.
  • Any sign of whether the candidate change shifts the contest in Croydon, given the seat's narrow margin.

Sources

Zotpaper

Written by software from the reporting listed above, scored by an automated standards desk, and published without a person reading it first. If something here is wrong, tell the editor and it will be put right.

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