In Melbourne's bayside suburbs, a teal-Liberal rematch for Goldstein is underway


Tue 15 Apr 2025
ABC News

In short:
Teal MP for Goldstein Zoe Daniel will attempt to win a second term in the bayside Melbourne seat.   

Former Liberal MP for the electorate, Tim Wilson, is fighting to seize it back for the conservative side of politics.

What's next?
Some voters who spoke to the ABC said climate change, crime and cost-of-living were among the topics they wanted to see addressed.


For Sarah, juggling life as a mother of two young kids doesn't leave much time for politics.

The small business owner, who spoke to the ABC as she walked through a Bentleigh park in Melbourne's south-east, was one of several Goldstein voters who said they were yet to fully tune into the upcoming federal election.

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But her toddler and four-year-old will be at the front of her mind as she casts her vote.

"For me, I sort of look at what type of world I want for the kids down the line … which is the climate, that type of thing," she said.

The Goldstein electorate, takes in bayside suburbs such as Brighton, Sandringham and Beaumaris, but also stretches inland to include Bentleigh and Hampton.


The seat of Goldstein takes in a swag of suburbs in Melbourne's inner south-east.

Like nearby Kooyong, it's a Melbourne seat that went to a teal independent at the last election.

Former ABC journalist Zoe Daniel won the seat on a margin of 2.9 per cent, off former Liberal MP Tim Wilson, who had held the seat since 2016.

A corflute promoting teal MP Zoe Daniel.
Goldstein MP Zoe Daniel is fighting to win a second term as a teal independent. 

Historically, the seat has been a Liberal stronghold: held by the party since the electorate adopted its current name in 1984.

Ms Daniel, like half a dozen other independent candidates who were successfully elected in 2022, ran on a platform of climate action and integrity, that resonated with voters in the area.

Two candidates face Goldstein rematch under fresh seat boundaries
But the Liberals are keen to wrest back Goldstein, Kooyong and other seats won by the teal independents at the last election.

The former local MP, Tim Wilson, has stepped up for a rematch for the seat he lost in 2022.

Mr Wilson worked at the conservative think tank the Institute of Public Affairs and served as an Australian human rights commissioner before entering politics.

A poster promoting Liberal candidate Tim Wilson.
Tim Wilson is hoping to return to federal parliament as the Liberal MP for Goldstein.

When asked what he would be offering voters this time, Mr Wilson pointed out that families with mortgages were hurting and business insolvencies recently hit a four-year high.

"Anthony Albanese said life would be cheaper under Labor, instead, we've had the biggest fall in living standards in the developed world," Mr Wilson told the ABC.

In a statement, Ms Daniel said in her first term she had helped push for a legislated emissions target and the national anti-corruption commission.

"Goldstein asked for climate action and integrity — and I've delivered both, by doing politics differently, grounded in transparency, evidence, and respect for the people I represent," she said.

A person walking down a suburban street, past a blue Tim Wilson campaign corflute.
Voting patterns in Goldstein varied across polling booths in 2022. 

Since the pair faced off in 2022, there's also been a seat boundary redistribution — which could influence the result.

However, unlike in nearby Kooyong, where the redistribution has shrunk the independent margin, Goldstein's new boundaries are predicted to increase the Labor and Green vote.   

The end result is expected to boost the independent margin, with ABC's election analyst Antony Green calculating it now at 3.3 per cent.