| Election Name: | 2017 Northcote state by-election |
| Country: | Victoria |
| Type: | Parliamentary |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 2014 Victorian state election |
| Previous Year: | 2014 |
| Next Election: | 2018 Victorian state election |
| Next Year: | 2018 |
| Turnout: | 79.0% 11.6 |
| Seats For Election: | The Electoral district of Northcote in the Legislative Assembly of Victoria |
| Candidate1: | Lidia Thorpe |
| Party1: | Australian Greens Victoria |
| Percentage1: | 45.2% |
| Swing1: | 8.9 |
| Candidate2: | Clare Burns |
| Party2: | Australian Labor Party (Victorian Branch) |
| Percentage2: | 35.4% |
| Swing2: | 5.6 |
| 1Blank: | 2CP |
| 1Data1: | 55.6% |
| 1Data2: | 44.4% |
| 2Blank: | 2CP swing |
| 2Data1: | 11.6 |
| 2Data2: | 11.6 |
| MLA | |
| Before Election: | Fiona Richardson |
| Before Party: | Labor |
| After Election: | Lidia Thorpe |
| After Party: | Greens |
A by-election for the seat of Northcote in the Victorian Legislative Assembly was held on 18 November 2017. The by-election was triggered by the death of Labor Party MP Fiona Richardson on 23 August 2017.[1] While the seat historically has firmly been in the Labor Party's hands since its inception in 1927, environmental issues, rising house prices and demographic trends have resulted in a stronger Greens vote at recent elections.[2] The Liberal Party elected not to field a candidate.[2]
The seat was won by the Greens on a swing of more than 11.5%. ABC election expert Antony Green called the seat for the Greens at 8.30 pm on the night of the count.[3] Greens candidate Lidia Thorpe became the first female Aboriginal MP in the Victorian Parliament as a result of the victory and the Greens increased their representation in the Legislative Assembly to three MPs.[3]
The by-election was called following the death of former Labor member for the district and Minister for Women, Fiona Richardson. Having taken medical leave from Parliament on 7 August 2017, she died in office on 23 August. This triggered a vacancy in the seat, with writs for election being issued by the Assembly Speaker, Colin Brooks.
A total of 12 candidates were declared nominated by the VEC. The Liberal Party decided against fielding a candidate.
| 12 candidates in ballot paper order | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | width=70% | Background | ||
| Independent | Russell Hayward | Preston resident and executive-level manager in welfare and disability sectors. | |||
| Independent | Brian Sanaghan | Former Northcote Councillor in 1970s, later expelled for refusing to take oath to Queen. | |||
| Greens | Lidia Thorpe | Gunnai-Gunditjmara businesswoman.[4] | |||
| Animal Justice | Nina Lenk | Animal activist and party Northern Metropolitan Manager. | |||
| Independent | Laura Chipp | Daughter of Don Chipp, former leader of the Australian Democrats. Endorsed by the unregistered Reason Party (formerly known as the Australian Sex Party).[5] | |||
| Independent | Philip Cooper | Yorta Yorta elder with 40 years' experience in Aboriginal community affairs. | |||
| Liberal Democrats | Dean Rossiter | Student at La Trobe University. | |||
| Labor | Clare Burns | Speech pathologist and union official.[6] | |||
| Independent | Medical practitioner, broadcaster and anarchist activist. | ||||
| Independent | Bryony Edwards | Previously worked in human services policy making and community development. | |||
| Independent | Nevena Spirovska | Freelance writer. | |||
| Independent | Vince Fontana | Former Darebin councillor and mayor.[7] | |||
|- style="background-color:#E9E9E9"! colspan="6" style="text-align:left;" |After distribution of preferences
The VEC stops distributing preferences when a candidate reaches over 50 per cent of the vote. An indicative two-candidate-preferred count had Lidia Thorpe (Greens) on 20,137 votes (55.6%) to Clare Burns (Labor) on 16,080 votes (44.4%)—a swing of 11.6 percentage points to the Greens.[8]