Draft:Rebecca Thistleton

{{AU politician draft}}
{{short description|Australian politician}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2026}}
{{Use Australian English|date=April 2026}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Rebecca Thistleton
| honorific_suffix = [[Victorian Legislative Assembly|MP]]
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| constituency_AM = [[Electoral district of South Barwon|South Barwon]]
| assembly = Victorian Legislative
| term_start = 28 November 2026
| end =
| predecessor = [[Darren Cheeseman]]
| successor =
| party = [[Victorian Labor Party|Labor]]
| birth_date = {{birth based on age as of date|37|2022|08|24}}
}}
'''Rebecca Thistleton''' (born {{birth based on age as of date|37|2022|08|24|noage=yes}}) is an Australian politician, and has represented the [[Electoral district of South Barwon|district of South Barwon]] in the [[Victorian Legislative Assembly]] since the [[2026 Victorian state election|2026 state election]]. Thistleton is a member of the [[Victorian Labor Party|Australian Labor Party]].
==Early life and career==
Thistleton was born in {{birth based on age as of date|37|2022|08|24|noage=yes}}.{{cite news |last1=Schout |first1=David |title=Labor candidate begins campaign to claw back Melbourne from Greens |url=https://www.cbdnews.com.au/labor-candidate-begins-campaign-to-claw-back-melbourne-from-greens/ |access-date=21 April 2026 |work=CBD News |date=24 August 2022 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260421024404/https://www.cbdnews.com.au/labor-candidate-begins-campaign-to-claw-back-melbourne-from-greens/ |archive-date=21 April 2026 |url-status=live}} She was raised in [[Goulburn, New South Wales]], and attended university in [[Canberra]], studying journalism. Thistleton moved to [[Melbourne]] in 2009, and began working as a property journalist for ''[[The Australian Financial Review]]''. In 2015, she became a media advisor to state planning minister [[Richard Wynne]]. Thisleton began working at Cladding Safety Victoria in 2020.
==Political career==
Thistleton stood for the [[Victorian Labor Party|Labor Party]] at the [[2022 Victorian state election]]. She contested the [[Electoral district of Melbourne|district of Melbourne]], held by [[Victorian Greens|Greens]] MP [[Ellen Sandell]]. At the time, Thistleton lived in the Melbourne suburb of [[Kensington, Victoria|Kensington]]. Thistleton was unsuccessful, with the Labor primary vote falling and Sandell's [[two-candidate-preferred]] margin increasing.{{cite news |last1=Green |first1=Antony |author1-link=Antony Green |title=Melbourne - VIC Election 2022 |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/elections/vic/2022/guide/melb |access-date=21 April 2026 |work=[[ABC News (Australia)|ABC News]] |date=26 November 2022 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260421024522/https://www.abc.net.au/news/elections/vic/2022/guide/melb |archive-date=21 April 2026 |url-status=live}}{{cite news |last1=Schout |first1=David |title=Greens comfortably retain the seat of Melbourne as voter dial barely budges |url=https://www.northwestcitynews.com.au/greens-comfortably-retain-the-seat-of-melbourne-as-voter-dial-barely-budges/ |access-date=21 April 2026 |work=North West City News |date=14 December 2022 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260421025427/https://www.northwestcitynews.com.au/greens-comfortably-retain-the-seat-of-melbourne-as-voter-dial-barely-budges/ |archive-date=21 April 2026 |url-status=live}} Thisleton was appointed as the executive director of the [[McKell Institute]] in March 2023, succeeding [[Ryan Batchelor]], who had been elected to the [[Victorian Legislative Council|Legislative Council]].{{cite press release |publisher=[[McKell Institute]] |title=McKell Institute Victoria announces new Executive Director |date=March 2023 |access-date=21 April 2026 |url=https://mckellinstitute.org.au/mckell-institute-victoria-announces-new-executive-director/ |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260421025654/https://mckellinstitute.org.au/mckell-institute-victoria-announces-new-executive-director/ |archive-date=21 April 2026 |url-status=live}}

As of May 2025, Thistleton had moved from Kensington to [[Armstrong Creek, Victoria|Armstrong Creek]], a suburb on the fringe of [[Geelong]].{{cite news |last1=Kelly |first1=Cait |title=‘Don’t tell them ... they’ll all come’: why are so many sea-changers moving to Geelong? |url=https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/may/31/why-are-so-many-sea-changers-moving-to-geelong |access-date=21 April 2026 |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=30 May 2025 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260421025808/https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/may/31/why-are-so-many-sea-changers-moving-to-geelong |archive-date=21 April 2026 |url-status=live}} In advance of the [[2026 Victorian state election|2026 state election]], Thistleton nominated for Labor [[preselection]] in the [[Electoral district of South Barwon|South Barwon district]].{{cite news |last1=Griffiths |first1=Luke |title=Two Labor candidates vie for South Barwon as Darren Cheeseman remains absent |url=https://www.geelongadvertiser.com.au/news/geelong/two-labor-candidates-vie-for-south-barwon-as-darren-cheeseman-remains-absent/news-story/20fed7741e35487b3857d8808575cd6e |access-date=21 April 2026 |work=[[Geelong Advertiser]] |date=24 October 2025 |url-access=subscription}} She was announced as the Labor candidate for the seat in January 2026.{{cite news |last1=Taylor |first1=James |title=Labor reveals new South Barwon candidate |url=https://timesnewsgroup.com.au/surfcoasttimes/news/labor-south-barwon-thistleton/ |access-date=21 April 2026 |work=Surf Coast Times |date=29 January 2026 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260421030440/https://timesnewsgroup.com.au/surfcoasttimes/news/labor-south-barwon-thistleton/ |archive-date=21 April 2026 |url-status=live}}

Thistleton was successful at the 2026 state election, and was elected as the MP for South Barwon.
==Personal life==
Thistleton is a mother of two.
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{VicCurrentMLAs}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thistleton, Rebecca}}
{{Draft categories|
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly]]
[[Category:Women members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly]]
[[Category:Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Victoria]]
[[Category:21st-century Australian politicians]]
[[Category:21st-century Australian women politicians]]
[[Category:21st-century Australian journalists]]
[[Category:21st-century Australian women journalists]]
[[Category:Place of birth missing (living people)]]
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]
}}