In a surprise announcement, Natalie Hutchins, the Member for Sydenham and veteran minister in the Allan Labor Government, has advised Premier Jacinta Allan she will not recontest her seat in the 2026 Victorian election.
Hutchins will remain in Cabinet until 22 December 2025, at which point her ministerial responsibilities will be shifted to colleagues, and she will continue to represent Sydenham until the next election.
Hutchins’ decision marks the end of a distinguished political career spanning more than a decade. First elected in 2010, she held the seat of Keilor before representing Sydenham from 2014 onwards. As a minister, she served in key portfolios including Government Services, Treaty and First Peoples, Prevention of Family Violence, and Women.
A champion of equality, multicultural women, and social justice
Hutchins’ journey was rooted in lived experience: born into public housing and raised in Melbourne’s western suburbs, she rose through union activism to become the first female Assistant Secretary of the Victorian Trades Hall Council before entering Parliament. From those beginnings, she emerged as a fierce advocate for women, multicultural communities, and workers’ rights.
Her legislative record is notable. Under her leadership, Victoria introduced Australia’s first paid family violence leave for the public sector, advanced regulation of labour hire, and championed free access to pads and tampons in public spaces — on the principle that menstrual products are a necessity, not a luxury. At the heart of her political philosophy lies a commitment to equity in representation — whether pushing for gender parity on boards, supporting multicultural women’s leadership, or advancing the Gender Equality Act.
Among her signature achievements is Victoria’s progress toward a First Peoples Treaty. Hutchins had long conducted listening tours across the state, and in 2023 negotiated the government’s first treaty legislation, fulfilling a promise she had carried in her ministerial brief since 2014.
In her electorate, she bridged statewide policy with local needs — delivering new and upgraded schools, removing level crossings, funding a new ambulance station in Taylors Lakes, and supporting public transport infrastructure, including the upcoming benefits of the Metro Tunnel.
Reflections from a journalist: “You will be deeply missed”
Having interacted with Natalie Hutchins over years of reporting, I can say her dedication to elevating the voices of multicultural women was more than political rhetoric — it was genuine.
She listened, she worked behind the scenes to find solutions, and she was never performative in her advocacy. As a journalist, I saw firsthand how she responded not as a career politician, but with empathy and tenacity. Natalie, you will be deeply missed in Victorian politics — by the communities you served, by your colleagues, and by those who believed in your vision for equality.
And yes, we can’t forget her dance moves in a Bollywood number she performed at Australia Today’s International Women’s Day Award function last March.
Premier’s tribute and next steps
Premier Jacinta Allan released a heartfelt tribute, describing Hutchins as a “profound contributor” whose work will leave a lasting legacy. She praised Hutchins’ commitment to equality and noted how her background — from public housing to union leadership — shaped a minister determined to create opportunity for all Victorians.
Allan confirmed that Hutchins’ ministerial portfolios will be reallocated after her departure on 22 December, but that she would continue to serve as Sydenham MP until the next election. She thanked Hutchins for her service and extended well-wishes to her and her son, Xavier.
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