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AUSPOLLIEWATCH EVERY CLAIM LINKS TO ITS SOURCE · NOT A SCORECARD

Portrait of Chris Burson

Chris Burson

Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party · Victoria · Victorian Legislative Council · Western Victoria (VIC) · candidate · Victoria 2026

City of Greater Geelong councillor for You Yangs ward, elected 2024, and One Nation's lead candidate for Western Victoria Region. He joined the Army in December 2002 as a combat engineer with the 3rd Combat Engineer Regiment in Townsville, transferred to Army Aviation as a loadmaster with 171 Aviation Squadron and deployed to Timor-Leste, then served more than a decade in Victoria Police, including emergency mental health response work and three years as a tactical operator and negotiator with the Critical Incident Response Team. This is his second run at the Legislative Council: as president of the Angry Victorians Party he contested Western Victoria in 2022, polling 2,627 first-preference votes (0.53 per cent). His candidacy came five months after Geelong council adopted its first guidelines for councillors seeking state or federal office; in March 2026 he left the chamber while the council deferred the motion that led to those guidelines. His party page says he was present in 2022 when the so-called 'Preference Whisperer' was secretly recorded and 'helped bring those recordings to light'. [source]

Sourced positions

A verified position is the member's own stated view or vote, supported by the listed sources. This page records public statements and conduct only — see methodology.

Gender & LGBTQ+ policy verified

Voted FOR endorsing the City of Greater Geelong's Draft Rainbow Action Plan 2025-2029 for community consultation on 22 April 2025; the division was recorded and unanimous.

Drugs & law and order verified

His candidate page, drawing on more than a decade in Victoria Police including three years as a Critical Incident Response Team tactical operator and negotiator, lists 'tackling rising crime' first among his priorities and quotes him on lawmaking: 'If someone writes a law, they need to understand that at the end of that is a copper who has to potentially risk their life to defend this paper you've just written.'

Gambling & gaming reform verified

Seconded the carried motion of 23 June 2026 that the City of Greater Geelong NOT undertake a Social and Economic Impact Assessment in response to an application to increase electronic gaming machines; no division was recorded.

First Nations & treaty verified

As a Greater Geelong councillor he voted FOR the December 2024 and January 2025 resolutions to 'Begin referring to January 26 as "Australia Day" in all communications', confirm support for the federal date including citizenship ceremonies, and 'Cease any advocacy efforts directed at the Federal Government to change the date' (both carried 7-4). In a March 2026 council Q&A he named among his proudest achievements 'Seeing the flags and community on Australia Day after the community was very vocal about wanting to be able to celebrate this amazing country.'

Housing & planning verified

A mixed land-sales record as a Greater Geelong councillor, all divisions recorded on 28 October 2025: he voted AGAINST selling 5A Dean Street, Belmont and FOR the successful alternate motion to instead seek a registered housing association partner for social housing on the site with about 40 per cent retained as public open space, while voting FOR the sales of 2-14 Rollins Road, Bell Post Hill and 48-58 Barton Street, Bell Park (both carried 6-5). He moved the March 2025 motion supporting exhibition of planning scheme amendments for a roughly 600-dwelling development and business park at Lara.

Environment & water verified

His only notice of motion as a councillor, 28 January 2025, carried: that Council 'Reiterates its opposition to the proposed Lara waste to energy incinerator due to concerns about potential odours, air pollution and its close proximity to residential areas, preschools and primary school', continues advocacy to the state government to cancel the permit, and seeks planning scheme changes making Council the decision-maker for future waste-to-energy proposals. To the Geelong Times: 'This is an issue that's not just a Lara issue, it's a City of Greater Geelong issue.' He also presented the roughly 1,007-signature Save Serendip Sanctuary petition in June 2025 and lists the sanctuary's revitalisation among his top three focus areas.

Record last updated 2026-08-13.