Darren Cheeseman

Darren Leicester Cheeseman (born 8 June 1976^{[citation needed]}) is an Australian politician. He has been a member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly since November 2018, representing the seat of South Barwon. He previously held the federal seat of Corangamite from 2007 to 2013.^[2]

Darren Cheeseman MP
Member of the Victorian Parliament for South Barwon
Incumbent
Assumed office 24 November 2018
Preceded by	Andrew Katos
Member of the Australian Parliament for Corangamite
In office 24 November 2007 – 7 September 2013
Preceded by	Stewart McArthur
Succeeded by	Sarah Henderson
Personal details
Born	(1976-06-08) 8 June 1976 (age 49) Christchurch, New Zealand
Nationality	Australian
Political party	Independent (since 2024; parliamentary affiliation)
Other political affiliations	Labor[a]
Alma mater	University of Ballarat
Occupation	Union organiser
Website	www.darrencheeseman.org.au

Cheeseman was born in Christchurch, New Zealand.^[3] He grew up in Ballarat and attended Mount Clear College. He later studied for a Bachelor of Applied Science in Geology at the University of Ballarat. He worked for the Association for the Blind, and during that time also served as a councillor for the City of Ballarat. He later worked for the Community and Public Sector Union.^[4]

In 2006, Cheeseman contested Labor preselection for Corangamite against the Labor candidate at the 2004 election, former Geelong mayor Peter McMullin.^[2] Having secured preselection, he went on to defeat long-time Liberal incumbent Stewart McArthur with a 6.6% swing. McArthur had held the seat since 1984. Cheeseman attributed his win to opposition to WorkChoices, the Liberal government's industrial relations laws.^[5] Cheeseman was only the third Labor member ever to win Corangamite, and the first since 1929.^[2] He narrowly held Corangamite at the 2010 election, against Liberal candidate Sarah Henderson, becoming the first Labor member to win a second term in the seat. However, he was defeated by Henderson at the 2013 federal election.

In 2018, Cheeseman was elected to the Victorian Legislative Assembly as the Labor member for South Barwon.^[6] in 2022, Cheeseman was re-elected to the Victorian Legislative Assembly as the Labor Member for South Barwon.

In 2024, Cheeseman was forced to resign from the Parliamentary Labor Party after allegations that he had harassed a staffer.^[7]

Notes

1. In 2024, Cheeseman was suspended from the Labor Party caucus. He still remains a rank-and-file member of the party.^[1]