Footy great lines up for One Nation as election recruit

One Nation has unveiled its first celebrity candidate for a much-hyped state election as polling shows there has been no electoral boost for Labor following a leader swap.

AFL great John Barnes will contest the seat of Essendon in Melbourne's north for Pauline Hanson's party at the Victorian state election in November.

The former Essendon ruckman and serving Moonee Valley councillor was the most high profile of 10 lower house candidates announced by the party on Wednesday.

The father of two, who played 202 AFL games, has spoken publicly about the physical and mental toll of his storied playing career.

Citing footy-wrought memory loss, epilepsy and mood swings, Mr Barnes played a leading role in a concussion-related class action against the AFL.

He faces an uphill battle in attempting to wrest Essendon away from Labor, which has controlled the seat for three decades.

It is currently held by outgoing MP Danny Pearson, who secured the seat with a comfortable 12.5 per cent margin in 2022.

Other One Nation lower house candidates include Gannawarra Shire mayor Garner Smith, who will contest Murray Plains, and returning Nepean challenger Darren Hercus.

The announcement came after Senator Hanson visited Melbourne earlier in August to introduce the party's lead upper house picks and Victorian leader Warren Pickering.

The rolling out of candidates does not appear to have substantially changed the party's standing with voters.

The latest Resolve Political Monitor survey, published in The Age on Wednesday, showed One Nation's primary vote had increased one per cent to 23 per cent, narrowly trailing Labor at 25 per cent.

The survey, conducted two weeks after Ben Carroll replaced Jacinta Allan as premier, indicates the leadership change has not given Labor an electoral bounce.

Senior Labor minister Ingrid Stitt dismissed the result, saying polls would come and go before the election.

"We will be working hard right up until the election to earn the trust of Victorians for a fourth term," she told reporters on Wednesday.