Victorian Socialists has revealed its candidates for the relatively safe Labor seats, Dandenong and Mulgrave in the upcoming state election.
Both young candidates chant calls for change, saying the two major parties, Liberal and Labor, haven’t delivered for working-class residents and taken the culturally diverse communities for granted.
Dandenong born resident, worker student and a renter in a shared accommodation, Jack McMahon is aiming for the Dandenong seat currently held by Gabrielle Williams MP.
He says Dandenong residents “need a win” being a safe Labor seat for a long time while other districts “get pork barrelled.”
“These out of touch politicians are in the pocket of the rich and spend their days making them richer and us poorer.
“We are neglected and taken for granted as a safe Labor seat. There is no pressure on the Labor government to better our lives because they only care about elections and think that no one can challenge them.
“Labor say they speak for diverse communities then pass laws that criminalise and vilify these communities.
“We want to offer a real working-class solution and support as opposed to Labor’s offer of being slightly less racist than the Liberals and One Nation.”
He describes himself a “community organiser” and social activist in the south east who’d been involved in many campaigns such as anti-racism and in support of migrants and First Nations communities.
Another young candidate for the Upper House, a maintenance fitter by profession, Connor Buchanan eyes the Mulgrave seat currently held by Eden Foster MP, the former mayor of City of Greater Dandenong.
“I think a lot of people have had enough of the Libs and Labor. We’re in a massive Labor majority (government) but things aren’t getting any better.
“Change is not something we’re ready for but something we desperately need.
“I’ve been hearing people are sick to death with how things are, with the slow progress for change, the rise of far-right. They feel nothing is being done in their interest as working-class people.
“There’s a certain powerlessness when in decades you don’t see life improving.”
Both candidates are renters, and want better conditions for renters, as well as free education, universal healthcare and childcare.
“I’ve always been very passionate about justice, fighting injustice every step of the way, since high school. Standing up for someone being bullied, fellow work mates for better wage conditions, it’s innately in me,” Mr Buchanan says.
“One major thing is looking at inequality in our society, taxing the super-rich. My personal favourite is putting politicians on workers wages, if elected taking on no more than an average worker’s wage, a nurse’s wage, in our policies.”
Every Socialist Party candidate is said to make a commitment to take on a workers wage and donate 60 per cent of their income to local charities and support networks, something no other party is known for.
Rent freezes, reversing privatisation like tolls, more regulation on “price gouging” for supermarkets, more public housing and not social housing to answer housing costs, free schools and university are some of the policies the candidates have listed.
Both candidates have campaigned in solidarity with the people of Palestine “against Israel’s genocide in Gaza”.
