Why you should vote Socialist Alliance in Victoria

However, the Liberal-National Coalition and One Nation want to push politics to the right.

The Liberals have overcome years of destructive infighting under the leadership of youthful “clean-skin” Jess Wilson, who the mainstream media is championing.

At the time of writing, the Coalition is leading Labor by about 8% points in polls.

Unsurprisingly, Wilson’s policies do not favour the working class that is doing it tough in Victoria.

The Coalition is promising to “save” $22 billion, over 10 years, by freezing new public sector appointments and it wants to “save” $1 billion by scrapping Victoria’s Treaty with First Nations people.

Wilson has also promised more draconian anti-protest laws by expanding police “move-on” powers, and introducing a bureaucratic permit and registration system for public protests.

These regressive policies aimed at the public sector and the suppression of free speech are being supported by the opportunistic and reactionary One Nation, now polling only 1% point behind Labor.

The Coalition is preferencing One Nation, which wants similar outcomes.

Labor has paved the way for its own defeat by not addressing the cost-of-living crisis, chronic housing stress or a deteriorating public sector — especially in health, education and public transport.

Workers are right to be disillusioned as Victorian Labor has fought against substantive wage rises for public sector workers. It has joined the federal government’s full-frontal attack on the Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union, including by calling a royal commission.

The Royal Commission into the Integrity of Major Public and Civil Infrastructure Construction Projects in Victoria is doing huge damage to Labor’s standing, while also destroying the country’ most militant union.

Socialist Alliance does not want the Liberal-National Coalition to win government, with support from One Nation, which purports to be anti-establishment but accepts hand-outs and policy advice from billionaires and bosses.

But Labor’s refusal to push back against the corporations and the billionaires makes this outcome more likely.

That is why it is important to cast your vote for socialists and Greens at this election.

The right has no solutions: Capitalism is creating more endless wars, which then exacerbate cost-of-living rises, including petrol. It is responsible for the climate crisis and consequent extreme weather patterns, which include devastating floods and fires.

Socialist Alliance is running under the slogan: “Fighting for people NOT the billionaires”.

Our anti-capitalist message is aimed at workers who are dissatisfied with Labor. Voting for hypocrites and racists, like One Nation, will not help lower housing prices or pay the grocery and education bills.

Socialist Alliance believes that elections are an opportunity to build support for socialist ideas among the working class and to push back against the hate-driven divide-and-rule policies of the capitalist parties.

We believe we have a unique contribution to make; we are a democratic, non-sectarian party which is focused on building the necessary alliances and mass mobilisations that involve workers in creating the progressive changes we need.

Our election campaign is an extension of this movement-building work we do on a daily basis. Our electoral work is part of our overall goal of creating a party which has as its goal the transformation of society so that it is geared to meet people’s needs.

Socialist Alliance is running 12 candidates focused on two regions — Northern Metropolitan and Western Victoria.

All our candidates are committed movement and community activists — most significantly against the genocide in Gaza. They see the self-mobilisation of working people as key to achieving social and ecological change.

All have pledged that, if elected, only to draw an average workers’ wage and invest the rest back into community and movement campaigns.

Sue Bolton, who is running for the seat of Broadmeadows, is supported by Jacob Andrewartha running in Pascoe Vale. A team of three, led by Meredith Lawrence, a proud anti-Zionist Jew, and community activists Chloe Beaton and Darren Saffin, are standing for the Northern Metropolitan Region.

Geelong Socialist Alliance is contesting all four seats, with Sarah Hathway running for the seat of Lara. Painter and decorator Brenden Grull, LGBTIQ rights campaigner Freya Hedley and former School Strike 4 Climate organiser Dom Williams are running in Geelong, South Barwon and Bellarine, respectively.

Former Geelong Trades Hall secretary and construction union activist Tim Gooden is leading the Western Victoria Region ticket, along with veteran unionist Sue Bull and maritime union stalwart Ross Smith.

Our solid movement-building approach has won authority and is the reason Socialist Alliance reached the 500 members necessary to achieve re-registration with the Victorian Electoral Commission.

This election, we will be campaigning for six critical demands:

Housing for all, a freeze on rents and 10,000 new public houses;

No dollars for war, weapons manufacture or the genocide in Gaza;

Protecting free speech, the right to protest and trade union rights;

Environmental action, no waste incinerators in Lara, a moratorium on artificial intelligence data centres; and

Socialist Alliance is recommending you preference other socialists and green candidates, put Labor before the Liberals and far-right candidates last.

We urge you to vote 1 Socialist Alliance, and get involved.

[Sue Bolton is probably the best-known socialist in Victoria, with a stand-out record as having spent 14 years working hard for residents on Merri-bek City Council. Sarah Hathway is a former City of Greater Geelong councillor, a unionist and community activist.]