Legislative Assembly · District of Bentleigh
Liam Kruger
Last verified 29 Sept 2026
Seat context — Bentleigh›
The district of Bentleigh covers about 25 square kilometres of southern Melbourne, taking in the suburbs of Bentleigh, Hampton East, McKinnon and Moorabbin, plus parts of Cheltenham, Bentleigh East, Brighton East and Ormond. It is held by Labor's Nick Staikos, who won 58.04% of the two-party-preferred vote against the Liberal candidate at the 2022 election, a margin of roughly 16 points. Bentleigh has a long-standing reputation as a bellwether seat, having elected a member of the governing party in all but two elections in its history.
Background
His profile cites community organising and activism across multiple causes. SSelf-stated — VS-LKVictorian Socialists, "Liam Kruger"View source
No specific organisation or campaign is named in the profile text retrieved.
Platform
Where they stand, issue by issue — grounded in 2026 Victorian polling, not assumed. Every position is tagged with how we know it.
Addressing the housing shortage and the cost-of-living crisis, and advocating for workers' interests.
Climate action, social justice and anti-racism.
"In a wealthy society like Australia, everyone should have the chance to live a decent life."
What Victorians say matters most
5 poll-led issuesCost of living and crime have ranked 1st or 2nd in every Victorian poll since mid‑2025, with debt and housing close behind — see schema §3 for the polling this grouping is based on (DemosAU, Ipsos Issues Monitor, Roy Morgan). The 0-10 'priorityScore' on each candidate's issue entries is NOT a measure of true importance or an independent ranking of what a candidate actually cares about. It reflects how much detail and specificity exists in what that candidate has actually said publicly on that issue -- a named policy mechanism and a verified voting record score higher than a one-line stated priority, regardless of the issue's real-world weight. Render this distinction in the UI wherever the score appears; do not label it just 'Priority' without the qualifier.
Cost of living
Names the cost-of-living crisis as a priority and says leaders serve the wealthy rather than communities.
The party's fiscal policy would fund services with a 10% annual wealth tax on billionaires, a 20% bank profits tax and a 20% super-profits tax on retailers earning over $100 million.
Crime and community safety
A summary of the party's policing policy says it would raise the age of criminal responsibility to 16; nothing is attributed to Kruger personally.
Housing affordability and supply
Names the housing shortage as a priority.
The party's housing policy would cut all residential rents 25% then freeze them for five years, and build at least 15,000 public housing units a year for ten years.
State government debt and fiscal management
The party's fiscal policy centres on new revenue including a 10% annual billionaire wealth tax; nothing on debt levels is attributed to Kruger.
Infrastructure and public transport delivery
A summary of the party's transport policy says it would make public transport free; nothing is attributed to Kruger personally.
Also on the record
6 substance issuesThese don't top “biggest issue” polling, but carry real 2026 policy weight and genuine differences between parties.
Education and training
A summary of the party's education policy says it would provide universal preschool and childcare and end NAPLAN testing; nothing is attributed to Kruger personally.
Health and healthcare access
A summary of the party's health policy says it would fully fund public healthcare and expand free community clinics; nothing is attributed to Kruger personally.
Urban planning and housing density
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Climate and energy transition
Names climate action as a priority.
A summary of the party's energy policies says it would move to 100% publicly owned renewable energy.
Treaty and First Nations affairs
A summary of the party's First Nations policy says it wants a treaty with material change beyond symbolic recognition; nothing is attributed to Kruger personally.
Regional and rural Victoria
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Local & party context
2 fieldsNot scored the way the eleven issues above are — these are fixed facts about the seat and the party, not positions with more or less emphasis behind them.
Kruger runs on the Victorian Socialists' statewide platform, and his priorities match it. SSelf-stated — VS-LK, VS-POLICIESVictorian Socialists, "Liam Kruger"View sourceVictorian Socialists, "Policies"View source
No point of divergence was found.
Track record & prior candidacies
His profile mentions no prior candidacy. SSelf-stated — VS-LKVictorian Socialists, "Liam Kruger"View source
He is not among the candidates in the 2018 or 2022 Bentleigh results, where no Victorian Socialists candidate is listed. VVerified — WIKI-BENT-RESWikipedia, "Electoral results for the district of Bentleigh"View source
Campaign, money & endorsements
Campaign logistics
Endorsements & Donations
Per the Victorian Electoral Commission's funding guidance (vec.vic.gov.au, accessed 2026-09-29 via search snippets of its independent-candidate and registered-party funding pages), a candidate is eligible for public election funding if they receive at least 4% of first-preference votes in their contest, or are elected. Funding is reimbursed against an audited statement of campaign expenditure, and advance funding must be repaid in full if the threshold is missed.
Kruger has not previously contested an election, so he has no funding entitlement from an earlier contest.