Legislative Assembly · District of Caulfield
Geneviève Gilbert
Last verified 29 Sept 2026
Seat context — Caulfield›
Caulfield covers the suburbs of Caulfield, Caulfield North, Caulfield South, Caulfield East, Elsternwick, Gardenvale, Ripponlea and Balaclava, plus parts of St Kilda East, St Kilda, Glen Huntly and Ormond in inner south-east Melbourne. Created in 1927, it has been held by the Liberal Party continuously since 1979. At the 2022 election David Southwick was re-elected with 52.07% of the two-candidate-preferred vote against Labor, a margin of roughly 2.1 points.
Background
Founded and directs Pink Cross Foundation Australia, which supports people affected by commercial sexual exploitation, per her Family First profile. SSelf-stated — FF-GILBERT-2026Family First Party Australia, "Geneviève Gilbert, Candidate for Caulfield"View source
Pink Cross says she founded it in 2010 to respond to suicide, PTSD, drug use and violence in the adult entertainment and sex industries; she is its Executive Director. RReported — PINKCROSS-ABOUTPink Cross Foundation Australia, "About Pink Cross Foundation Australia"View source
Was Family First's candidate for the 2025 Prahran by-election, announced in early 2025. RReported — FF-PRAHRAN-2025Family First Party Australia, "Family First Announces Geneviève Gilbert as Prahran by-election candidate"View source
No council term or other public office was found.
Born in Québec, Canada, and an artist and activist. RReported — PINKCROSS-ABOUTPink Cross Foundation Australia, "About Pink Cross Foundation Australia"View source
Her Family First profile gives no local ties to Caulfield.
Holds degrees in Mental Health, Visual Arts, Communication and Multimedia, per her profile. SSelf-stated — FF-GILBERT-2026Family First Party Australia, "Geneviève Gilbert, Candidate for Caulfield"View source
Pink Cross lists a Bachelor of Visual Arts, a Master of Communication (Interactive Media) and a Graduate Diploma in Multimedia, per a search summary. RReported — PINKCROSS-ABOUTPink Cross Foundation Australia, "About Pink Cross Foundation Australia"View source
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 cost-of-living crisis and supporting families.
"Protecting faith-based schools", and parental freedom in children's education.
Maintaining biological definitions of womanhood, and opposing what the party characterises as "gender fluidity ideology".
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 lead priority, without a specific measure.
Family First's national economic policy proposes cutting the small-business company tax rate for Australian-owned businesses.
Crime and community safety
Her foundation supports people affected by commercial sexual exploitation, but no criminal-justice or policing policy of hers was found.
Housing affordability and supply
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
State government debt and fiscal management
Family First's national economic policy commits to "a pathway towards fiscal responsibility by tackling government debt"; nothing is attributed to Gilbert personally.
Infrastructure and public transport delivery
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
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
Names protecting faith-based schools and parental freedom in education as priorities.
Family First's national education policy would return the curriculum to reading, writing and arithmetic and encourage faith-based schools to flourish.
It would also make it an offence for teachers or social workers to hide anything from parents, and remove gender-fluid ideology from curricula.
Health and healthcare access
Her foundation works on mental health, suicide and trauma among people in the sex industry, and she holds a mental health degree; no health policy is stated.
Urban planning and housing density
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Climate and energy transition
Family First's national energy policy would end Net Zero targets, abolish renewable subsidies and keep coal-fired power stations open; nothing is attributed to Gilbert personally.
Treaty and First Nations affairs
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
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.
Gilbert's priorities (families, faith-based schools, biological womanhood, cost of living) match Family First's social-policy planks. SSelf-stated — FF-GILBERT-2026, FF-POLICY-EDUFamily First Party Australia, "Geneviève Gilbert, Candidate for Caulfield"View sourceFamily First Party Australia, "Education Policy"View source
No point of divergence was found. Her distinctive content is her anti-exploitation advocacy through Pink Cross.
Track record & prior candidacies
Stood for Family First at the February 2025 Prahran by-election, receiving 340 first-preference votes (1.08%); not elected. VVerified — WIKI-PRAHRAN-BYEL-2025Wikipedia, "2025 Prahran state by-election"View source
She is not among the candidates in the 2018 or 2022 Caulfield results; Family First's 2022 candidate was Lynne Edwell (1.4%). VVerified — WIKI-CAULFIELD-RESULTSWikipedia, "Electoral results for the district of Caulfield"View source
Her 2026 Family First profile does not mention the Prahran by-election.
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.
Her 2025 Prahran by-election result of 1.08% was far under the 4% mark, so it earned no entitlement. Family First's 2022 Caulfield candidate polled 1.4%.