Legislative Assembly · District of Caulfield
Malak Ababneh
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
Is a history student at Monash University with a healthcare background, per her Victorian Socialists profile. SSelf-stated — VS-ABABNEHVictorian Socialists, "Malak Ababneh"View source
Her healthcare role is not specified and was not independently confirmed.
Says she is a community organiser focused on climate action, refugee rights, women's rights and Palestinian justice. SSelf-stated — VS-ABABNEHVictorian Socialists, "Malak Ababneh"View source
Says she has joined anti-fascist demonstrations and helped establish the Gaza Solidarity Encampment at her university. SSelf-stated — VS-ABABNEHVictorian Socialists, "Malak Ababneh"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.
Fully funded hospitals and schools, expanded public housing and fair wages.
Combating far-right politics.
"The richest 48 people in Australia now control as much wealth as the poorest 11 million."
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 fair wages and wealth inequality as priorities.
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
Campaigns on anti-fascism and refugee rights.
A summary of the party's policing policy says it would raise the age of criminal responsibility to 16.
Housing affordability and supply
Names expanded public housing 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 focuses on new revenue, including a 10% annual billionaire wealth tax; nothing on debt levels is attributed to Ababneh.
Infrastructure and public transport delivery
A summary of the party's transport policy says it would make public transport free; nothing is attributed to Ababneh 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
Names fully funded schools as a priority, and is a university student.
The party's education policy would cut state funding to high-fee private schools, cap class sizes at 15 and hire 12,000 additional teachers and support staff.
Health and healthcare access
Names fully funded hospitals as a priority, and has a healthcare background.
A summary of the party's health policy says it would fully fund public healthcare and expand free community clinics.
Urban planning and housing density
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Climate and energy transition
Organises on climate action.
The party's energy policy would move to a 100% renewable grid through public investment and cap household bills.
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 Ababneh 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.
Ababneh runs on the Victorian Socialists' statewide platform, and her activism (climate, refugees, Palestine, anti-fascism) matches it. SSelf-stated — VS-ABABNEH, VS-POLICIESVictorian Socialists, "Malak Ababneh"View sourceVictorian Socialists, "Policies"View source
No point of divergence was found.
Track record & prior candidacies
Her candidate profile mentions no prior campaign. SSelf-stated — VS-ABABNEHVictorian Socialists, "Malak Ababneh"View source
She is not among the candidates in the 2018 or 2022 Caulfield results, where no Victorian Socialists candidate is listed. VVerified — WIKI-CAULFIELD-RESULTSWikipedia, "Electoral results for the district of Caulfield"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.
Ababneh has not previously contested an election, so she has no funding entitlement from an earlier contest.