Legislative Assembly · District of Caulfield
Mikaela Stafrace
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
Moved from a legal career into the not-for-profit sector, where she established an organisation helping disadvantaged women find employment through TAFE, per her Victorian Labor profile. SSelf-stated — VICLABOR-STAFRACEVictorian Labor, "Mikaela Stafrace — Labor Candidate for Caulfield"View source
The organisation and law firm are not named, and her career was not independently confirmed.
Describes herself as a proud Jewish woman, a Caulfield local, mum and grandmother, resident in the community for nearly two decades. SSelf-stated — VICLABOR-STAFRACEVictorian Labor, "Mikaela Stafrace — Labor Candidate for Caulfield"View source
Search coverage quotes her as "the only Jewish woman standing as a candidate in this election". RReported — STAFRACE-SEARCHThe Australian Jewish News, "Premier warns October 7 vigil organisers"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.
Labor's investments, "from free kinder and free TAFE to virtual Emergency Department and Labor's Urgent Care Clinics", which she says are making a real difference.
Says she has spent her life "fighting for opportunity", and left home at 15 to escape domestic violence.
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
Labor's 2026 platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, includes a vehicle registration rebate of up to $186, half-price public transport fares from June to December 2026 and free midday electricity from October 2026; nothing is attributed to Stafrace personally.
Crime and community safety
Her background includes leaving home at 15 to escape domestic violence.
Labor's platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, includes a $100 million family violence package and a tougher bail regime from 31 March 2026.
Housing affordability and supply
Labor's platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, includes an $860 million Social Housing Growth Fund; nothing is attributed to Stafrace personally.
State government debt and fiscal management
Labor's platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, projects operating surpluses of $700 million in 2025-26 and $1 billion in 2026-27; nothing is attributed to Stafrace personally.
Infrastructure and public transport delivery
Labor's platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, includes $1.04 billion for roads; nothing is attributed to Stafrace 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
Cites free kinder and free TAFE, and founded an organisation helping women into employment through TAFE.
Labor's platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, includes $5.5 billion of new education investment in 2026-27, continued Free Kinder and the Free TAFE guarantee.
Health and healthcare access
Cites the virtual Emergency Department and Urgent Care Clinics as making a real difference.
Labor's platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, includes $3.9 billion of new health investment in 2026-27.
Urban planning and housing density
Labor's platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, favours housing near transport corridors; nothing is attributed to Stafrace personally.
Climate and energy transition
Labor's platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, targets 65% renewables by 2030 and 95% by 2035; nothing is attributed to Stafrace personally.
Treaty and First Nations affairs
Labor's platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, cites implementation of the Statewide Treaty Act 2025 and the Gellung Warl body; nothing is attributed to Stafrace 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.
Stafrace campaigns on Labor's free kinder, free TAFE, virtual ED and urgent care record. SSelf-stated — VICLABOR-STAFRACEVictorian Labor, "Mikaela Stafrace — Labor Candidate for Caulfield"View source
No point of divergence from the party was found.
Track record & prior candidacies
She is not among the candidates in the 2018 or 2022 Caulfield results; Labor's 2022 candidate was Lior Harel (27.8%). VVerified — WIKI-CAULFIELD-RESULTSWikipedia, "Electoral results for the district of Caulfield"View source
No earlier campaign was found, so this appears to be her first.
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.
Stafrace has not previously contested an election, so she has no funding entitlement from an earlier contest. Labor's 2022 Caulfield candidate polled 27.8%.