Legislative Assembly · District of Frankston
Andrew Cheeseman
Last verified 23 Sept 2026
Seat context — Frankston›
Frankston is a Labor-held but historically volatile seat on Melbourne's south-eastern/Mornington Peninsula fringe, having swung between Liberal, Labor and an independent (Geoff Shaw) multiple times since the 1960s. Paul Edbrooke has held it for Labor since 2014 and won a roughly 8.7-point two-candidate-preferred margin in 2022; he was promoted to cabinet in April 2026 (Minister for Consumer Affairs, Cost of Living, Renters, and the state's first Minister for Men and Boys), a strong signal he intends to recontest. Update (2026-09-23): the earlier gap in the field has closed — Liberal candidate Bree Ambry and Greens candidate Katie Goulas have both since been confirmed, alongside independent Chrysten Abraham and Animal Justice's Julie Harman, giving 2026 a six-candidate field matching or exceeding the 2022 contest.
Background
Works in video production and editing; previously spent almost ten years in aircraft technical-records and airline maintenance-record auditing, describing the work as "finding places where the letter or spirit of maintenance requirements weren't being followed up and getting them fixed." SSelf-stated — CFMPCommittee for Frankston & Mornington Peninsula, "Andrew Cheeseman — Centenary Park Ward candidate profile" (2024)View source
This detail comes from his 2024 council candidate profile — his 2026 state campaign bio does not address occupation. SSelf-stated — CFMPCommittee for Frankston & Mornington Peninsula, "Andrew Cheeseman — Centenary Park Ward candidate profile" (2024)View source
A member of Victorian Socialists and its allied movement, Socialist Alternative, for around two decades — he spoke at the "Marxism 2009" conference on "Why do we need a socialist organisation?" SSelf-stated — MARXTALKSMarx Talks (Socialist Alternative), "Why do we need a socialist organisation? — Andrew Cheeseman (Marxism 2009)" (2009)View source
Long-time contributing writer for Red Flag, Socialist Alternative's publication, with bylined articles from 2014 to 2024 on topics including international affairs, refugees and workers' rights. VVerified — RF-AUTHORRed Flag, "Andrew Cheeseman — author archive"View source
States he has lived near Frankston for most of his life. SSelf-stated — VS-CHEESEMANVictorian Socialists, "Andrew Cheeseman"View source
His 2024 council campaign profile similarly describes him as having lived close to Frankston for three quarters of his life, and as currently residing in Skye, in the Frankston area. SSelf-stated — CFMPCommittee for Frankston & Mornington Peninsula, "Andrew Cheeseman — Centenary Park Ward candidate profile" (2024)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.
Wants to rebuild public services sold off under Kennett-era and more recent Labor privatisations, funded by taxing the rich.
Prioritises housing affordability, opposing what he calls investor-driven property speculation pricing working-class renters and buyers out of home ownership, and supports taxing landlords and large property investors more heavily.
Opposes political scapegoating of migrants, framing cost-of-living pressure as driven by wealthy interests rather than migration.
Personally pledges that if elected he would donate any parliamentary salary above Frankston's median wage to community campaigns.
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
Frames cost-of-living pressure as driven by wealthy interests, pointing to taxing the rich as the way to fund relief rather than targeting migrants.
Victorian Socialists' broader platform (not candidate-specific) calls for a five-year rent freeze and capping electricity and gas bills through public ownership of energy retail.
It also calls for a $35 minimum wage on government-funded work and ending wage theft.
Crime and community safety
No Cheeseman-specific statement found. Victorian Socialists' statewide platform calls for redirecting police-budget increases into public housing, youth and social services.
It also calls for ending racially disproportionate policing of First Nations, Muslim and African-Australian communities, and abolishing imprisonment for non-violent poverty and fines offences.
The same platform frames addiction as a health issue rather than a criminal one, calling for more public treatment and harm-reduction services over incarceration.
Housing affordability and supply
His most developed issue: frames housing affordability around his own lived experience of the area becoming harder to get by in, and supports taxing landlords and large property investors more heavily.
Victorian Socialists' statewide housing platform calls for a five-year rent freeze, 150,000 new public homes built by a public developer over ten years, and a ban on property hoarding.
It also sets minimum dwelling standards covering space, solar orientation and thermal comfort.
State government debt and fiscal management
Repeats the "tax the rich" framing used for cost of living as his funding mechanism for rebuilding public services, without a specific debt or budget figure.
Victorian Socialists' platform also calls for wealth taxes on billionaires and banks and abolishing student debt.
Infrastructure and public transport delivery
No Cheeseman-specific or Frankston-specific statement found. Victorian Socialists' platform calls for reversing public transport privatisation and moving toward free, more frequent public transport.
It also calls for upgrading regional rail and building Very Fast Trains between capital cities.
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
No Cheeseman-specific statement found. Victorian Socialists' platform calls for free public education at all levels, universal preschool and childcare, better student-teacher ratios, and ending NAPLAN standardised testing.
Health and healthcare access
No Cheeseman-specific statement found. Victorian Socialists' platform calls for universal free public healthcare, ending co-payments, expanded community health clinics, free dental, and increased preventative and chronic-disease funding.
Urban planning and housing density
No Cheeseman-specific or Frankston-specific statement found. Victorian Socialists' platform opposes public land sales, calls for developers to fund community amenities, and sets minimum planning standards overlapping with its housing policy.
Climate and energy transition
No Cheeseman-specific statement found. Victorian Socialists' platform calls for publicly-owned renewable energy, an end to native-forest logging, and public ownership of energy retail with immediate bill caps.
Treaty and First Nations affairs
No Cheeseman-specific statement found beyond a single thin party formulation: "Treaty should deliver material change – not just symbolic recognition."
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.
Track record & prior candidacies
No parliamentary or council voting record exists, since he has never held office. His public record instead consists of activism and writing, including twelve bylined articles for Red Flag between 2014 and 2024 on topics such as US politics, refugees and international affairs. VVerified — RF-AUTHORRed Flag, "Andrew Cheeseman — author archive"View source
His own campaign material describes decades of protest activism, including against the Iraq War, WorkChoices-era union laws, and the 2014 federal budget, plus involvement in marriage-equality, anti-far-right and pro-Palestinian campaigning. SSelf-stated — VS-CHEESEMANVictorian Socialists, "Andrew Cheeseman"View source
Ran for Frankston City Council's Centenary Park Ward in the October 2024 Victorian local government elections as the Victorian Socialists' candidate, placing fourth of four candidates with 749 votes (8.33%) — well behind the elected candidate, independent Michael O'Reilly, on 47.96%. VVerified — TR-2024, WP-2024LGEThe Tally Room, "2024 Frankston City Council election results — Centenary Park Ward" (2024)View sourceWikipedia, "Results of the 2024 Victorian local elections in South-Eastern Melbourne"View source
No prior candidacy for state or federal parliament was found — he did not appear on the 2022 Frankston candidate list, and no VEC or AEC record surfaced for him at either level, making this his first run for the Victorian Parliament. VVerified — WP-FRANKSTONWikipedia, "Electoral district of Frankston"View source
Campaign, money & endorsements
Campaign logistics
Endorsements & Donations
Eligible for public election funding if elected, or if he receives at least 4% of first-preference votes in Frankston — the same 4% threshold that also governs nomination-deposit refunds.
The funding payable is the lowest of three figures: his audited statement of campaign expenditure, an amount calculated from first-preference votes received, and a legislated maximum that differs between Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council candidates (per the VEC's own funding guidance for independent and minor-party candidates, accessed 2026-09-23). The exact 2026 per-vote rate and maximum dollar figures were not independently confirmed in this pass.