Legislative Assembly · District of Hawthorn
Shima Ibuki
Last verified 29 Sept 2026
Seat context — Hawthorn›
Hawthorn covers Hawthorn, Hawthorn East and Camberwell, plus parts of Canterbury, Glen Iris and Surrey Hills (~21.01 km²). Traditionally one of the safest Liberal seats in Victoria — it has produced past premiers including Sir William McPherson and Ted Baillieu — though Labor's John Kennedy won it in an upset in 2018 before Liberal leader John Pesutto reclaimed it in 2022. Exact 2022 margin not confirmed in sources reviewed.
Background
Is a Boroondara councillor and Deputy Mayor, per her campaign site. SSelf-stated — IBUKI-SITEShima Ibuki, "Shima Ibuki for Hawthorn"View source
Has previously been centre manager at the Surrey Hills Neighbourhood Centre and a project worker with the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing, per press coverage. RReported — BMG-C200Blue Mountains Gazette (AAP), "Record donations repaid as teals rail against system"View source
Says she has lived in Surrey Hills for 17 years while raising her family. SSelf-stated — IBUKI-SITEShima Ibuki, "Shima Ibuki for Hawthorn"View source
Council coverage says she lives in Surrey Hills with her husband and three children. RReported — BOROONDARA-LGNCity of Boroondara, "Maling Ward Councillor; Deputy Mayor announcement"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.
"Hawthorn deserves a representative who is focused on this community", independent of party lines, factions or vested interests.
Housing, cost of living, economic management and trust in decision-making.
Stands for integrity, climate action, housing affordability and better local representation, per press coverage.
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 cost of living as a core concern, without a specific measure.
Crime and community safety
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Housing affordability and supply
Names housing as a core concern.
Lists housing affordability among her campaign themes.
State government debt and fiscal management
Names economic management as a core concern, without a stated debt position.
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
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Health and healthcare access
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Urban planning and housing density
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Climate and energy transition
Lists climate action among her campaign themes; no specific target or project was found.
Treaty and First Nations affairs
Her site acknowledges the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung people as traditional custodians and states support for "Treaty and Truth".
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.
Local representation of Hawthorn, distinct from party priorities. SSelf-stated — IBUKI-SITEShima Ibuki, "Shima Ibuki for Hawthorn"View source
Says "too often, decisions [are] shaped by party priorities rather than community needs". RReported — EM-VIC26The Eastern Melburnian, "Victorian Election 2026: Eastern Melbourne Candidates"View source
Track record & prior candidacies
Received a $140,000 donation from Climate 200 in May 2026 and returned it ahead of the VEC deadline after donation caps were reinstated in June; Kew independent Sophie Torney returned an identical amount. RReported — BMG-C200Blue Mountains Gazette (AAP), "Record donations repaid as teals rail against system"View source
Said: "My campaign is now starting at a huge disadvantage, compared to the major parties who will receive millions of dollars of new taxpayer funding." RReported — BMG-C200Blue Mountains Gazette (AAP), "Record donations repaid as teals rail against system"View source
Won Maling Ward at the October 2024 Boroondara City Council election; the sources reviewed give no vote figures. RReported — BOROONDARA-LGNCity of Boroondara, "Maling Ward Councillor; Deputy Mayor announcement"View source
She is not among the candidates in the 2018 or 2022 Hawthorn state results; the 2022 independent was Melissa Lowe (20.0%), so this is her first state contest. VVerified — WIKI-HAWTHORN-RESULTSWikipedia, "Electoral results for the district of Hawthorn"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.
Ibuki is an independent with no earlier state contest, so she must reach 4% herself. After a High Court ruling in April 2026 and new laws in June reinstating individual donor caps of $5,030 per candidate (double for new entrants), she returned a $140,000 Climate 200 donation, so her campaign starts without it.