Legislative Assembly · District of Hawthorn
Tess McEnearney
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
Works in medical research and is completing a PhD in neurodegeneration, per her Victorian Socialists profile. SSelf-stated — VS-MCENEARNEYVictorian Socialists, "Tess McEnearney"View source
Eastern Melburnian repeats this description. RReported — EM-VIC26The Eastern Melburnian, "Victorian Election 2026: Eastern Melbourne Candidates"View source
Her institution and lab are not named, and her research role was not independently confirmed.
Describes herself as a socialist activist and organiser, involved in climate justice movements, Gaza advocacy and campaigns against community healthcare cuts. SSelf-stated — VS-MCENEARNEYVictorian Socialists, "Tess McEnearney"View source
Her profile mentions no union role, council term or party office.
Platform
Where they stand, issue by issue — grounded in 2026 Victorian polling, not assumed. Every position is tagged with how we know it.
The housing crisis, climate and environmental destruction, and cost-of-living pressures.
"I am willing to challenge the capitalist powers within society that dominate politics and wreck our lives."
Grassroots organising in preference to "toothless reforms" from the major parties.
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 pressures as a core priority.
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
A summary of the party's policing policy says it would raise the age of criminal responsibility to 16; nothing is attributed to McEnearney personally.
Housing affordability and supply
Names the housing crisis as a core 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 and doubled payroll tax on firms with wages over $5 million.
No position on state debt levels was found, and nothing on it is attributed to McEnearney.
Infrastructure and public transport delivery
A summary of the party's transport policy says it would make public transport free and reverse privatisation; nothing is attributed to McEnearney 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
A summary of the party's education policy says it would provide universal preschool and childcare and end NAPLAN testing; nothing is attributed to McEnearney personally, although she is a PhD student.
Health and healthcare access
Says she campaigns against community healthcare cuts, and works in medical research.
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
A summary of the party's planning policy says it would end public land sales and require developers to fund community amenities; nothing is attributed to McEnearney personally.
Climate and energy transition
Names climate and environmental destruction as a core priority and organises in climate justice movements.
The party's energy policy would move to a 100% renewable grid through public investment, cap household bills and put energy distribution networks back into public ownership.
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 McEnearney 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.
McEnearney runs on the Victorian Socialists' statewide platform, and her activism (climate, Gaza, community healthcare) matches it. SSelf-stated — VS-MCENEARNEY, VS-POLICIESVictorian Socialists, "Tess McEnearney"View sourceVictorian Socialists, "Policies"View source
No point of divergence was found. Her distinctive content is her medical-research background.
Track record & prior candidacies
Her profile mentions no prior campaign, and none was found.
She is not among the candidates in the 2018 or 2022 Hawthorn results. 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.
McEnearney has not previously contested an election, so she has no funding entitlement from an earlier contest.