Legislative Assembly · District of Laverton
Rufo Paredes
Last verified 11 Oct 2026
Seat context — Laverton›
Laverton is a safe Labor seat in Melbourne's western suburbs, created in the 2021 redistribution from parts of Footscray, Tarneit, Altona, Kororoit and St Albans, and first contested in 2022. Sarah Connolly, who held the predecessor seat of Tarneit from 2018, won it in 2022 with 45.9% of first preferences and 68.4% two-party-preferred against the Liberals' Raja Reddy, and is recontesting. The 2026 field is six candidates: Connolly, the Liberals' Ghada Noune, the Greens' Lucy Nguyen, the Victorian Socialists' Van Thanh Rudd (who contested neighbouring St Albans in 2022), the Animal Justice Party's Shohre Mansouri and the New Democrats' Gurneet Soni. The Tally Room says Labor should hold safely, though community discussion points to strong Greens organising and concern about proposed AI data centres.
Background
Described on the One Nation Victoria profile as a "company director, social entrepreneur and migration professional" with experience in business, migration and community work. SSelf-stated — ON-PAREDESOne Nation Victoria, "Rufo Paredes for Laverton"View source
No employer, company name or professional-register entry (for example a migration agent registration) could be independently matched to him in public sources, so the occupation is unverified beyond the party's description.
The party profile calls him a "community advocate" who has spent "decades" engaging with ordinary Australians. No named organisation, council role, union or party office was found. SSelf-stated — ON-PAREDESOne Nation Victoria, "Rufo Paredes for Laverton"View source
No local council term or other elected office was found for him.
Described as a "long-time Melbourne western-suburbs resident"; the profile does not name a suburb or year of arrival. SSelf-stated — ON-PAREDESOne Nation Victoria, "Rufo Paredes for Laverton"View source
Says he is entering politics "to give back to the community and country that shaped him" and that his obligation to serve Victorians comes "after God and family". SSelf-stated — ON-PAREDESOne Nation Victoria, "Rufo Paredes for Laverton"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.
Frames his politics around three pillars: "Strong Communities. Fair Migration. Safe Victoria."
Says he backs One Nation's commitment to "putting Australians first", restoring accountability and addressing cost-of-living and housing pressures on working families.
Says migration must be "fair, controlled and in Australia's national interest", protecting jobs and wages and easing pressure on housing and infrastructure. Migration is largely a federal power; the profile does not say what a state MP would do about it.
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
Says he supports One Nation's aim of addressing cost-of-living pressures on working families; no personal measure is stated.
The party's Victorian platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would remove the state tax on insurance premiums, wind back land tax increases on rental properties and lift the payroll tax threshold. This is party policy, not a statement by Paredes.
Crime and community safety
Says he is "equally committed to safer communities" and supports One Nation's focus on tackling crime; "Safe Victoria" is one of his three pillars. No specific measure is attributed to him.
The party platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, includes a 24/7 Bail Court, a presumption against bail for repeat offenders, mandatory minimum sentences for assaults on police and emergency workers, and new Magistrates' Courts at Melton, Epping and Pakenham.
The same summary says the party would return the minimum age of criminal responsibility from 12 to 10 and sentence children charged with serious violent offences as adults.
Housing affordability and supply
Names housing pressure on working families as a concern and links it to migration levels; no housing measure of his own is stated.
The party platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would ban foreign ownership of residential property, raise the foreign purchaser duty, release under-used government land and require community consultation before high-rise development in established suburbs.
State government debt and fiscal management
The party platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would run a spending review, cancel the Suburban Rail Loop and cut the senior executive layer of the public service. Nothing on debt or fiscal management is attributed to Paredes personally.
Infrastructure and public transport delivery
Links migration to pressure on housing and infrastructure, but states no infrastructure policy of his own.
The party platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would cancel the Suburban Rail Loop, electrify the Melton line, complete the Airport Rail Link and create a public pothole portal for regional roads.
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
The party platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would introduce school vouchers, elected school boards with parents holding at least half the positions, and a knowledge-rich curriculum with systematic phonics. Nothing is attributed to Paredes personally.
Health and healthcare access
The party platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would guarantee 24/7 emergency departments in major regional hospitals, create a statewide view of waiting lists and offer GP incentives in shortage areas. Nothing is attributed to Paredes personally.
Urban planning and housing density
The party platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would speed land releases and approvals and require genuine community consultation before high-rise development in established suburbs. Nothing is attributed to Paredes personally.
Climate and energy transition
The party platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would scrap net-zero targets and renewable subsidies, cancel VNI West and the Western Renewables Link, and repeal Victoria's ban on nuclear energy. Nothing is attributed to Paredes personally.
Treaty and First Nations affairs
The party platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would scrap the Statewide Treaty, abolish Gellung Warl and end its legislated funding. Nothing is attributed to Paredes 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.
His three pillars and his stated support for One Nation's immigration and crime positions sit within the party's statewide themes of lower migration, law and order and lower costs. SSelf-stated — ON-PAREDES, ON-VIC-PLATFORMOne Nation Victoria, "Rufo Paredes for Laverton"View sourceOne Nation Victoria, "Victoria, it's time to take our state back"View source
No point of divergence from the party was found. He has made almost no personal policy statements beyond the party profile, so most positions above are the party's.
Track record & prior candidacies
Contested Laverton at the 2022 Victorian state election as an independent, receiving 355 first-preference votes (1.0%). Labor's Sarah Connolly won the seat. VVerified — WIKI-LAV-RESULTS, TALLY-LAVWikipedia, "Electoral results for the district of Laverton"View sourceThe Tally Room, "Laverton – Victoria 2026"View source
No other prior candidacy (federal, state or local) was found. His move from independent in 2022 to One Nation in 2026 is not explained in any source found.
Campaign, money & endorsements
Campaign logistics
Endorsements & Donations
Per the Victorian Electoral Commission's funding guidance (vec.vic.gov.au, funding for independent candidates, accessed 2026-10-11 via search snippets), 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 paid against an audited statement of campaign expenditure, and for endorsed candidates it is generally paid to the registered party rather than the individual.
Paredes's only prior contest, Laverton in 2022 as an independent, returned 1.0% of first preferences, below that threshold.