Legislative Assembly · District of Malvern
Gavin Leonard
Last verified 29 Sept 2026
Seat context — Malvern›
Malvern is a safe Liberal-held Legislative Assembly district in Melbourne's affluent inner south-east (Malvern, Malvern East, Armadale, Toorak, Kooyong, part of Glen Iris), won by Liberal MP Michael O'Brien in 2006 and held with roughly an 8% margin at the 2022 election. O'Brien announced on 9 September 2025 that he will not recontest in 2026, opening the seat for the first time in two decades. With Labor not seen as competitive, the contest of interest is whether an independent can repeat the 'teal' upset seen federally in neighbouring Kooyong. The 2026 field is the Liberals' Amelia Hamer, independent Christina Zigouras, the Greens' Georgia Katsikis, the Victorian Socialists' Gavin Leonard and One Nation's Edward Bode; no Labor candidate had been found by late September 2026. At the 2022 election O'Brien won 52.8% of first preferences and 58.4% two-party-preferred.
Background
Platform
Where they stand, issue by issue — grounded in 2026 Victorian polling, not assumed. Every position is tagged with how we know it.
Housing insecurity, stronger public education and healthcare, and better public transport.
Wants "a society that values dignity, cooperation and accountability over private profit".
Argues Malvern residents, despite the suburb's wealthy reputation, face real pressure from rising housing costs and underfunded services.
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 Malvern residents face rising housing costs and underfunded services.
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 Leonard personally.
Housing affordability and supply
Names housing insecurity as his first priority and is a delegate with the Renters & Housing Union.
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 centres on new revenue including a 10% annual billionaire wealth tax; nothing on debt levels is attributed to Leonard.
Infrastructure and public transport delivery
Wants improved public transport.
A summary of the party's transport policy says it would make public transport free.
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
Wants stronger public education.
A summary of the party's education policy says it would provide universal preschool and childcare and end NAPLAN testing.
Health and healthcare access
Wants stronger public healthcare.
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
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Climate and energy transition
A summary of the party's energy policies says it would move to 100% publicly owned renewable energy; nothing is attributed to Leonard personally.
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 Leonard 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.
Leonard runs on the Victorian Socialists' statewide platform, and his priorities match it. SSelf-stated — VS-LEONARD, VS-POLICIESVictorian Socialists, "Gavin Leonard"View sourceVictorian Socialists, "Policies"View source
No point of divergence was found.
Track record & prior candidacies
His profile mentions no prior candidacy. SSelf-stated — VS-LEONARDVictorian Socialists, "Gavin Leonard"View source
He is not among the candidates in the 2018 or 2022 Malvern results, where no Victorian Socialists candidate is listed. VVerified — WIKI-MALVERN-RESWikipedia, "Electoral results for the district of Malvern"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.
Leonard has not previously contested an election, so he has no funding entitlement from an earlier contest.