Legislative Assembly · District of Narre Warren South
Stefan Koomen
Last verified 24 Sept 2026
Seat context — Narre Warren South›
Narre Warren South becomes an open Labor-held contest in 2026: sitting MP Gary Maas, who has held the seat since 2018, announced in June 2026 that he will not seek re-election. Labor has preselected outgoing Casey City Council Mayor Stefan Koomen as his replacement. The Liberal candidate, Norliah Syer-Peterson, became a prominent vaccine-access advocate after her teenage son's death from meningococcal B in 2025. The Greens' Jill Nambu, One Nation's Trevor Hammond, and Victorian Socialists' Bailey McCracken round out the confirmed field, and independent Scott Watson announced a candidacy on 29 June 2026.
Background
Casey Council's initial personal interest return (9 December 2024) lists his paid employment as an Electorate Officer at the Parliament of Victoria, supporting Members of Parliament with office management, policy and correspondence. VVerified — CASEY-PIR24City of Casey, "Initial Personal Interest Returns, 1 September – 31 December 2024 (PDF)" (10 Dec 2024)View source
Labor's candidate page says he "has worked as a truck driver, business manager and government advisor." SSelf-stated — LABOR-KOOMEN-PAGEVictorian Labor, "Stefan Koomen — Candidate for Narre Warren South"View source
Elected Casey City Council's Waratah Ward councillor in 2024, and elected Mayor on 19 November 2024 and unanimously re-elected in November 2025 (Council release dated 19 November 2025). VVerified — VEC-CASEY24, CASEY-MAYOR24, CASEY-MAYOR25Victorian Electoral Commission, "2024 Casey City Council election results (Waratah Ward)" (26 Oct 2024)View sourceCity of Casey, "City of Casey elects new Mayor and Deputy Mayor" (29 Nov 2024)View sourceCity of Casey, "City of Casey elects Mayor and Deputy Mayor" (19 Nov 2025)View source
By 15 September 2026 Casey's releases quote Cr Michelle Crowther as Mayor, so he is no longer Mayor; whether he remains a councillor while campaigning was not confirmed. VVerified — MIRAGE-CASEY-TR26Mirage News (City of Casey release), "Casey Hails Thompsons Road Upgrade Commitment" (15 Sept 2026)View source
Casey Council's profile says he volunteers as a Justice of the Peace at Doveton Library, and has served as Chair of his local residents' group and Treasurer of the Doveton Show Committee. SSelf-stated — CASEY-COUNCILLORSCity of Casey, "Meet the councillors (Cr Stefan Koomen, Waratah Ward)"View source
Both his council profile and Labor's page say he led the successful "Save Doveton Pool" campaign. SSelf-stated — CASEY-COUNCILLORS, LABOR-KOOMEN-PAGECity of Casey, "Meet the councillors (Cr Stefan Koomen, Waratah Ward)"View sourceVictorian Labor, "Stefan Koomen — Candidate for Narre Warren South"View source
Casey Council's profile says he "has lived in the City of Casey for 14 years" and is married with two daughters. SSelf-stated — CASEY-COUNCILLORSCity of Casey, "Meet the councillors (Cr Stefan Koomen, Waratah Ward)"View source
Labor's page calls him "a local dad with two young daughters" who lives with his wife Cat. SSelf-stated — LABOR-KOOMEN-PAGEVictorian Labor, "Stefan Koomen — Candidate for Narre Warren South"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.
Labor's page says "helping with cost-of-living pressures, building more affordable housing, and boosting community safety are immediate priorities, alongside investments in health and local schools."
Describes himself as "a local who stands up for our community."
His council profile says he is "committed to being a Councillor who is transparent, listens and represents everyone in the Casey community."
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
Labor's page lists "helping with cost-of-living pressures" first among his "immediate priorities"; no measure of his own is stated.
Party/government position (not candidate-specific): half-price trains, trams and buses (metro and V/Line) every day for the rest of 2026, funded in the 2026-27 budget.
The ABC reported the budget spent more than $1 billion on free public transport and car-registration rebates as cost-of-living relief.
Crime and community safety
Lists "boosting community safety" among his immediate priorities; no policy of his own is stated.
Party/government position (not candidate-specific): more than $1 billion for police, justice and emergency services, a Violence Reduction Unit, and what it calls the nation's toughest bail laws.
Housing affordability and supply
Lists "building more affordable housing" among his immediate priorities; no policy of his own is stated.
Party/government position (not candidate-specific): an $860 million Social Housing Growth Fund to deliver more than 7,000 social homes, and extending off-the-plan stamp duty concessions to 21 April 2027.
State government debt and fiscal management
Labor's page says he "understands that every taxpayer dollar should be spent wisely and considerately" and, as Mayor, "helped restore integrity and get the budget back on track."
Casey Council had been run by a Panel of Administrators for four years before the October 2024 election that returned him, per the Council's own release.
Party/government position (not candidate-specific): an operating surplus of $700 million in 2025-26 and $1 billion in 2026-27, with net debt as a share of the economy lower in four years.
The ABC reported state debt projected to reach $199.3 billion in 2029-30, with interest costs above $11 billion that year.
Infrastructure and public transport delivery
His council profile says his vision is for Casey "to be a better connected, more accessible, and liveable city."
The Liberal-National Coalition has committed $607 million to duplicate and extend Thompsons Road; Casey's release welcoming it does not mention a Labor commitment.
Party/government position (not candidate-specific): more than $1 billion for road repairs statewide plus $102.6 million for new and upgraded roads in the 2026-27 budget.
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
Lists "investments in... local schools" among his priorities; no policy of his own is stated.
Party/government position (not candidate-specific): $5.5 billion more for education, 121 new schools since 2017, more than $295 million to upgrade 31 government schools, and Free Kinder.
Health and healthcare access
Lists "investments in health" among his priorities; no policy of his own is stated.
Party/government position (not candidate-specific): a $1.6 billion injection for public hospital funding certainty, Urgent Care Clinics and a Virtual ED, and $109 million for children's specialist appointments and surgery.
Urban planning and housing density
Says he wants Casey to be a "liveable city"; no planning policy of his own is stated.
Labor's page credits him with helping stop the proposed Hampton Park waste transfer station as Mayor (see seat-specific issues).
Climate and energy transition
No personal statement on energy or climate found.
Party/government position (not candidate-specific): the state-owned SEC investing up to $43 million in the Baranduda big battery, part of a program to build 4.5 gigawatts of renewables and storage.
Treaty and First Nations affairs
No personal statement on Treaty found.
The Labor government's Statewide Treaty Bill 2025 passed the Assembly 54 to 27 on 16 October 2025 and the Council 21 to 16 on 30 October.
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.
Labor's page says he "led the charge to save the Doveton Pool." SSelf-stated — LABOR-KOOMEN-PAGEVictorian Labor, "Stefan Koomen — Candidate for Narre Warren South"View source
Casey Council's stage-one works on the 50-metre pool were launched by Mayor Koomen in April 2025 with $7.91 million from council, and in September 2025 councillors voted for a $4 million recommissioning of the former program pool and a new slide. VVerified — CASEY-DOVETON-WORKS25, CASEY-DOVETON-CONVCity of Casey, "Exciting improvement works to start at Doveton Pool in the Park" (29 Apr 2025)View sourceCity of Casey, "Doveton Pool in the Park Upgrades (Casey Conversations)"View source
Labor's page says that "as our Mayor he helped stop the proposed waste transfer station in Hampton Park." SSelf-stated — LABOR-KOOMEN-PAGEVictorian Labor, "Stefan Koomen — Candidate for Narre Warren South"View source
The EPA refused the Veolia facility's licence and VCAT upheld that refusal on 10 April 2026; Mayor Koomen's statement that day thanked residents and community groups for their advocacy, and the decisive decisions were the EPA's and VCAT's. VVerified — MIRAGE-WTS-VCAT26Mirage News (City of Casey release), "VCAT Rules on Hampton Park Waste Station Proposal" (10 Apr 2026)View source
The Coalition committed $607 million to the Thompsons Road upgrade, which Casey Council welcomed on 15 September 2026 as a priority of its "Building a Better Casey" campaign. VVerified — MIRAGE-CASEY-TR26Mirage News (City of Casey release), "Casey Hails Thompsons Road Upgrade Commitment" (15 Sept 2026)View source
Runs as Labor's candidate for the open seat left by retiring MP Gary Maas, and his stated priorities match Labor's 2026 budget themes of cost of living, safety, health and schools. SSelf-stated — LABOR-KOOMEN-PAGE, PREMIER-BUDGET26Victorian Labor, "Stefan Koomen — Candidate for Narre Warren South"View sourcePremier of Victoria, "Labor Delivers Cost Of Living Help And A Surplus" (5 May 2026)View source
His only policy positions on record are Labor's own; no divergence from the government was found in the material reviewed. SSelf-stated — LABOR-KOOMEN-PAGEVictorian Labor, "Stefan Koomen — Candidate for Narre Warren South"View source
Track record & prior candidacies
Casey City Council, Waratah Ward, since 2024: 6,481 first-preference votes (43.26%), and 51.13% after preferences. VVerified — VEC-CASEY24Victorian Electoral Commission, "2024 Casey City Council election results (Waratah Ward)" (26 Oct 2024)View source
Mayor of Casey from 19 November 2024, unanimously re-elected in November 2025 (Council release dated 19 November 2025); no longer Mayor by mid-September 2026. VVerified — CASEY-MAYOR24, CASEY-MAYOR25, MIRAGE-CASEY-TR26City of Casey, "City of Casey elects new Mayor and Deputy Mayor" (29 Nov 2024)View sourceCity of Casey, "City of Casey elects Mayor and Deputy Mayor" (19 Nov 2025)View sourceMirage News (City of Casey release), "Casey Hails Thompsons Road Upgrade Commitment" (15 Sept 2026)View source
Mayor of Casey from November 2024 (no longer Mayor by mid-September 2026); the Mayor and Deputy Mayor are elected annually by councillors. VVerified — CASEY-MAYOR25City of Casey, "City of Casey elects Mayor and Deputy Mayor" (19 Nov 2025)View source
Justice of the Peace at Doveton Library, former Chair of a local residents' group and Treasurer of the Doveton Show Committee. SSelf-stated — CASEY-COUNCILLORSCity of Casey, "Meet the councillors (Cr Stefan Koomen, Waratah Ward)"View source
On 29 April 2025 he announced stage-one construction at Doveton Pool in the Park alongside federal MP Julian Hill, with council contributing $7.91 million. VVerified — CASEY-DOVETON-WORKS25City of Casey, "Exciting improvement works to start at Doveton Pool in the Park" (29 Apr 2025)View source
On 10 April 2026 he issued the council's statement on the VCAT decision upholding the EPA's refusal of the Hampton Park waste transfer station. VVerified — MIRAGE-WTS-VCAT26Mirage News (City of Casey release), "VCAT Rules on Hampton Park Waste Station Proposal" (10 Apr 2026)View source
No prior state or federal candidacy was found for him; Labor's 2022 Narre Warren South candidate was retiring MP Gary Maas. VVerified — TR-NWS26The Tally Room, "Narre Warren South – Victoria 2026"View source
His only earlier contest found is the 2024 Casey council election, which he won. VVerified — VEC-CASEY24Victorian Electoral Commission, "2024 Casey City Council election results (Waratah Ward)" (26 Oct 2024)View source
Campaign, money & endorsements
Campaign logistics
Endorsements & Donations
Per the VEC's own funding guidance for registered political parties (accessed 2026-09-24), public funding is paid to the registered party, not to individual candidates. The Australian Labor Party - Victorian Branch appears on the VEC's list of currently registered parties (first registered 26 March 1985, re-registered 3 October 2024), and is eligible if at least one endorsed candidate receives at least 4% of first-preference votes or is elected.
The amount is based on the party's audited statement of expenditure, the votes its candidates receive and legislated maximums, at an indexed per-vote rate that the VEC's indexation page (accessed 2026-09-24) lists as $7.70 for lower-house candidates in 2026-27, up from $7.46 the year before. The VEC's funding page notes it is under review following the Electoral Further Amendment Act 2026, so these rules may change before the election.