Legislative Assembly · District of Pakenham
Stephanie Grigg
Last verified 23 Aug 2026
Seat context — Pakenham›
Pakenham becomes an open contest in 2026: sitting Labor MP Emma Vulin, who won the seat on the tightest margin in Victoria at the 2022 election, announced in September 2025 that she will not recontest, citing her 2024 motor neurone disease diagnosis. Labor has preselected Alessandra Soliven, who would become Victoria's youngest-ever MP if elected at 24. The field also includes the Greens' Nasser Yawari, Liberal's Radmila Dyson (selected 19 August 2026 after a contested preselection), Victorian Socialists' Stephanie Grigg, One Nation state leader Warren Pickering, and two independents, Raymond French and Mary-Kate Louis.
Background
Victorian Socialists candidate for Henty Ward, Cardinia Shire Council, at the 2024 local government election — the party's first-ever candidate fielded in Cardinia Shire; received 834 first-preference votes (11.94%) and was not elected. VVerified — VEC-CARDINIA-2024, SN-PEOPLE-FIRSTVictorian Electoral Commission, "2024 Council Election Results — Cardinia Shire Council"View sourcePakenham Officer Star News, "Socialists candidate aims to put people first" (24 Sept 2024)View source
As a member of the Public Housing Defence Network, helped organise resistance to the state government's public housing privatisation plans. SSelf-stated — VS-GRIGG-BIOVictorian Socialists, "Stephanie Grigg — Candidate profile"View source
Describes involvement in campaigns against racism, for climate action, Palestine solidarity, and LGBTIQA+ rights. SSelf-stated — VS-GRIGG-BIOVictorian Socialists, "Stephanie Grigg — Candidate profile"View source
Identified in 2024 local reporting as a Pakenham resident with 12 years' experience as a socialist activist; uses she/they pronouns. RReported — SN-PEOPLE-FIRSTPakenham Officer Star News, "Socialists candidate aims to put people first" (24 Sept 2024)View source
"Across Pakenham, working-class households are struggling to keep housed and food on the table... I have witnessed my community struggle with supports being defunded." SSelf-stated — VS-GRIGG-BIOVictorian Socialists, "Stephanie Grigg — Candidate profile"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.
"Rent freeze, subsidised groceries, free school lunches" as immediate cost-of-living relief.
Establish a public housing builder and reverse privatisation of public services.
"Massive funding increases for education and healthcare."
Pledges, if elected, to take only an average worker's wage and redirect the remainder of her parliamentary salary to community programs.
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
Immediate relief measures: rent freeze, subsidised groceries, free school lunches; aims to "end the cost-of-living crisis through prioritising working-class needs over profits."
Crime and community safety
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Housing affordability and supply
Member of the Public Housing Defence Network, organising against the state government's public housing privatisation plans (see track record).
Committed to establishing a public housing builder to increase public housing stock and reversing privatisation of public services.
State government debt and fiscal management
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
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
"Massive funding increases for education and healthcare" — a general commitment without a specific funding mechanism.
Health and healthcare access
"Massive funding increases for education and healthcare" — a general commitment without a specific funding mechanism.
Urban planning and housing density
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Climate and energy transition
Describes involvement in climate-action campaigns generally, without a stated climate policy position specific to this candidacy.
Treaty and First Nations affairs
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
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.
Aligned with Victorian Socialists' statewide platform; no candidate-specific divergence found. SSelf-stated — VS-GRIGG-BIOVictorian Socialists, "Stephanie Grigg — Candidate profile"View source
Her stated priorities — housing activism, cost-of-living relief, education/health funding, and a worker's-wage salary pledge — are a direct subset of existing party platform planks rather than a distinct local platform. SSelf-stated — VS-GRIGG-BIOVictorian Socialists, "Stephanie Grigg — Candidate profile"View source
Track record & prior candidacies
Contested Henty Ward, Cardinia Shire Council, as the Victorian Socialists candidate at the 2024 local government election — the party's first-ever candidate fielded in Cardinia Shire — receiving 834 first-preference votes (11.94%); not elected. VVerified — VEC-CARDINIA-2024, SN-BALLOT-LINESVictorian Electoral Commission, "2024 Council Election Results — Cardinia Shire Council"View sourcePakenham Officer Star News, "Ballot lines drawn" (18 Sept 2024)View source
No other prior candidacy found beyond the 2024 Cardinia council run; the 2026 Victorian state election candidates page lists her only against Pakenham. VVerified — WP-2026-CANDSWikipedia, "Candidates of the 2026 Victorian state election"View source
Campaign, money & endorsements
Campaign logistics
Endorsements & Donations
A candidate becomes eligible for public election funding by receiving at least 4% of first-preference votes in their contest, or by being elected.
Funding is then calculated against the candidate's (or party's) audited statement of campaign expenditure and the candidate's vote count, up to legislated maximum amounts, under the Electoral Act 2002 as reinstated and amended by the Electoral Further Amendment Act 2026 (per the VEC's own funding guidance, accessed 2026-08-23).