Legislative Assembly · District of Pascoe Vale
Jacob Andrewartha
Last verified 29 Sept 2026
Seat context — Pascoe Vale›
Pascoe Vale is a Labor seat in Melbourne's inner north, taking in Pascoe Vale, Coburg and parts of Brunswick West, and held by Labor since 1985. Anthony Cianflone won it in 2022 with 38.8% of first preferences and 52.0% to 48.0% against the Greens' Angelica Panopoulos after preferences, and is recontesting. The 2026 field is five candidates: Cianflone, the Greens' Panopoulos (recontesting), the Victorian Socialists' Yasemin Shamsili, Socialist Alliance's Jacob Andrewartha and Family First's Kathrine Ashton. No Liberal candidate has been identified, although the Liberals took 21.0% in 2022. Wikipedia's 2026 candidates table lists several of these names under the wrong parties, so parties here follow each party's own pages.
Background
Platform
Where they stand, issue by issue — grounded in 2026 Victorian polling, not assumed. Every position is tagged with how we know it.
"A massive funding boost to essential services, including education and nursing care", and opposition to "the neoliberal outsourcing approach to public services".
The party's northern-suburbs platform covers housing for all, funding public health, education and transport, no dollars for war, democratic rights, the environment and opposing racism.
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 the campaign highlights "the need for a massive funding boost to essential services".
The party's northern-suburbs platform, under the slogan "Fighting for people, not the billionaires", backs a massive funding boost to essential services.
Crime and community safety
The party's platform includes stopping attacks on democratic rights and opposing racism and discrimination.
Housing affordability and supply
The party's northern-suburbs platform lists "housing for all" as its first plank.
State government debt and fiscal management
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Infrastructure and public transport delivery
The party's platform calls for fully funding public transport.
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
Names a funding boost for education among essential services, and works as a childcare worker.
The party's platform calls for fully funding public health, education and transport.
Health and healthcare access
Names nursing care among the essential services needing a massive funding boost.
The party's platform calls for fully funding public health, and its candidate cites nursing care.
Urban planning and housing density
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Climate and energy transition
The party's platform includes protecting the environment and acting on climate.
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.
Andrewartha's stated priorities match Socialist Alliance's northern-suburbs platform. RReported — GREENLEFT-ANDREWARTHAGreen Left, "Socialist Alliance to contest Northern suburbs in Vic election" (29 May 2026)View source
Most positions above are the party's; few personal statements were found.
Track record & prior candidacies
No earlier candidacy was found.
He is not among the candidates in the 2018 or 2022 Pascoe Vale results; Socialist Alliance's 2022 candidate was Sue Bolton (4.2%). VVerified — WIKI-PV-RESWikipedia, "Electoral results for the district of Pascoe Vale"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.
Andrewartha has not previously contested an election. Socialist Alliance's 2022 Pascoe Vale candidate polled 4.2%, just above the 4% mark.