Legislative Assembly · District of Preston
Peita Collard
Last verified 29 Sept 2026
Seat context — Preston›
Preston is a genuinely marginal Labor-vs-Greens contest (roughly a 2-point margin in 2022), not the safe Labor seat the original breadth pass implied. Sitting Labor MP Nathan Lambert is recontesting, facing the Greens' Loki Sangarya, Victorian Socialists' Serena Ashmore, and Animal Justice's Rachel Unicomb. No Liberal candidate has surfaced for 2026.
Background
Has practised as a therapist for nearly a decade, per her Animal Justice Party candidate profile. SSelf-stated — AJP-COLLARDAnimal Justice Party Victoria, "Peita Collard for Preston"View source
Her own practice website presents her as an independent counsellor at Withinsight Counselling in Preston (postcode 3072), working from her private residence and online. SSelf-stated — WITHINSIGHTWithinsight Counselling, "Withinsight Counselling — Counselling Preston"View source
Third-party directory listings describe her as the practice's lead counsellor; the practice site itself names no formal leadership role. RReported — ZOOMINFO-COLLARDZoomInfo, "Peita Collard — Counsellor at Withinsight Counselling"View source
Before counselling she moved to Melbourne in her early twenties to work in theatre, and says she established and led a successful independent theatre company; the company is not named and could not be independently confirmed. SSelf-stated — AJP-COLLARDAnimal Justice Party Victoria, "Peita Collard for Preston"View source
Born in Brisbane and moved to Melbourne in her early twenties. SSelf-stated — AJP-COLLARDAnimal Justice Party Victoria, "Peita Collard for Preston"View source
Her counselling practice is based in Preston, the district she is contesting, per her own practice website. SSelf-stated — WITHINSIGHTWithinsight Counselling, "Withinsight Counselling — Counselling Preston"View source
Describes herself as a committed vegan and the guardian of a rescued dog named Ollie. SSelf-stated — AJP-COLLARDAnimal Justice Party Victoria, "Peita Collard for Preston"View source
Holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) and a Master of Arts from La Trobe University, plus dual diplomas in Counselling and Community Services, per her candidate profile. SSelf-stated — AJP-COLLARDAnimal Justice Party Victoria, "Peita Collard for Preston"View source
Her practice website lists the same diplomas and a Master of Arts in Theatre and Drama, plus Internal Family Systems and Mental Health Academy certificates. SSelf-stated — WITHINSIGHTWithinsight Counselling, "Withinsight Counselling — Counselling Preston"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.
Aims to "help build a kinder, fairer and more sustainable Victoria for all" through animal protection and community strengthening.
Advocates pet-inclusive crisis accommodation, so people fleeing hardship are not forced to give up their animals.
Supports wildlife-care volunteers and humane approaches to human-wildlife conflict.
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
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Crime and community safety
Collard has made no personal statement on crime or policing.
The party's national policy page says "10 years old is too young for any child to be considered a 'criminal'", a position on the age of criminal responsibility.
Housing affordability and supply
Advocates pet-inclusive crisis accommodation as part of her housing and community-support platform.
No supply, rent or tax measure is attributed to her personally.
The party's national policy page states "Everyone has the right to safe and secure housing."
State government debt and fiscal management
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Infrastructure and public transport delivery
The party's national policy page says Australia "needs a national shift away from road transport dependency"; a generic party statement, with no Victorian or candidate-specific infrastructure position found.
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
Collard has made no personal statement on education.
The party's national policy page holds that "the exploitation of animals is not only unnecessary but detrimental to education", a narrow animal-welfare position rather than one on school or TAFE funding.
Health and healthcare access
Collard has made no personal statement on health policy; her background is as a counsellor.
The party's national policy page states "Everyone has the right to high quality affordable, accessible, and culturally safe healthcare."
Urban planning and housing density
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Climate and energy transition
Collard has made no personal statement on energy or emissions.
The party's national policy page says it is "the only political party with policies that comprehensively take into account all sources of emissions"; a party claim, not a specific target.
Treaty and First Nations affairs
The party's national policy page says "We recognise the horrific treatment of First Nations people since European arrival"; a general acknowledgement, with no position on the Statewide Treaty and none attributed to Collard.
Regional and rural Victoria
Backs support for wildlife carers and humane approaches to human-wildlife conflict, as stated on her candidate profile.
The party's national policy page calls animal agriculture "immensely harmful to the environment and to human health" and says native forests are worth more to animals, biodiversity and the climate than their commercial value.
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.
Collard's stated priorities (animal protection, pet-inclusive crisis accommodation, humane wildlife management) sit within the Animal Justice Party's core platform. SSelf-stated — AJP-COLLARD, AJP-NATIONAL-POLICIESAnimal Justice Party Victoria, "Peita Collard for Preston"View sourceAnimal Justice Party, "Our policies"View source
No point of divergence from the party was found. She has made few individual statements on the other issues, so most positions above are the party's rather than hers.
Track record & prior candidacies
Her candidate profile mentions no prior campaign. SSelf-stated — AJP-COLLARDAnimal Justice Party Victoria, "Peita Collard for Preston"View source
No candidate named Collard appears in the 2018 or 2022 Preston election results; the Animal Justice Party's 2022 Preston candidate was Rachel Unicomb, who received 822 first-preference votes (2.1%). VVerified — WIKI-PRESTON-RESULTSWikipedia, "Electoral results for the district of Preston"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.
Collard has not previously contested an election, so she has no funding entitlement from an earlier contest.