Legislative Assembly · District of Ringwood
Jack Gardner
Last verified 29 Sept 2026
Seat context — Ringwood›
Ringwood covers about 35 square kilometres of Melbourne's east, including Heathmont, Mitcham, Forest Hill, Vermont, Nunawading, Ringwood East and parts of Blackburn. Labor has held it since 2018. Will Fowles won it in 2022 with 39.0% of first preferences and 57.5% two-party-preferred against the Liberals' Cynthia Watson, then left the Labor caucus in 2023 and has sat as an independent since 2024; local coverage reports he is not recontesting, so the seat has no incumbent candidate. The 2026 field found is five candidates: Labor's Rachel Halse, the Liberals' Nick McGowan (a sitting Legislative Council member), the Greens' Amy Mills, the Victorian Socialists' Jack Gardner and independent Prue Cutts. Wikipedia's 2026 candidates table lists Gardner as One Nation, which conflicts with the Victorian Socialists' own page.
Background
Has been involved in campaigns against racism, homophobia and transphobia, in climate justice protests and Palestine solidarity work, and in a campaign for closing weapons factories in Melbourne's east. SSelf-stated — VS-GARDNERVictorian Socialists, "Jack Gardner"View source
Local coverage records their support for the Stop Montrose Quarry Expansion campaign. RReported — EM-GUIDEEastern Melburnian, "Who are the candidates in this year's state election across Melbourne's eastern suburbs?"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.
Combatting the far right, justice for Palestine including sanctions on Israel and an end to the arms trade, economic justice, and environmental sustainability.
"My vision is rooted in the belief that the challenges we face today require bold, collective action."
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
Wants fair wages and workers' rights.
The party's fiscal policy would fund services with a 10% annual wealth tax on billionaires and a 20% bank profits tax.
Crime and community safety
Names combating far-right politics and fascism as a priority.
Housing affordability and supply
Wants affordable housing.
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
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Infrastructure and public transport delivery
A summary of the party's transport policy says it would make public transport free; nothing is attributed to Gardner personally.
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 quality 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 quality 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
Wants a clean energy transition and systemic climate action.
A summary of the party's energy policies says it would move to 100% publicly owned renewable energy.
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 Gardner 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.
Their priorities match the Victorian Socialists' statewide platform. SSelf-stated — VS-GARDNER, VS-POLICIESVictorian Socialists, "Jack Gardner"View sourceVictorian Socialists, "Policies"View source
No point of divergence was found.
Track record & prior candidacies
Their profile mentions no prior candidacy. SSelf-stated — VS-GARDNERVictorian Socialists, "Jack Gardner"View source
They are not among the candidates in the 2022 Ringwood results, in which the Victorian Socialists did not field a candidate. VVerified — WIKI-RING-RESWikipedia, "Electoral results for the district of Ringwood"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.
Gardner has not previously contested an election, and the Victorian Socialists did not field a Ringwood candidate in 2022.