Legislative Assembly · District of Sandringham
Anastasia Sagris-Desmond
Last verified 29 Sept 2026
Seat context — Sandringham›
Sandringham is a bayside Liberal seat covering Beaumaris, Black Rock and Sandringham and parts of Cheltenham, Hampton, Highett and Mentone, created in 1955 and held by the Liberals for all but a few years since. Brad Rowswell won it in 2018 and was re-elected in 2022 with 46.4% of first preferences and 55.0% two-party-preferred against Labor's Bettina Prescott, a margin of about 5 points. He is recontesting and, per his parliamentary profile, is Shadow Minister for Education, Industrial Relations and Government Services. The 2026 field found is five candidates: Rowswell, Labor's Anastasia Sagris-Desmond, the Greens' Timon Fotakis, One Nation's Anthony Blight and the Victorian Socialists' Lauren Stevenson.
Background
Platform
Where they stand, issue by issue — grounded in 2026 Victorian polling, not assumed. Every position is tagged with how we know it.
No personal statement of priorities was retrievable; Labor's page for her could not be fetched and The Tally Room carries no biography.
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 2026 platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, includes a vehicle registration rebate of up to $186, half-price public transport fares from June to December 2026 and free midday electricity from October 2026.
Crime and community safety
Labor's platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, includes the 2025 bail law changes.
Housing affordability and supply
Labor's platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, is built around the Big Housing Build.
State government debt and fiscal management
Labor's platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, projects operating surpluses of $700 million in 2025-26 and $1 billion in 2026-27.
Infrastructure and public transport delivery
Labor's platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, includes $1.04 billion for roads.
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
Labor's platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, includes $5.5 billion of new education investment in 2026-27 and the Free TAFE guarantee.
Health and healthcare access
Labor's platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, includes $3.9 billion of new health investment in 2026-27.
Urban planning and housing density
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Climate and energy transition
Labor's platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, targets 65% renewables by 2030 and 95% by 2035.
Treaty and First Nations affairs
Labor's platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, cites implementation of the Statewide Treaty Act 2025.
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.
Track record & prior candidacies
The Tally Room lists her as Labor's 2026 candidate for Sandringham. RReported — TALLYROOM-SANDRINGHAMThe Tally Room, "Sandringham — Victoria 2026"View source
She is not among the candidates in the 2022 Sandringham results; Labor's candidate was Bettina Prescott (25.7%). VVerified — WIKI-SAND-RESWikipedia, "Electoral results for the district of Sandringham"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.
Sagris-Desmond has not previously contested a state election. Labor's 2022 Sandringham candidate polled 25.7%, well above the 4% mark.