Legislative Assembly · District of South Barwon
Freya Hedley
Last verified 29 Sept 2026
Seat context — South Barwon›
South Barwon is a Labor-held seat on Geelong's southern fringe, taking in fast-growing suburbs such as Armstrong Creek, Charlemont and Mount Duneed. Darren Cheeseman won it in 2022 with 44.2% of first preferences and 59.8% two-party-preferred against the Liberals' Andrew Katos. He was pushed out of the Labor caucus in 2024 over allegations of harassment of a staffer and sits as an independent, and he does not appear on The Tally Room's or Wikipedia's 2026 candidate lists, so the seat is effectively open. The 2026 field is seven candidates: Labor's Rebecca Thistleton, the Liberals' Libby Pettit, the Greens' Izzy Scherrer, One Nation's Josh Geard, the Victorian Socialists' Madilyn Gorman, Socialist Alliance's Freya Hedley and independent Ron Nelson. The Tally Room says an outer-suburban seat with no sitting MP could be vulnerable to One Nation.
Background
Platform
Where they stand, issue by issue — grounded in 2026 Victorian polling, not assumed. Every position is tagged with how we know it.
Building a community that "values diversity, respects human rights" and gives everyone equal opportunity, with LGBTIQA+ rights and Palestine solidarity as campaign causes.
Housing funding, the rising cost of living and the effect of NDIS cuts on Victoria's health services.
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
At the party's Geelong Trades Hall campaign launch she spoke about the need to address the rising cost of living.
The party says one third of large corporations pay no tax and would redirect corporate subsidies to community services and wages.
Crime and community safety
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Housing affordability and supply
Spoke about the need for governments to fund housing.
The party demands a 10-year rent freeze, 100,000 new public housing dwellings and 20% public housing in new developments.
State government debt and fiscal management
The party would tax vacant land and housing to end land banking and oppose corporate tax avoidance.
Infrastructure and public transport delivery
The party calls for a free, fully accessible public transport system with expanded rail and bus services.
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
The party calls for properly resourced TAFEs and schools and better teacher pay.
Health and healthcare access
Spoke about how federal NDIS cuts will affect Victoria's health services and budget.
The party demands fully funded public hospitals, community health centres and expanded dental care.
Urban planning and housing density
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Climate and energy transition
The party would end fossil fuel subsidies, phase out coal and gas by 2035 and return energy to public ownership.
Treaty and First Nations affairs
The party supports treaty implementation with First Nations control over their affairs and Royal Commission recommendations.
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.
Hedley's stated priorities match Socialist Alliance's statewide platform. RReported — GL-HEDLEY, SA-PLATFORMGreen Left, "Socialist Alliance launches election campaign in Djilang"View sourceSocialist Alliance, "Fighting for People, NOT the Billionaires — 2026 Victorian State Election"View source
Most positions above are the party's; few personal statements were found.
Track record & prior candidacies
No earlier candidacy was found.
She is not among the candidates in the 2018 or 2022 South Barwon results. VVerified — WIKI-SB-RESWikipedia, "Electoral results for the district of South Barwon"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.
Hedley has not previously contested an election. Socialist Alliance did not field a South Barwon candidate in 2018 or 2022.