Legislative Assembly · District of South-West Coast
Hera Sheppard
Last verified 30 Sept 2026
Seat context — South-West Coast›
South-West Coast covers about 6,576 km² of south-western Victoria in the Barwon South West region, centred on Warrnambool and taking in Portland, Port Fairy, Koroit, Heywood and Macarthur. Created in 2002 to replace the former Portland and Warrnambool seats, it is, per Wikipedia, 'ancestrally Liberal territory' and has been held by the Liberal Party continuously since Denis Napthine's narrow 0.7%-margin win amid Labor's 2002 landslide. Roma Britnell (Liberal) has held the seat since winning a 2015 by-election triggered by Napthine's resignation, and retained it comfortably at the 2022 election with 58.0% of the two-candidate-preferred vote to Labor's 42.0% (a 16-point margin, a swing of +4.8 points on 2018). The 2026 field found is five candidates: Britnell, Labor's Andrew Govanstone, the Greens' Silver Rose, the Victorian Socialists' Hera Sheppard and One Nation's Richard Hughes. In 2022 independent Carol Altmann polled 14.4%, but no independent has been found for 2026. Wikipedia's 2026 candidates table lists Sheppard as Animal Justice, which the party's own page contradicts.
Background
Platform
Where they stand, issue by issue — grounded in 2026 Victorian polling, not assumed. Every position is tagged with how we know it.
Preserving and expanding public housing, upgrading the Warrnambool train line to 160 km/h, workers' rights and union representation, and support for public education.
"I aim to represent the next generation of young workers."
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 workers' rights and union representation.
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
A summary of the party's policing policy says it would raise the age of criminal responsibility to 16; nothing is attributed to Sheppard personally.
Housing affordability and supply
Wants public housing preserved and expanded, as a lifelong public housing resident.
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
Wants the Warrnambool train line upgraded to 160 km/h to cut travel times and improve safety.
A summary of the party's transport policy says it would make public transport free.
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 support for public education and stands with striking teachers.
A summary of the party's education policy says it would provide universal preschool and childcare and end NAPLAN testing.
Health and healthcare access
A summary of the party's health policy says it would fully fund public healthcare and expand free community clinics; nothing is attributed to Sheppard personally.
Urban planning and housing density
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Climate and energy transition
A summary of the party's energy policies says it would move to 100% publicly owned renewable energy; nothing is attributed to Sheppard personally.
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 Sheppard 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-SHEPPARD, VS-POLICIESVictorian Socialists, "Hera Sheppard — Candidate for South West Coast"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-SHEPPARDVictorian Socialists, "Hera Sheppard — Candidate for South West Coast"View source
They are not among the candidates in the 2022 South-West Coast results, in which the Victorian Socialists did not field a candidate. VVerified — WP-SWC-RESULTSWikipedia, "Electoral results for the district of South-West Coast"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.
Sheppard has not previously contested an election, and the Victorian Socialists did not field a South-West Coast candidate in 2022.