In a wealthy society like Australia, there's no reason anyone should be doing it tough - what's missing is the political will to fight against vested interests.
Hi I’m Ben. I’m running in this year’s state election as a candidate with Victorian Socialists because I believe in a society that puts people above profit.
I'm a renter in Ivanhoe, and I work at a local supermarket where I'm a proud member of the Retail and Fast Food Workers' Union (RAFFWU).
Today politics is run for the rich and across Ivanhoe wealth inequality is getting worse. The standard of living for a nurse from Rosanna or a carer from West Heidelberg is going backwards - people are feeling it through the cost of supermarket goods, increasing rents and mortgages, and the closure of community services over the preceding decades.
Where does this money that we're forking out go? It goes into the pockets of the landlords, property developers, banks and big corporations. There's no cost of living crisis for those at the top of society.
I'm running in this election because I want to turn this situation around. In a wealthy society like Australia, there's no reason anyone should be doing it tough - what's missing is the political will to fight against vested interests.
I've been a community organiser and union activist for many years. I've helped organise campaigns against racism, and in solidarity with the people of Palestine against Israel's war on Gaza and the West Bank.
If elected in November, I'm committed to fighting against rampant and growing inequality and winning a society where everyone has what they need to live a decent life.