I’m running in this election because I want to shake up the system and flip it the other way round and put people first, not profit.
Hi I’m Van. I’m running in this year’s state election as a candidate for Laverton with Victorian Socialists because I believe in a society that puts people before profit.
Laverton residents deserve a fruitful life that includes an abundance of affordable housing, freely available public healthcare, childcare, education, and transport.
I’m a Sunshine local and have lived in the western suburbs of Melbourne for more than 20 years. I’m a public school maintenance worker and a member of the Australian Education Union. I’m also a street artist and political cartoonist.
The rich continue to get richer, while many at the bottom see their incomes fall.
Meanwhile, politicians do nothing to stop this growing inequality. They tell us that migrants are to blame for the housing crisis, when it’s actually the banks and developers making record profits out of a rigged property market.
There’s a lack of quality, affordable public childcare. Instead we’re given expensive, privately run centres that pay staff slave wages. We need more public hospitals, housing and schools, not prisons.
I’m running in this election because I want to shake up the system and flip it the other way round and put people first, not profit.
I’ve been a community organiser and activist for many years. I’m an education union delegate and have been fighting for higher wages and better conditions for public education staff. I’ve been involved in campaigns against racism and I’ve joined protests against factory fires in the western suburbs.
I’ve campaigned for the freedom of Palestine for many years, and more recently, helped organise the 2023 Palestine Solidarity Cup Soccer fundraiser for Gaza with many dedicated activists in the western region. I have also created many public murals for social justice causes.
If elected in November, I’ll fight for the better world that we need and deserve.