Legislative Assembly · District of Cranbourne
Annalise Mercer
Last verified 29 Sept 2026
Seat context — Cranbourne›
The Legislative Assembly district of Cranbourne covers the suburbs of Cranbourne, Cranbourne East, Cranbourne West, Botanic Ridge and Junction Village, plus parts of Clyde, Clyde North, Cranbourne South and Devon Meadows, southeast of Melbourne. It has been held by Labor's Pauline Richards since the 2018 election. At the 2022 election Richards was re-elected with 53.72% of the two-candidate-preferred vote against the Liberal candidate — a margin of roughly 22 points.
Background
Says she works directly with the Cranbourne electorate community, giving her "a deep understanding of how government decisions impact people's lives". SSelf-stated — GREENS-AMAustralian Greens Victoria, "Annalise Mercer — Candidate for Cranbourne"View source
Her residence is not stated in her profile.
Platform
Where they stand, issue by issue — grounded in 2026 Victorian polling, not assumed. Every position is tagged with how we know it.
Affordable housing, public transport, health services, safer communities and green spaces, addressing infrastructure gaps caused by rapid growth.
Says residents are particularly concerned about crime, household costs, congestion and poor planning.
Says parenthood is why she is standing, "to build a fairer and more sustainable future".
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
Says residents' household costs are a top concern.
The Greens' platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would make public transport permanently free and freeze rents for two years.
Crime and community safety
Names safer communities as a priority.
Says residents are concerned about crime.
Housing affordability and supply
Names affordable housing as a priority.
The Greens' platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would build 88,000 public homes with $4 billion initial investment.
State government debt and fiscal management
The Greens' platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would raise land tax to 5.3% for investors with $5 million or more of residential property; nothing is attributed to Mercer personally.
Infrastructure and public transport delivery
Names public transport and infrastructure gaps caused by rapid growth as priorities.
Says congestion is a resident concern.
The Greens' platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would make trains, trams and buses permanently 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
The Greens' platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would reinstate $2.4 billion in delayed public-school funding; nothing is attributed to Mercer personally.
Health and healthcare access
Names health services as a priority, and works as a psychiatric nurse.
The Greens' platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would fund 500 more psychologists and psychiatrists.
Urban planning and housing density
Says poor planning is a resident concern and names infrastructure gaps from rapid growth.
Climate and energy transition
Names green spaces as a priority, and worked as a park ranger.
The Greens' platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would reach 100% renewable electricity by 2030 and ban new coal and gas projects.
Treaty and First Nations affairs
The Greens' platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would back the Statewide Treaty Bill without amendment; nothing is attributed to Mercer 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.
Infrastructure gaps caused by rapid growth in the Cranbourne area, alongside congestion and planning. SSelf-stated — GREENS-AMAustralian Greens Victoria, "Annalise Mercer — Candidate for Cranbourne"View source
Residents' concerns about crime, household costs, congestion and poor planning. RReported — SM-GREENS-AMCranbourne Star News, "Greens launch campaigns for Narre Warren South and Berwick"View source
Her priorities sit within the Victorian Greens' statewide platform. SSelf-stated — GREENS-AM, ET-GREENS-POLICYAustralian Greens Victoria, "Annalise Mercer — Candidate for Cranbourne"View sourceAustralian Election Tracker, "Greens policy profile — 2026 Victorian election"View source
No point of divergence was found.
Track record & prior candidacies
Her profile mentions no prior candidacy. SSelf-stated — GREENS-AMAustralian Greens Victoria, "Annalise Mercer — Candidate for Cranbourne"View source
She is not among the candidates in the 2018 or 2022 Cranbourne results; the Greens' candidates were Jake Tilton (3.93%) in 2018 and Kiran Vempati (5.59%) in 2022. VVerified — WIKI-CRAN-RESWikipedia, "Electoral results for the district of Cranbourne"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.
Mercer has not previously contested an election, so she has no funding entitlement from an earlier contest. The Greens' 2022 Cranbourne candidate polled 5.59%, above the 4% mark.