Legislative Assembly · District of Essendon
Oscar Yildiz
Last verified 29 Sept 2026
Seat context — Essendon›
The district of Essendon covers Melbourne's inner north-western suburbs of Essendon, Moonee Ponds and Ascot Vale. It has been held since 2014 by Labor's Danny Pearson, who won it by a two-candidate-preferred margin of about 24.9 points at the 2022 election, making it a safe Labor seat. In April 2026 Pearson announced he would step down from his ministerial roles and not contest Essendon at the 2026 election, ending a 12-year parliamentary career.
Background
Says he has served for more than 30 years as a teacher, Justice of the Peace, Mayor, Deputy Mayor and councillor. SSelf-stated — YILDIZ-SITEOscar Yildiz, "Oscar Yildiz JP — Independent Candidate for the Seat of Essendon"View source
A search summary of coverage credits him with founding the Bully Zero Australia Foundation. RReported — YILDIZ-SEARCHSearch results (Oscar Yildiz profiles), "Oscar Yildiz JP — LinkedIn and news coverage"View source
Elected in 2024 to Merri-bek City Council for Pascoe Vale South Ward with 6,090 first preferences (62.26%), the highest first-preference share among elected councillors. VVerified — VEC-MERRIBEK-2024Victorian Electoral Commission, "2024 Merri-bek City Council election results"View source
Says he has 18 years in local government, was twice elected Mayor and has been a Justice of the Peace for over 20 years. SSelf-stated — YILDIZ-SITEOscar Yildiz, "Oscar Yildiz JP — Independent Candidate for the Seat of Essendon"View source
Search coverage describes him as Merri-bek's longest-serving current councillor, first elected in 2008. RReported — YILDIZ-SEARCHSearch results (Oscar Yildiz profiles), "Oscar Yildiz JP — LinkedIn and news coverage"View source
Platform
Where they stand, issue by issue — grounded in 2026 Victorian polling, not assumed. Every position is tagged with how we know it.
"Essendon First — Politics Last": "Safer Streets, Cost of Living Relief, Better Roads, Stronger Schools, Better Sporting Facilities, Improved Healthcare, Support for Local Businesses".
Responsible planning that puts infrastructure before overdevelopment.
Believes the seat "deserves a representative who genuinely knows the area" and offers "sensible, practical and common sense solutions NOT Political Games".
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
Names cost of living and household affordability as a priority, without a specific measure.
Crime and community safety
Names community safety and "safer streets" as a priority, without a specific measure.
Housing affordability and supply
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
State government debt and fiscal management
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Infrastructure and public transport delivery
Names traffic congestion, better roads and public infrastructure keeping pace with growth as priorities.
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
Names local schools as a priority, and has a 30-year teaching career.
Health and healthcare access
Names healthcare access as a priority, without a specific measure.
Urban planning and housing density
Names overdevelopment as a concern and wants "responsible planning that puts infrastructure before overdevelopment".
Climate and energy transition
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Treaty and First Nations affairs
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
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.
Overdevelopment and infrastructure pressure across the Essendon district. SSelf-stated — YILDIZ-WHYOscar Yildiz, "Why I'm Running"View source
Funding for local sporting facilities. SSelf-stated — YILDIZ-WHYOscar Yildiz, "Why I'm Running"View source
Track record & prior candidacies
Merri-bek councillor for Pascoe Vale South Ward, re-elected in 2024. VVerified — VEC-MERRIBEK-2024Victorian Electoral Commission, "2024 Merri-bek City Council election results"View source
Councillor since 2008 and twice Mayor, per his site and search coverage. RReported — YILDIZ-SITE, YILDIZ-SEARCHOscar Yildiz, "Oscar Yildiz JP — Independent Candidate for the Seat of Essendon"View sourceSearch results (Oscar Yildiz profiles), "Oscar Yildiz JP — LinkedIn and news coverage"View source
Founded the Bully Zero Australia Foundation, per search coverage. RReported — YILDIZ-SEARCHSearch results (Oscar Yildiz profiles), "Oscar Yildiz JP — LinkedIn and news coverage"View source
A Tally Room commenter says betting odds favour him over both the Liberal and the Greens candidates, but no source for the odds was given. RReported — TALLY-ESSENDON26The Tally Room, "Essendon – Victoria 2026 (article and comments)"View source
Stood as an independent for Pascoe Vale at the 2018 state election, receiving 9,908 first-preference votes (23.51%), second behind Labor's Lizzie Blandthorn (37.74%); not elected. VVerified — WIKI-PASCOEVALE-RESULTSWikipedia, "Electoral results for the district of Pascoe Vale"View source
He is not among the candidates in the 2018 or 2022 Essendon results, so this is his first Essendon contest. VVerified — WIKI-ESSENDON-RESULTSWikipedia, "Electoral results for the district of Essendon"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.
Yildiz's 2018 Pascoe Vale result of 23.51% cleared the 4% mark, so that campaign qualified for public funding; no entitlement carries over to Essendon. His site offers a donation page; no statement about funding or donors and no VEC disclosure were found.