The Public Ledger

Legislative Assembly · District of Footscray

Elena Pereyra

Last verified 29 Sept 2026

Greens
Candidate photo — pending
Seat context — Footscray›
Illustration pending

Footscray is a Labor-held seat in Melbourne's inner west (Footscray, Maidstone, Maribyrnong, Seddon, West Footscray and parts of Yarraville), held by Labor since the district was recreated in 1927. Katie Hall has held it since 2018. At the 2022 election she won 43.1% of first preferences and 54.2% to 45.8% against the Greens' Elena Pereyra after preferences, a margin of about 8.5 points, and The Tally Room calls Labor vulnerable to the Greens. The 2026 field is six candidates: Labor's Hall, the Greens' Pereyra (recontesting), the Victorian Socialists' Jasmine Duff, One Nation's Alexander Lopez, the West Party's Minh Quan Nguyen and independent Jess Marsh; no Liberal candidate is listed, although the Liberals stood in 2022.

Identity & ballot position§ 01
House
Legislative Assembly
Seat
Footscray
Incumbent
No
Party
Greens
Ballot position
Not yet assigned
§ 02

Background

Occupation / profession
Her Victorian Greens profile describes her as a PhD candidate whose dissertation examines housing as an urban commons, a parent and foster carer, and a community advocate. SSelf-stated — GREENS-PEREYRAVictorian Greens, "Elena Pereyra"View source
Prior public roles
Is a Maribyrnong City councillor (Wattle Ward), a board member of CoHousing Australia and a BikeWest volunteer, and has taken part in advisory groups on active transport, urban ecology, regenerative housing and climate. SSelf-stated — GREENS-PEREYRAVictorian Greens, "Elena Pereyra"View source
Local ties
Calls herself a "westie local" with "deep roots in our community". SSelf-stated — GREENS-PEREYRAVictorian Greens, "Elena Pereyra"View source
Education
Is completing a PhD on housing as an urban commons. SSelf-stated — GREENS-PEREYRAVictorian Greens, "Elena Pereyra"View source
§ 03

Platform

Where they stand, issue by issue — grounded in 2026 Victorian polling, not assumed. Every position is tagged with how we know it.

Stated top campaign priorities

"Sustainable community-focused development, affordable housing and living", green and active neighbourhoods, arts and culture, and reducing inequality through housing.

"Our local area deserves a representative who will listen to them."

SSelf-stated — GREENS-PEREYRAVictorian Greens, "Elena Pereyra"View sourceSSelf-stated — GREENS-PEREYRAVictorian Greens, "Elena Pereyra"View source

What Victorians say matters most

5 poll-led issues

Cost 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

iWhat this coversPosition on everyday household costs — groceries, utilities, insurance, transport.
Candidate’s priority3 / 10

Names affordable living as a priority.

The Greens' platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would make public transport permanently free and freeze rents for two years; nothing is attributed to Pereyra personally.

SSelf-stated — GREENS-PEREYRAVictorian Greens, "Elena Pereyra"View sourceRReported — ET-GREENS-POLICYAustralian Election Tracker, "Greens policy profile — 2026 Victorian election"View source

Crime and community safety

iWhat this coversPosition on crime rates, policing and community safety, including youth crime and bail law.
Candidate’s priority1 / 10

The Greens' platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would raise the age of criminal responsibility to at least 14; nothing is attributed to Pereyra personally.

RReported — ET-GREENS-POLICYAustralian Election Tracker, "Greens policy profile — 2026 Victorian election"View source

Housing affordability and supply

iWhat this coversPosition on home ownership costs, rental affordability, and housing supply/planning.
Candidate’s priority9 / 10

Names sustainable community-focused development and affordable housing as her first priorities and researches housing as an urban commons.

The Greens' platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would build 88,000 public homes with $4 billion initial investment.

SSelf-stated — GREENS-PEREYRAVictorian Greens, "Elena Pereyra"View sourceRReported — ET-GREENS-POLICYAustralian Election Tracker, "Greens policy profile — 2026 Victorian election"View source

State government debt and fiscal management

iWhat this coversPosition on debt levels and what they mean for future taxes and service funding.
Candidate’s priority1 / 10

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 Pereyra personally.

RReported — ET-GREENS-POLICYAustralian Election Tracker, "Greens policy profile — 2026 Victorian election"View source

Infrastructure and public transport delivery

iWhat this coversPosition on congestion, commute reliability, and cost/timeline overruns on major projects.
Candidate’s priority4 / 10

Volunteers with BikeWest and sat on active-transport advisory groups.

The Greens' platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would make trains, trams and buses permanently free.

SSelf-stated — GREENS-PEREYRAVictorian Greens, "Elena Pereyra"View sourceRReported — ET-GREENS-POLICYAustralian Election Tracker, "Greens policy profile — 2026 Victorian election"View source

Also on the record

6 substance issues

These don't top “biggest issue” polling, but carry real 2026 policy weight and genuine differences between parties.

Education and training

iWhat this coversPosition on school funding and infrastructure, curriculum and teaching quality, university funding and research, and TAFE/VET.
Candidate’s priority1 / 10

The Greens' platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would reinstate $2.4 billion in delayed public-school funding; nothing is attributed to Pereyra personally.

RReported — ET-GREENS-POLICYAustralian Election Tracker, "Greens policy profile — 2026 Victorian election"View source

Health and healthcare access

iWhat this coversPosition on hospital and clinic funding, GP/specialist access and wait times, and ambulance performance including ramping.
Candidate’s priority1 / 10

The Greens' platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would fund 500 more psychologists and psychiatrists; nothing is attributed to Pereyra personally.

RReported — ET-GREENS-POLICYAustralian Election Tracker, "Greens policy profile — 2026 Victorian election"View source

Urban planning and housing density

iWhat this coversPosition on zoning and density, heritage and consultation processes, urban sprawl versus infill, and access to parks and green space.
Candidate’s priority6 / 10

Names green and active neighbourhoods and participatory, eco-friendly community building as priorities.

SSelf-stated — GREENS-PEREYRAVictorian Greens, "Elena Pereyra"View source

Climate and energy transition

iWhat this coversPosition on renewable energy targets, offshore wind delivery, transmission infrastructure, and the reinstated State Electricity Commission.
Candidate’s priority4 / 10

Has served on climate and urban-ecology advisory groups.

The Greens' platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would reach 100% renewable electricity by 2030 and ban new coal and gas projects.

SSelf-stated — GREENS-PEREYRAVictorian Greens, "Elena Pereyra"View sourceRReported — ET-GREENS-POLICYAustralian Election Tracker, "Greens policy profile — 2026 Victorian election"View source

Treaty and First Nations affairs

iWhat this coversPosition on implementing the Statewide Treaty and the new Gellung Warl representative body, and on future local treaties.
Candidate’s priority1 / 10

The Greens' platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would back the Statewide Treaty Bill without amendment; nothing is attributed to Pereyra personally.

RReported — ET-GREENS-POLICYAustralian Election Tracker, "Greens policy profile — 2026 Victorian election"View source

Regional and rural Victoria

iWhat this coversPosition on water security, the native-forest-logging transition, road and service funding, and population decline in country towns.
Candidate’s priority0 / 10

Not detailed in sources reviewed.

Local & party context

2 fields

Not 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.

Seat-specific issues
Green and active neighbourhoods, arts and culture, and community-focused development in the inner west. SSelf-stated — GREENS-PEREYRAVictorian Greens, "Elena Pereyra"View source
Party platform alignment

Her priorities sit within the Victorian Greens' statewide platform. SSelf-stated — GREENS-PEREYRA, ET-GREENS-POLICYVictorian Greens, "Elena Pereyra"View sourceAustralian Election Tracker, "Greens policy profile — 2026 Victorian election"View source

No point of divergence was found.

V VerifiedS Self-statedR Reported— hover or tap any mark for what it means
§ 04

Track record & prior candidacies

Terms served
Serves as a Maribyrnong City councillor for Wattle Ward. SSelf-stated — GREENS-PEREYRAVictorian Greens, "Elena Pereyra"View source
Portfolios held
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Notable votes, bills, committee work
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Previous candidacies

She was the Greens' candidate for Footscray in 2022, receiving 22.42% of first preferences and 45.76% against Labor's Katie Hall after preferences. VVerified — WIKI-FOOTSCRAY-RESWikipedia, "Electoral results for the district of Footscray"View source

Her 2026 Greens profile as retrieved does not mention the 2022 campaign.

§ 05–08

Campaign, money & endorsements

Campaign logistics

Social
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Contact
Not publicly listed for a Footscray-specific office; the Greens Victoria bio page lists a state-office contact rather than a local campaign address.
How-to-vote card
Not yet published

Endorsements & Donations

Organisational
None reported in sources reviewed.
Individual
None reported in sources reviewed.
VEC disclosure
Not yet available.
Public funding

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.

Pereyra polled 22.42% in Footscray in 2022, well above the 4% mark, so that campaign qualified for public funding.

Dataset housekeeping

Nomination status
Expected — Listed on the official Victorian Greens candidate bio page as candidate for Footscray; was also the Greens' 2022 Footscray candidate, making a repeat run likely, though the bio page could not be dated with certainty as reflecting the 2026 cycle specifically. Currently a Maribyrnong City Council councillor (Wattle ward). VEC nomination cannot be lodged until nominations open 4 November 2026.
Last verified
29 Sept 2026
Sources
See the Source register below — every V/S/R mark on this page names its specific source on hover.

Source register

GREENS-PEREYRA
Victorian Greens, “Elena Pereyra” — Party's own material — View source · accessed 19 Aug 2026
ET-GREENS-POLICY
Australian Election Tracker, “Greens policy profile — 2026 Victorian election” — Election tracker (third-party aggregator) — View source · accessed 29 Sept 2026
WIKI-FOOTSCRAY-RES
Wikipedia, “Electoral results for the district of Footscray” — Encyclopedia (crowdsourced) — View source · accessed 29 Sept 2026