Legislative Assembly · District of Gippsland South
Zave Evans
Last verified 30 Sept 2026
Seat context — Gippsland South›
Gippsland South is a rural seat in south-eastern Victoria, covering Sale, Leongatha, Foster, Yarram, Mirboo North, Rosedale, Port Albert and Venus Bay, and among the safest National-held seats in the state. Danny O'Brien won it at the March 2015 by-election after Peter Ryan's resignation, and has led the Victorian Nationals since 25 November 2024. In 2022 he won 53.3% of first preferences and 65.2% two-party-preferred against Labor's Denise Ryan. He is treated as the standard-bearer for 2026, and the main contest is One Nation's regional surge: a Redbridge poll cited by the ABC put One Nation on 32% in the Eastern Victoria upper house region, and O'Brien has called it 'a real threat'. The 2026 field found is O'Brien, the Greens' Zave Evans, One Nation's Bianca Wilke and the Victorian Socialists' Lachie McGennisken. No Labor candidate has been found for this seat, and Wikipedia's 2026 table lists Evans as Labor and Wilke as Greens, which the parties' own pages contradict.
Background
Platform
Where they stand, issue by issue — grounded in 2026 Victorian polling, not assumed. Every position is tagged with how we know it.
Bushfire risk management, land use and native forests, offshore gas regulation, accountability for multinational corporations in regional areas, and bridging community divides.
"I want politics to focus on solutions that actually benefit people and place and deliver a resilient future for Gippsland South."
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
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 Evans personally.
Crime and community safety
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 Evans personally.
Housing affordability and supply
The Greens' platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would build 88,000 public homes with $4 billion initial investment; nothing is attributed to Evans personally.
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 Evans personally.
Infrastructure and public transport delivery
The Greens' platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would make trains, trams and buses permanently free; nothing is attributed to Evans personally.
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 Evans personally.
Health and healthcare access
The Greens' platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would fund 500 more psychologists and psychiatrists; nothing is attributed to Evans personally.
Urban planning and housing density
Names land use and native forests as a priority.
Climate and energy transition
Names bushfire risk management, land use and native forests, and offshore gas regulation as priorities.
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 Evans personally.
Regional and rural Victoria
Wants accountability for multinational corporations in regional areas and a resilient future for Gippsland South.
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.
Their stated priorities sit within the Victorian Greens' statewide platform. SSelf-stated — GREENS-EVANS, ET-GREENS-POLICYAustralian Greens Victoria, "Zave Evans"View sourceAustralian Election Tracker, "Greens policy profile — 2026 Victorian election"View source
No point of divergence was found.
The Tally Room lists them as the Greens' Gippsland South candidate. RReported — TALLYROOM-GSThe Tally Room, "Gippsland South — Victoria 2026"View source
Track record & prior candidacies
Their profile mentions no prior candidacy. SSelf-stated — GREENS-EVANSAustralian Greens Victoria, "Zave Evans"View source
They are not among the candidates in the 2022 Gippsland South results; the Greens' candidate was Jay Tiziani-Simpson (8.3%). VVerified — WIKI-GS-RESWikipedia, "Electoral results for the district of Gippsland South"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.
Evans has not previously contested an election. The Greens' 2022 Gippsland South candidate polled 8.3%, above the 4% mark.