Legislative Assembly · District of Hawthorn
Clive Crosby
Last verified 29 Sept 2026
Seat context — Hawthorn›
Hawthorn covers Hawthorn, Hawthorn East and Camberwell, plus parts of Canterbury, Glen Iris and Surrey Hills (~21.01 km²). Traditionally one of the safest Liberal seats in Victoria — it has produced past premiers including Sir William McPherson and Ted Baillieu — though Labor's John Kennedy won it in an upset in 2018 before Liberal leader John Pesutto reclaimed it in 2022. Exact 2022 margin not confirmed in sources reviewed.
Background
Worked in hospitality before entering politics and became active in local community advocacy, per press coverage and Eastern Melburnian's guide. RReported — EM-VIC26, CROSBY-SEARCHThe Eastern Melburnian, "Victorian Election 2026: Eastern Melbourne Candidates"View sourceSearch results (Clive Crosby, Kooyong candidate profiles), "Clive Crosby — Labor candidate coverage"View source
No current occupation is stated on his Victorian Labor page, and his hospitality career was not independently confirmed.
Has campaigned on issues ranging from road and pedestrian safety in Kew to the cost of living. RReported — CROSBY-SEARCHSearch results (Clive Crosby, Kooyong candidate profiles), "Clive Crosby — Labor candidate coverage"View source
He has held no elected office.
Platform
Where they stand, issue by issue — grounded in 2026 Victorian polling, not assumed. Every position is tagged with how we know it.
Housing: banning rental bidding and no-fault evictions and removing fees on rental apps.
Public transport: half-price fares and expanded train services on the Belgrave and Lilydale lines, described as reliable and accessible.
"Clive will get things done for Hawthorn."
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
Backs half-price public transport fares.
Labor's 2026 platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, includes half-price public transport fares from June to December 2026, a vehicle registration rebate of up to $186 and free midday electricity from October 2026.
Crime and community safety
Labor's platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, includes a tougher bail regime from 31 March 2026; nothing is attributed to Crosby personally.
Housing affordability and supply
Backs banning rental bidding and no-fault evictions and removing fees on rental apps.
Labor's platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, includes an $860 million Social Housing Growth Fund for more than 7,000 homes.
State government debt and fiscal management
Labor's platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, projects operating surpluses of $700 million in 2025-26 and $1 billion in 2026-27; nothing is attributed to Crosby personally.
Infrastructure and public transport delivery
Wants expanded train services on the Belgrave and Lilydale lines and reliable, accessible public transport.
Has campaigned on road and pedestrian safety in Kew.
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
Labor's platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, includes $5.5 billion of new education investment in 2026-27; nothing is attributed to Crosby personally.
Health and healthcare access
Labor's platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, includes $3.9 billion of new health investment in 2026-27; nothing is attributed to Crosby personally.
Urban planning and housing density
Labor's platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, favours housing near transport corridors; nothing is attributed to Crosby personally.
Climate and energy transition
Labor's platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, targets 65% renewables by 2030 and 95% by 2035; nothing is attributed to Crosby personally.
Treaty and First Nations affairs
Labor's platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, cites implementation of the Statewide Treaty Act 2025 and the Gellung Warl body; nothing is attributed to Crosby 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.
Train services on the Belgrave and Lilydale lines. SSelf-stated — VICLABOR-CROSBYVictorian Labor, "Clive Crosby — Labor Candidate for Hawthorn"View source
Road and pedestrian safety in the Kew area. RReported — CROSBY-SEARCHSearch results (Clive Crosby, Kooyong candidate profiles), "Clive Crosby — Labor candidate coverage"View source
Crosby campaigns on Labor's housing and public transport measures, citing the rental reforms and half-price fares. SSelf-stated — VICLABOR-CROSBY, ET-LABOR-POLICYVictorian Labor, "Clive Crosby — Labor Candidate for Hawthorn"View sourceAustralian Election Tracker, "Labor policy profile — 2026 Victorian election"View source
No point of divergence from the party was found.
Track record & prior candidacies
Stood as Labor's candidate for the federal seat of Kooyong at the 2025 election, receiving 13,671 first-preference votes (11.90%), third behind Liberal Amelia Hamer and independent Monique Ryan; not elected. VVerified — WIKI-KOOYONGWikipedia, "Division of Kooyong"View source
Also ran in the 2022 state election for the Southern Metropolitan Region in the Legislative Council, receiving 0.35% of first preferences; not elected. RReported — EM-VIC26, CROSBY-SEARCHThe Eastern Melburnian, "Victorian Election 2026: Eastern Melbourne Candidates"View sourceSearch results (Clive Crosby, Kooyong candidate profiles), "Clive Crosby — Labor candidate coverage"View source
He is not among the candidates in the 2018 or 2022 Hawthorn (Assembly) results, so this is his first Hawthorn contest. VVerified — WIKI-HAWTHORN-RESULTSWikipedia, "Electoral results for the district of Hawthorn"View source
His Victorian Labor profile mentions neither earlier campaign.
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.
Crosby has not previously contested a state Assembly seat. His 2025 federal result of 11.90% cleared the federal 4% mark, but that does not carry over; his 2022 Legislative Council result of 0.35% did not. Labor's 2022 Hawthorn candidate polled 22.1%.