The Public Ledger

Legislative Assembly · District of Kew

Ann Seeley

Last verified 29 Sept 2026

Family First
Candidate photo — pending
Seat context — Kew›

Kew covers Kew and Kew East (~31 km², 49,918 voters in 2022). Labor has never won Kew — incumbent Jess Wilson (Liberal, now Opposition Leader) holds it on a 3.98% margin.

Identity & ballot position§ 01
House
Legislative Assembly
Seat
Kew
Incumbent
No
Party
Family First
Ballot position
Not yet assigned
§ 02

Background

Occupation / profession

Says she spent 13 years at Channel 10 News in media and political programming, per her Family First candidate profile. SSelf-stated — FF-SEELEY-2026Family First Party Australia, "Ann Seeley, Candidate for Kew"View source

Also lists work as a real estate agent, and a five-year term as live-in manager and house parent at the Kew Baptist Youth Hostel. SSelf-stated — FF-SEELEY-2026Family First Party Australia, "Ann Seeley, Candidate for Kew"View source

No current occupation is stated, and none of these roles was independently confirmed.

Prior public roles

Says she served on the Victorian branch committee of the Leukaemia Foundation for six years. SSelf-stated — FF-SEELEY-2026Family First Party Australia, "Ann Seeley, Candidate for Kew"View source

Her Menzies profile describes her as a founding delegate of Family First. SSelf-stated — FF-SEELEY-MENZIESFamily First Party Australia, "Ann Seeley, Candidate for Menzies"View source

The Eastern Melburnian's 2026 candidate guide likewise calls her one of Family First's founding delegates. RReported — EM-VIC26The Eastern Melburnian, "Victorian Election 2026: Eastern Melbourne Candidates"View source

Local ties

Cites a long-standing connection to Kew through her work at the Kew Baptist Youth Hostel, and raising three sons locally with her husband, who teaches in the area. SSelf-stated — FF-SEELEY-2026Family First Party Australia, "Ann Seeley, Candidate for Kew"View source

Says she has sponsored local cricket and soccer clubs. SSelf-stated — FF-SEELEY-2026Family First Party Australia, "Ann Seeley, Candidate for Kew"View source

Her Menzies profile says she and her husband helped build school buildings in seven developing nations. SSelf-stated — FF-SEELEY-MENZIESFamily First Party Australia, "Ann Seeley, Candidate for Menzies"View source

Education
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
§ 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

Her profile centres on four "pillars": Family, Fitness, Fun and Fellowship.

Her campaign donation page lists defending "the sanctity of life from conception to natural death", opposing gender ideologies and school indoctrination, and preserving religious freedom.

The Eastern Melburnian reports her advocacy as centred on Judeo-Christian family values, affordable housing and lower living costs.

SSelf-stated — FF-SEELEY-2026Family First Party Australia, "Ann Seeley, Candidate for Kew"View sourceSSelf-stated — FF-SEELEY-2026Family First Party Australia, "Ann Seeley, Candidate for Kew"View sourceRReported — EM-VIC26The Eastern Melburnian, "Victorian Election 2026: Eastern Melbourne Candidates"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 priority2 / 10

Reported as focused on reducing living costs, with no measure attributed to her personally.

Family First's national economic policy page proposes cutting the small-business company tax rate for Australian-owned businesses; it contains no explicit household cost-of-living commitments.

RReported — EM-VIC26The Eastern Melburnian, "Victorian Election 2026: Eastern Melbourne Candidates"View sourceSSelf-stated — FF-POLICY-ECONFamily First Party Australia, "Economic Policy"View source

Crime and community safety

iWhat this coversPosition on crime rates, policing and community safety, including youth crime and bail law.
Candidate’s priority0 / 10

Not detailed in sources reviewed.

Housing affordability and supply

iWhat this coversPosition on home ownership costs, rental affordability, and housing supply/planning.
Candidate’s priority4 / 10

Reported as prioritising affordable housing.

Family First's national housing policy would release more land, cut "red and green tape", support modular housing, extend the first home buyers grant to existing houses, and let pensioners downsize without penalty.

It would also ban further foreign ownership of Australian land or houses where the privilege isn't reciprocated, and significantly reduce immigration so housing supply and infrastructure can stabilise.

RReported — EM-VIC26The Eastern Melburnian, "Victorian Election 2026: Eastern Melbourne Candidates"View sourceSSelf-stated — FF-POLICY-HOUSINGFamily First Party Australia, "Housing Policy"View sourceSSelf-stated — FF-POLICY-HOUSINGFamily First Party Australia, "Housing Policy"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 priority3 / 10

Family First's national economic policy page commits to "a pathway towards fiscal responsibility by tackling government debt" and to reducing the size of government; a federal-and-state statement, with no Victorian debt figure.

SSelf-stated — FF-POLICY-ECONFamily First Party Australia, "Economic Policy"View source

Infrastructure and public transport delivery

iWhat this coversPosition on congestion, commute reliability, and cost/timeline overruns on major projects.
Candidate’s priority0 / 10

Not detailed in sources reviewed.

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 priority5 / 10

Lists opposing gender ideologies and "school indoctrination" among her four campaign advocacy areas.

Family First's national education policy would return the curriculum to reading, writing and arithmetic, restore the primacy of Western Civilisation, add financial literacy, and encourage faith-based schools to flourish.

It would also make it an offence for teachers or social workers to hide anything from parents, including a child's wish to change gender, and remove gender-fluid ideology from curricula.

SSelf-stated — FF-SEELEY-2026Family First Party Australia, "Ann Seeley, Candidate for Kew"View sourceSSelf-stated — FF-POLICY-EDUFamily First Party Australia, "Education Policy"View sourceSSelf-stated — FF-POLICY-EDUFamily First Party Australia, "Education Policy"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

A search summary of Family First's Victorian policies page says the party would invest in frontline medical services, increase GP availability and push the major parties to fix the ramping crisis; the page itself could not be retrieved, and nothing is attributed to Seeley personally.

SSelf-stated — FF-VIC-POLICIESFamily First Party Australia, "Policies (Victoria)"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 priority0 / 10

Not detailed in sources reviewed.

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

Family First's national energy policy would end Net Zero targets, abolish renewable subsidies, withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord and keep remaining coal-fired power stations open.

It would also green-light nuclear power, reopen closed coal stations using new technology, lift restrictions on gas exploration and remove EV subsidies and incentives.

Nothing on energy is attributed to Seeley personally.

SSelf-stated — FF-POLICY-ENERGYFamily First Party Australia, "Energy Policy"View sourceSSelf-stated — FF-POLICY-ENERGYFamily First Party Australia, "Energy Policy"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 priority0 / 10

Not detailed in sources reviewed.

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
Her profile names no specific Kew street, precinct or local project; her local content is biographical (the Baptist youth hostel, sponsored sports clubs). SSelf-stated — FF-SEELEY-2026Family First Party Australia, "Ann Seeley, Candidate for Kew"View source
Party platform alignment

Seeley's stated priorities (life, family, religious freedom, opposition to gender ideology in schools) match Family First's core positions, and her Menzies profile describes her as a founding delegate. SSelf-stated — FF-SEELEY-2026, FF-SEELEY-MENZIESFamily First Party Australia, "Ann Seeley, Candidate for Kew"View sourceFamily First Party Australia, "Ann Seeley, Candidate for Menzies"View source

No point of divergence from the party was found. She has made few personal statements on the eleven issues, so most positions above are national party policy, not hers.

Family First's Victorian 2026 candidates page carries no Victorian-specific policy detail; the positions above come from its national policy pages.

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

Track record & prior candidacies

Terms served
Has not been elected in any of the three contests below, and has never held elected office. VVerified — WIKI-RICHMOND-RESULTS, WIKI-KEW-RESULTS, WIKI-MENZIESWikipedia, "Electoral results for the district of Richmond (Victoria)"View sourceWikipedia, "Electoral results for the district of Kew"View sourceWikipedia, "Division of Menzies"View source
Portfolios held
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Notable votes, bills, committee work
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Previous candidacies

Contested the Victorian Assembly seat of Richmond for Family First at the 25 November 2006 state election, receiving 443 first-preference votes (1.4%). VVerified — WIKI-RICHMOND-RESULTS, AWR-SEELEYWikipedia, "Electoral results for the district of Richmond (Victoria)"View sourceAustralian Women's Register, "Seeley, Ann Bown"View source

Contested Kew for Family First at the 2022 state election, receiving 751 first-preference votes (1.7%), so this is a repeat candidacy for the seat. VVerified — WIKI-KEW-RESULTSWikipedia, "Electoral results for the district of Kew"View source

Contested the federal division of Menzies for Family First at the 2025 federal election, receiving 1,759 first-preference votes (1.61%). VVerified — WIKI-MENZIESWikipedia, "Division of Menzies"View source

Her 2026 Kew profile page mentions none of these campaigns, so it understates her electoral history.

§ 05–08

Campaign, money & endorsements

Campaign logistics

Social
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Contact
Not yet published — no personal campaign contact found in sources reviewed; the party page links only to the party's general social media accounts and a donation form.
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.

All three of her previous contests finished well below 4% (1.4% in Richmond 2006, 1.7% in Kew 2022, 1.61% federally in Menzies 2025), so none produced a state public-funding entitlement.

Dataset housekeeping

Nomination status
Expected — Listed as Family First's candidate for Kew on the party's own Victorian 2026 candidates page and dedicated profile page, and by The Tally Room, so the 'expected' bar is met though no VEC nomination is lodged yet. Newly surfaced: the candidate was not on the roll before this pass. 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

FF-SEELEY-2026
Family First Party Australia, “Ann Seeley, Candidate for Kew” — Party's own material — View source · accessed 24 Sept 2026
FF-VIC2026
Family First Party Australia, “Victorian Election (2026 candidates)” — Party's own material — View source · accessed 24 Sept 2026
TR-KEW26
The Tally Room, “Kew – Victoria 2026” — Psephology aggregator — View source · accessed 24 Sept 2026
FF-SEELEY-MENZIES
Family First Party Australia, “Ann Seeley, Candidate for Menzies” — Party's own material — View source · accessed 29 Sept 2026
EM-VIC26
The Eastern Melburnian, “Victorian Election 2026: Eastern Melbourne Candidates” — News outlet — View source · accessed 29 Sept 2026
WIKI-KEW-RESULTS
Wikipedia, “Electoral results for the district of Kew” — Encyclopedia (crowdsourced) — View source · accessed 29 Sept 2026
WIKI-RICHMOND-RESULTS
Wikipedia, “Electoral results for the district of Richmond (Victoria)” — Encyclopedia (crowdsourced) — View source · accessed 29 Sept 2026
WIKI-MENZIES
Wikipedia, “Division of Menzies” — Encyclopedia (crowdsourced) — View source · accessed 29 Sept 2026
AWR-SEELEY
Australian Women's Register, “Seeley, Ann Bown” — Biographical register — View source · accessed 29 Sept 2026
FF-POLICY-ECON
Family First Party Australia, “Economic Policy” — Party policy platform — View source · accessed 29 Sept 2026
FF-POLICY-HOUSING
Family First Party Australia, “Housing Policy” — Party policy platform — View source · accessed 29 Sept 2026
FF-POLICY-EDU
Family First Party Australia, “Education Policy” — Party policy platform — View source · accessed 29 Sept 2026
FF-POLICY-ENERGY
Family First Party Australia, “Energy Policy” — Party policy platform — View source · accessed 29 Sept 2026
FF-VIC-POLICIES
Family First Party Australia, “Policies (Victoria)” — Party policy platform — View source · accessed 29 Sept 2026