Legislative Assembly · District of Malvern
Christina Zigouras
Last verified 29 Sept 2026
Seat context — Malvern›
Malvern is a safe Liberal-held Legislative Assembly district in Melbourne's affluent inner south-east (Malvern, Malvern East, Armadale, Toorak, Kooyong, part of Glen Iris), won by Liberal MP Michael O'Brien in 2006 and held with roughly an 8% margin at the 2022 election. O'Brien announced on 9 September 2025 that he will not recontest in 2026, opening the seat for the first time in two decades. With Labor not seen as competitive, the contest of interest is whether an independent can repeat the 'teal' upset seen federally in neighbouring Kooyong. The 2026 field is the Liberals' Amelia Hamer, independent Christina Zigouras, the Greens' Georgia Katsikis, the Victorian Socialists' Gavin Leonard and One Nation's Edward Bode; no Labor candidate had been found by late September 2026. At the 2022 election O'Brien won 52.8% of first preferences and 58.4% two-party-preferred.
Background
Platform
Where they stand, issue by issue — grounded in 2026 Victorian polling, not assumed. Every position is tagged with how we know it.
Local decision-making, planning policy, vacant shops and stalled developments, and housing affordability for younger residents.
Presents as pragmatic and centrist, rejects the "teal" label, and uses purple as her campaign colour, a blend of Labor red and Liberal blue.
Cites "evidence-based policy" as the unifying principle among independents, and values independent scrutiny of legislation over party discipline.
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
Is concerned about young people's HECS debt and AI eliminating entry-level jobs.
Crime and community safety
Advocates police-led solutions such as consolidated "super stations".
Housing affordability and supply
Wants housing affordability for younger residents, is examining the effects of the build-to-rent market, and is concerned by Malvern's high share of renters.
State government debt and fiscal management
Supports a residential land tax but opposes a commercial land tax as harmful to shopping strips and manufacturing.
Infrastructure and public transport delivery
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
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
Is a former educator and is concerned about HECS debt.
Health and healthcare access
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Urban planning and housing density
Names planning policy, vacant shops and stalled developments as central concerns and wants more local decision-making.
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.
Track record & prior candidacies
She was the Labor candidate for Sandringham in 2014, losing to Liberal MP Murray Thompson after an 8-point-plus swing to Labor. RReported — NK, NK2Neos Kosmos, "From Labor to Greens to teal-like, Christina Zigouras aims at Malvern" (12 Aug 2026)View sourceNeos Kosmos, "Not red, not green, not blue, not teal: Christina Zigouras's purple run for Malvern"View source
In 2018 she was on the Greens ticket for Northern Metropolitan Region in the Legislative Council, polling about 0.13% of the primary vote; one report calls it a Senate ticket, which is a mistake for a state election. RReported — NK, NK2Neos Kosmos, "From Labor to Greens to teal-like, Christina Zigouras aims at Malvern" (12 Aug 2026)View sourceNeos Kosmos, "Not red, not green, not blue, not teal: Christina Zigouras's purple run for Malvern"View source
She is not among the candidates in the 2018 or 2022 Malvern results. VVerified — WIKI-MALVERN-RESWikipedia, "Electoral results for the district of Malvern"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.
Zigouras has not previously contested a Malvern election as an independent; her earlier Labor (2014) and Greens (2018) candidacies do not carry a funding entitlement into 2026. Independents receive funding only if they reach the 4% first-preference threshold.