Legislative Assembly · District of Melbourne
Naomi Jones
Last verified 29 Sept 2026
Seat context — Melbourne›
Melbourne covers the CBD and surrounding inner areas including Kensington, Carlton and Docklands (~25 km², ~54,500 voters as of 2022). Labor held the seat until 2014, when Ellen Sandell won it for the Greens; Sandell has held it at every election since, most recently defeating Labor 60.19% to 39.81% on a two-candidate-preferred basis in 2022, against Labor's then-candidate Rebecca Thistleton.
Background
Her candidate profile does not state a current occupation. SSelf-stated — AJP-JONESAnimal Justice Party Victoria, "Naomi Jones for Melbourne"View source
It describes her qualifications in design and dental technology, and years of community support work. SSelf-stated — AJP-JONESAnimal Justice Party Victoria, "Naomi Jones for Melbourne"View source
Says she has years of grassroots community support work, particularly assisting people experiencing homelessness; no organisation is named. SSelf-stated — AJP-JONESAnimal Justice Party Victoria, "Naomi Jones for Melbourne"View source
Says she has volunteered with and supported numerous animal rescue organisations over three decades, naming Edgar's Mission and Save-A-Dog Scheme. This was not independently confirmed. SSelf-stated — AJP-JONESAnimal Justice Party Victoria, "Naomi Jones for Melbourne"View source
No council term, union or party office, or government appointment is mentioned in her profile or turned up in searches. SSelf-stated — AJP-JONESAnimal Justice Party Victoria, "Naomi Jones for Melbourne"View source
Her profile does not say where in Melbourne she lives or how long she has lived in the electorate. SSelf-stated — AJP-JONESAnimal Justice Party Victoria, "Naomi Jones for Melbourne"View source
Describes herself as a compassionate vegan (for nine years) and long-time animal advocate, who has rescued and adopted ten miniature dachshunds since 2004 and currently cares for five, including three deaf and two vision-impaired dogs. SSelf-stated — AJP-JONESAnimal Justice Party Victoria, "Naomi Jones for Melbourne"View source
Describes herself as a cancer survivor. SSelf-stated — AJP-JONESAnimal Justice Party Victoria, "Naomi Jones for Melbourne"View source
Platform
Where they stand, issue by issue — grounded in 2026 Victorian polling, not assumed. Every position is tagged with how we know it.
Strong animal protection laws and wildlife conservation.
Domestic violence support.
Improved accessibility and transport infrastructure in Melbourne.
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
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Crime and community safety
Names domestic violence support as a priority; no specific measure is stated.
The party's national policy page says "10 years old is too young for any child to be considered a 'criminal'", a position on the age of criminal responsibility.
Housing affordability and supply
Cites years of community support work assisting people experiencing homelessness, but states no housing policy of her own.
The party's national policy page states "Everyone has the right to safe and secure housing."
State government debt and fiscal management
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Infrastructure and public transport delivery
Names improved Melbourne accessibility and transport infrastructure as a priority, with no specific project or figure given.
The party's national policy page says Australia "needs a national shift away from road transport dependency."
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
Jones has made no personal statement on education.
The party's national policy page holds that "the exploitation of animals is not only unnecessary but detrimental to education", a narrow animal-welfare position.
Health and healthcare access
Jones has made no personal statement on health policy beyond describing herself as a cancer survivor.
The party's national policy page states "Everyone has the right to high quality affordable, accessible, and culturally safe healthcare."
Urban planning and housing density
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Climate and energy transition
Jones has made no personal statement on energy or emissions.
The party's national policy page says it is "the only political party with policies that comprehensively take into account all sources of emissions"; a party claim, not a specific target.
Treaty and First Nations affairs
The party's national policy page says "We recognise the horrific treatment of First Nations people since European arrival"; a general acknowledgement, with no position on the Statewide Treaty and none attributed to Jones.
Regional and rural Victoria
Names wildlife conservation as a priority, with no regional or rural policy attached.
The party's national policy page calls animal agriculture "immensely harmful to the environment and to human health."
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.
Jones's stated priorities (animal protection, wildlife conservation) sit within the Animal Justice Party's core platform; her homelessness and domestic-violence focus fits its broader social-policy positions. SSelf-stated — AJP-JONES, AJP-NATIONAL-POLICIESAnimal Justice Party Victoria, "Naomi Jones for Melbourne"View sourceAnimal Justice Party, "Our policies"View source
No point of divergence from the party was found. She has made few individual policy statements, so most positions above are the party's rather than hers.
Track record & prior candidacies
Her candidate profile mentions no prior campaign. SSelf-stated — AJP-JONESAnimal Justice Party Victoria, "Naomi Jones for Melbourne"View source
No candidate named Naomi Jones appears in the 2012 by-election, 2018 or 2022 results for Melbourne; the Animal Justice Party's candidates there were Lawrence Pope in 2018 (830 votes, 2.05%) and Rabin Bangaar in 2022 (701 votes, 1.6%). VVerified — WIKI-MELBOURNE-RESULTSWikipedia, "Electoral results for the district of Melbourne"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.
Jones has not previously contested an election, so she has no funding entitlement from an earlier contest.