Legislative Assembly · District of Monbulk
Craig Manners
Last verified 29 Sept 2026
Seat context — Monbulk›
Monbulk is a Labor-held seat in Melbourne's outer-east Dandenong Ranges (Belgrave, Emerald, Olinda and surrounds), held by Labor since 2002. Daniela De Martino won it in 2022, succeeding retiring MP James Merlino, with 36.1% of first preferences and 57.6% to 42.4% two-party-preferred against the Liberals' Gareth Ward, and is recontesting. The 2026 field is five candidates: De Martino, the Liberals' Clare Fitzmaurice, the Greens' Dr Merran Blair, the Animal Justice Party's Alyssa Wormald and Family First's Craig Manners. The Tally Room says the seat could be vulnerable to either the Liberals or One Nation.
Background
His Family First profile describes more than 40 years in financial markets, mining and exploration, charity management and community leadership, including as Senior Client Advisor at HSBC and in stockbroking, investment advice and venture capital. SSelf-stated — FF-MANNERS-2026Family First Party Australia, "Craig Manners, Candidate for Monbulk"View source
Is CEO of Orbus Ministries Australia Inc., a charity supporting underprivileged children in Malawi through education and skills development. SSelf-stated — FF-MANNERS-2026Family First Party Australia, "Craig Manners, Candidate for Monbulk"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.
Reducing cost of living and taxes significantly, a Royal Commission into union and Labor corruption, responsible immigration and deregulating housing and land.
Freedom of faith and speech, strong families, protecting children from "harmful ideologies", and removing "radical social indoctrination from schools" to restore a focus on core education.
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
Wants to reduce the cost of living and taxes significantly.
Crime and community safety
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Housing affordability and supply
Wants to deregulate the housing and land sectors.
State government debt and fiscal management
Wants significantly lower taxes and cites 40 years in financial markets and responsible stewardship.
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
Wants to remove "radical social indoctrination" from schools and restore a focus on core education.
Health and healthcare access
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Urban planning and housing density
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Climate and energy transition
Wants to protect the environment while unleashing natural resources.
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.
His stated positions follow Family First's faith-and-family platform, with added emphasis on tax cuts and deregulation. SSelf-stated — FF-MANNERS-2026, FF-VIC2026Family First Party Australia, "Craig Manners, Candidate for Monbulk"View sourceFamily First Party Australia, "Victorian Election (2026 candidates)"View source
No point of divergence was found.
Track record & prior candidacies
His profile mentions no prior candidacy. SSelf-stated — FF-MANNERS-2026Family First Party Australia, "Craig Manners, Candidate for Monbulk"View source
He is not among the candidates in the 2018 or 2022 Monbulk results; Family First's 2022 candidate was David Higgins (2.9%). VVerified — WIKI-MB-RESWikipedia, "Electoral results for the district of Monbulk"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.
Manners has not previously contested an election. Family First's 2022 Monbulk candidate polled 2.9%, below the 4% mark.