Legislative Assembly · District of Richmond
Chris Dite
Last verified 29 Sept 2026
Seat context — Richmond›
Richmond has been held by Gabrielle de Vietri (Greens) since 2022, when she ended more than 130 years of continuous Labor representation with a primary vote of roughly 34.7%, helped by an unusually strong flow of Liberal preferences (around 70%) to the Greens over Labor. Analysts view Richmond as one of the more vulnerable Greens-held seats: if Liberal preferences shift back toward Labor in 2026 the margin could swing sharply, and de Vietri has faced local criticism over issues including the safe injecting room and crime. She shows no sign of retiring and is actively campaigning for re-election.
Background
Says he worked as a teacher at a local public high school and spent over a decade working nights at a local bookshop, per his Victorian Socialists profile. SSelf-stated — VS-DITEVictorian Socialists, "Chris Dite"View source
His profile does not say whether he currently holds either job, and neither was independently confirmed.
Says that from 2017 to 2020 he helped unionise the bookshop where he worked, for the first time since its founding in 1969. SSelf-stated — VS-DITEVictorian Socialists, "Chris Dite"View source
Says he was one of the main organisers of the 2013-14 campaign against the East-West Link. SSelf-stated — VS-DITEVictorian Socialists, "Chris Dite"View source
Says he has been heavily involved in organising against the far right, in campaigns against public housing sell-offs, and recently in protests and community pickets against cuts to cohealth. SSelf-stated — VS-DITEVictorian Socialists, "Chris Dite"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.
Public housing: campaigns to stop its "managed decline" and sell-offs.
Public services and transport: cohealth funding and the East-West Link fight.
Organising against the far right.
"Our community is living proof that if we stand together we can win a better world."
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
Dite has made no personal cost-of-living statement.
The party's fiscal policy would fund services with a 10% annual wealth tax on billionaires, a 20% bank profits tax and a 20% super-profits tax on retailers earning over $100 million.
Crime and community safety
Says he has been heavily involved in organising against the rise of the far right.
The party's policing policy would raise the age of criminal responsibility to 16, presume bail for all offences, disarm police on patrol and hold a Royal Commission into policing and corruption.
Housing affordability and supply
Says he has been involved in campaigns to stop the "managed decline" and sell-off of public housing.
The party's housing policy would cut all residential rents 25% then freeze them for five years, and build at least 15,000 public housing units a year for ten years.
It would also tax vacant residential land at 30% of value, ban owning more than five properties and require at least 30% public housing in developments.
State government debt and fiscal management
The party's fiscal policy focuses on new revenue: a 10% annual wealth tax on billionaires, a 5% luxury property tax, doubled payroll tax on firms with wages over $5 million and a 35% flat royalty on coal, gas, oil and minerals.
No position on state debt levels was found, and nothing on it is attributed to Dite.
Infrastructure and public transport delivery
Says he was one of the main organisers of the 2013-14 campaign to stop the East-West Link.
A summary of the party's transport policy says it would reverse privatisation, make public transport free and upgrade regional rail.
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
Dite worked as a teacher but has made no stated education policy.
A summary of the party's education policy says it would provide universal preschool and childcare, improve student-teacher ratios and end NAPLAN testing.
Health and healthcare access
Says he was recently involved in organising protests, public meetings and community pickets against cuts to cohealth.
A summary of the party's health policy says it would fully fund public healthcare and expand free community clinics.
Urban planning and housing density
The party's housing policy would impose a non-negotiable inclusionary zoning requirement of at least 30% public housing.
A summary of the party's planning policy says it would end public land sales and require developers to fund community amenities.
Climate and energy transition
A summary of the party's energy and climate policies says it would take power into public ownership to cap electricity and gas bills, move to 100% publicly owned renewable energy and end old-growth logging; nothing is attributed to Dite personally.
Treaty and First Nations affairs
A summary of the party's First Nations policy says it wants a treaty with material change beyond symbolic recognition; nothing is attributed to Dite personally.
Regional and rural Victoria
A summary of the party's rural policy says it would rebuild regional transport, secure jobs and end rural worker exploitation; nothing is attributed to Dite personally.
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.
Public housing in inner Melbourne: his campaigns against its "managed decline" and sell-off. SSelf-stated — VS-DITEVictorian Socialists, "Chris Dite"View source
Community health: the cuts to cohealth, which he has protested against locally. SSelf-stated — VS-DITEVictorian Socialists, "Chris Dite"View source
Dite runs on the Victorian Socialists' statewide platform, and his own campaign history (public housing, cohealth, anti-fascism) matches it. SSelf-stated — VS-DITE, VS-POLICIESVictorian Socialists, "Chris Dite"View sourceVictorian Socialists, "Policies"View source
No point of divergence was found. His personal statements are limited to activism history, so most positions above are the party's, not his.
Track record & prior candidacies
Stood for Nicholls Ward on Yarra City Council in October 2016, under a socialist ticket, and received 8.95% of first preferences; not elected. RReported — GREENLEFT-2016Green Left, "Socialists re-elected in Victorian council elections"View source
His Victorian Socialists profile does not mention this run.
The party's 2022 Richmond candidate was Roz Ward (4.6%), not Dite, and he is not among the Nicholls Ward candidates listed for the 2024 Yarra election. VVerified — WIKI-RICH, TALLY-YARRA24Wikipedia, "Electoral district of Richmond (Victoria)"View sourceThe Tally Room, "Yarra council election, 2024"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.
Dite has not contested a state election before, so he has no funding entitlement from an earlier state contest. His 2016 council run does not count towards state funding.