Legislative Assembly · District of Richmond
Sarah McKenzie
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
Her Labor candidate page says she has worked as a policy director at an independent think-tank on solutions to make life more affordable and Australia more equal. SSelf-stated — VICLABOR-MCKENZIEVictorian Labor, "Sarah McKenzie — Labor Candidates"View source
Per Capita's staff page, as shown in a search summary, lists a Sarah McKenzie as its Director of Policy and Research; the page itself could not be retrieved, so the match is not confirmed. RReported — PERCAPITA-MCKENZIEPer Capita, "Sarah McKenzie"View source
Elected in 2024 as Labor councillor for Yarra Bend Ward, City of Yarra, and elected Deputy Mayor on 19 November 2024. VVerified — YARRA-CNCL, TALLY-YARRA24City of Yarra, "Cr Sarah McKenzie - councillor profile"View sourceThe Tally Room, "Yarra council election, 2024"View source
Whether she remained Deputy Mayor after the November 2025 council reshuffle could not be confirmed.
A search summary of her Per Capita profile says her career began at the Victorian Trades Hall Council and the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance. RReported — PERCAPITA-MCKENZIEPer Capita, "Sarah McKenzie"View source
Raised in inner-city Melbourne, and describes herself as a renter in Richmond, which she says gives her direct understanding of local cost-of-living pressures. SSelf-stated — VICLABOR-MCKENZIEVictorian Labor, "Sarah McKenzie — Labor Candidates"View source
Her Yarra Bend Ward covers all of Clifton Hill and parts of Fairfield and Alphington, which sit in or beside the Richmond district. VVerified — YARRA-CNCLCity of Yarra, "Cr Sarah McKenzie - councillor profile"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.
Community responsiveness: "As your local Labor MP, she'll show up, she'll listen, and she'll deliver for Richmond."
Says her career has been about tackling inequality and building stronger communities.
Says that as a Yarra councillor she has pushed Council to focus on the issues that matter most to residents.
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
Cites her own experience as a Richmond renter to explain the cost-of-living pressures on local households; no personal proposal is attached.
Labor's 2026 platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, includes a vehicle registration rebate of up to $186, half-price public transport fares from June to December 2026, and free midday electricity from October 2026.
Crime and community safety
McKenzie has made no personal statement on crime or policing.
Labor's platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, includes a tougher bail regime in effect from 31 March 2026, Adult Time for Violent Crime for ages 14 and over, and 1,200 handheld metal detectors statewide by early 2027.
Housing affordability and supply
As a renter in Richmond she frames housing and rental pressure as a local concern, without a stated policy of her own.
Labor's platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, includes an $860 million Social Housing Growth Fund for more than 7,000 homes over five years, and housing concentrated near transport and employment corridors.
State government debt and fiscal management
McKenzie has made no personal statement on state debt.
Labor's platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, projects operating surpluses of $700 million in 2025-26 and $1 billion in 2026-27, with net debt rising from $165.3 billion to $199.3 billion by June 2030 but falling as a share of state product from 2026-27.
Infrastructure and public transport delivery
Labor's platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, includes $1.04 billion for roads, 25 additional locally built X'Trapolis trains and $77.5 million for additional metro and regional services; nothing is attributed to McKenzie personally.
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
Labor's platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, includes $5.5 billion of new education investment in 2026-27, continued Free Kinder and the Free TAFE guarantee; nothing is attributed to McKenzie personally.
Health and healthcare access
Labor's platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, includes $3.9 billion of new health investment in 2026-27, Urgent Care Clinics and Virtual ED; nothing is attributed to McKenzie personally.
Urban planning and housing density
Labor's platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, favours housing near transport corridors and a $9.8 million Development Facilitation Program to fast-track housing; nothing is attributed to McKenzie personally.
Climate and energy transition
Labor's platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, targets 65% renewables by 2030 and 95% by 2035, offshore wind of 2GW by 2032, and emissions 45-50% below 2005 by 2030; nothing is attributed to McKenzie personally.
Treaty and First Nations affairs
Labor's platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, cites implementation of the Statewide Treaty Act 2025 and the permanent Gellung Warl body established on 1 May 2026; nothing is attributed to McKenzie personally.
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.
McKenzie campaigns as Labor's candidate and her page contains no positions outside the party line. SSelf-stated — VICLABOR-MCKENZIEVictorian Labor, "Sarah McKenzie — Labor Candidates"View source
No point of divergence from the party was found. She has made few personal policy statements, so nearly all positions above are Labor's statewide platform, not hers.
Track record & prior candidacies
Stood for Labor in Yarra Bend Ward at the 2024 Yarra City Council election and was elected. VVerified — TALLY-YARRA24, YARRA-CNCLThe Tally Room, "Yarra council election, 2024"View sourceCity of Yarra, "Cr Sarah McKenzie - councillor profile"View source
No earlier unsuccessful candidacy was found. She is contesting a state election for the first time, so far as sources show.
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.
McKenzie has not previously contested a state election, so she has no funding entitlement from an earlier state contest.