Legislative Assembly · District of Ringwood
John O'Connor
Last verified 11 Oct 2026
Seat context — Ringwood›
Ringwood covers about 35 square kilometres of Melbourne's east, including Heathmont, Mitcham, Forest Hill, Vermont, Nunawading, Ringwood East and parts of Blackburn. Labor has held it since 2018. Will Fowles won it in 2022 with 39.0% of first preferences and 57.5% two-party-preferred against the Liberals' Cynthia Watson, then left the Labor caucus in 2023 and has sat as an independent since 2024; local coverage reports he is not recontesting, so the seat has no incumbent candidate. The 2026 field found is five candidates: Labor's Rachel Halse, the Liberals' Nick McGowan (a sitting Legislative Council member), the Greens' Amy Mills, the Victorian Socialists' Jack Gardner and independent Prue Cutts. Wikipedia's 2026 candidates table lists Gardner as One Nation, which conflicts with the Victorian Socialists' own page.
Background
Served 33 years in Victoria Police, working exclusively in operational roles. SSelf-stated — ON-OCONNOROne Nation Victoria, "John O'Connor for Ringwood"View source
Served in the Army Reserve during the 1980s. SSelf-stated — ON-OCONNOROne Nation Victoria, "John O'Connor for Ringwood"View source
Community roles listed: Rangeview School Council; Secretary of St John's Junior Football Club; five years as Secretary of Heathmont Junior Football Club; committee of Heathmont Football Netball Club. SSelf-stated — ON-OCONNOROne Nation Victoria, "John O'Connor for Ringwood"View source
No independent record of these roles (police service, club or school council positions) was found in public sources reviewed; they rest on the party profile alone. SSelf-stated — ON-OCONNOROne Nation Victoria, "John O'Connor for Ringwood"View source
Life Member of Heathmont Junior Football Club, where he was Secretary for five years; also served on the Heathmont Football Netball Club committee. Heathmont is within the Ringwood electorate. SSelf-stated — ON-OCONNOROne Nation Victoria, "John O'Connor for Ringwood"View source
Served on the Rangeview School Council; the profile does not say when or how long. SSelf-stated — ON-OCONNOROne Nation Victoria, "John O'Connor for Ringwood"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.
Names crime prevention, community safety, improving roads and transport, and greater government accountability as his particular focus.
Says he is standing because of growing concern about Victoria's deteriorating infrastructure, overburdened health system and rising crime.
Frames his policing background and community involvement as the basis for his candidacy.
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
No personal statement on cost of living found. The party's headline platform pledge is to "slash the cost of living".
The party platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would abolish the state insurance duty, hold supermarkets accountable for price gouging, wind back land tax increases on rental and small property owners and lift the payroll tax threshold.
Crime and community safety
Lists crime prevention and community safety among his particular focuses, drawing on 33 years of operational policing, and cites rising crime as a reason for standing.
The party platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would create a 24/7 Bail Court, presume against bail for repeat offenders and mandate electronically monitored bail for listed offences.
It would also return the minimum age of criminal responsibility from 12 to 10, sentence children charged with serious violent offences as adults and introduce mandatory minimum sentences for assaults on police, paramedics, nurses and firefighters.
No candidate-specific detail beyond the profile's general statement was found; the specific measures are party platform, not statements by him.
Housing affordability and supply
No personal statement found. The party's headline platform line is to "put Australians first in housing".
The party platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would ban foreign ownership of residential property, speed land release and approvals and require community consultation before high-rise development in established suburbs.
State government debt and fiscal management
Lists greater government accountability as a focus; the profile does not tie this to debt or budget policy.
The party platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would cancel the Suburban Rail Loop, run a comprehensive spending review and call royal commissions into the Big Build and the COVID response.
Infrastructure and public transport delivery
Cites Victoria's deteriorating infrastructure as a reason for standing and names improving roads and transport as a particular focus; no specific projects or figures given.
The party platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would cancel the Suburban Rail Loop, electrify the Melton line, complete the Airport Rail Link and fund a regional road-maintenance backlog with a public "Pothole Portal".
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
No personal statement found beyond his past service on the Rangeview School Council. The party's headline platform line is education reform to "protect our children".
The party platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would adopt a back-to-basics curriculum with systematic phonics, elected school boards with at least half parent members, and school vouchers.
Health and healthcare access
Describes the health system as overburdened and cites this as a reason for standing; no specific policy stated.
The party platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would offer GP incentives for shortage areas, publish real-time statewide waiting lists and guarantee regional 24/7 emergency departments.
Urban planning and housing density
No personal statement found. The party platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would require community consultation before high-rise development in established suburbs.
Climate and energy transition
No personal statement found. The party platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, opposes Net Zero by 2050, would end subsidies for wind and solar, back coal, gas, nuclear and hydro, and cancel VNI West and the Western Renewables Link.
Treaty and First Nations affairs
No personal statement found. The party platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would repeal the Statewide Treaty and abolish Gellung Warl.
Regional and rural Victoria
No personal statement found; the seat is metropolitan. The party platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would clear the regional road backlog and guarantee regional 24/7 emergency departments.
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 focuses (crime and community safety, roads and transport, accountability) fit the party's headline commitments to restore law and order and to "slash the cost of living". SSelf-stated — ON-VIC-PLATFORMOne Nation Victoria, "Victoria, it's time to take our state back"View source
No point of departure from the party platform was found; he has said little publicly beyond his profile, so alignment on most issues is by party affiliation rather than his own statements. SSelf-stated — ON-OCONNOROne Nation Victoria, "John O'Connor for Ringwood"View source
Track record & prior candidacies
Campaign, money & endorsements
Campaign logistics
Endorsements & Donations
Per the Victorian Electoral Commission's funding guidance for candidates and registered political parties (vec.vic.gov.au, accessed 2026-10-11), 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 calculated from the first-preference vote and paid against an audited statement of campaign expenditure, up to a per-vote maximum that is indexed. The current per-vote rate was not confirmed.