Legislative Assembly · District of South-West Coast
Silver Rose
Last verified 30 Sept 2026
Seat context — South-West Coast›
South-West Coast covers about 6,576 km² of south-western Victoria in the Barwon South West region, centred on Warrnambool and taking in Portland, Port Fairy, Koroit, Heywood and Macarthur. Created in 2002 to replace the former Portland and Warrnambool seats, it is, per Wikipedia, 'ancestrally Liberal territory' and has been held by the Liberal Party continuously since Denis Napthine's narrow 0.7%-margin win amid Labor's 2002 landslide. Roma Britnell (Liberal) has held the seat since winning a 2015 by-election triggered by Napthine's resignation, and retained it comfortably at the 2022 election with 58.0% of the two-candidate-preferred vote to Labor's 42.0% (a 16-point margin, a swing of +4.8 points on 2018). The 2026 field found is five candidates: Britnell, Labor's Andrew Govanstone, the Greens' Silver Rose, the Victorian Socialists' Hera Sheppard and One Nation's Richard Hughes. In 2022 independent Carol Altmann polled 14.4%, but no independent has been found for 2026. Wikipedia's 2026 candidates table lists Sheppard as Animal Justice, which the party's own page contradicts.
Background
Platform
Where they stand, issue by issue — grounded in 2026 Victorian polling, not assumed. Every position is tagged with how we know it.
Cost-of-living relief, housing affordability, healthcare access, environmental protection and community resilience through evidence-based policy.
"I am running as a Greens candidate to protect the heart of our community and advocate for people over profits."
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
Names cost-of-living relief as a priority.
The Greens' platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would make public transport permanently free and freeze rents for two years.
Crime and community safety
The Greens' platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would raise the age of criminal responsibility to at least 14; nothing is attributed to Rose personally.
Housing affordability and supply
Names housing affordability as a priority.
The Greens' platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would build 88,000 public homes with $4 billion initial investment.
State government debt and fiscal management
The Greens' platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would raise land tax to 5.3% for investors with $5 million or more of residential property; nothing is attributed to Rose personally.
Infrastructure and public transport delivery
The Greens' platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would make trains, trams and buses permanently free; nothing is attributed to Rose 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
The Greens' platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would reinstate $2.4 billion in delayed public-school funding; nothing is attributed to Rose personally.
Health and healthcare access
Names healthcare access as a priority.
The Greens' platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would fund 500 more psychologists and psychiatrists.
Urban planning and housing density
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Climate and energy transition
Names environmental protection as a priority.
The Greens' platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would reach 100% renewable electricity by 2030 and ban new coal and gas projects.
Treaty and First Nations affairs
The Greens' platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would back the Statewide Treaty Bill without amendment; nothing is attributed to Rose 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.
Their stated priorities sit within the Victorian Greens' statewide platform. SSelf-stated — GREENS-ROSE, ET-GREENS-POLICYAustralian Greens Victoria, "Silver Rose — Candidate for South-West Coast"View sourceAustralian Election Tracker, "Greens policy profile — 2026 Victorian election"View source
No point of divergence was found.
Track record & prior candidacies
Their profile mentions no prior candidacy. SSelf-stated — GREENS-ROSEAustralian Greens Victoria, "Silver Rose — Candidate for South-West Coast"View source
They are not among the candidates in the 2022 South-West Coast results; the Greens' candidate was Thomas Campbell (5.4%). VVerified — WP-SWC-RESULTSWikipedia, "Electoral results for the district of South-West Coast"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.
Rose has not previously contested an election. The Greens' 2022 South-West Coast candidate polled 5.4%, above the 4% mark.