Legislative Council · Southern Metropolitan Region
Kristina Kaulenas
Last verified 30 Sept 2026
Seat context — Southern Metropolitan Region›
Southern Metropolitan elects 5 MLCs and comprises 11 Legislative Assembly districts covering some of Melbourne's wealthiest inner-southeastern suburbs — Albert Park, Ashwood, Bentleigh, Brighton, Caulfield, Hawthorn, Kew, Malvern, Oakleigh, Prahran and Sandringham — with Oakleigh the only traditionally safe Labor seat among them. A bill abolishing group voting tickets for the Council has passed the Assembly and is before the Legislative Council's 11–13 August sitting.
Background
Platform
Where they stand, issue by issue — grounded in 2026 Victorian polling, not assumed. Every position is tagged with how we know it.
Opposing corruption, waste and unnecessary bureaucracy, prioritising policing, hospitals, education and infrastructure, business freedom, sustainable migration, a justice system centred on victim protection, free speech and honest history education.
"Freedom is precious and never guaranteed."
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
The One Nation Victoria platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would remove insurance duty on premiums and end renewable subsidies.
Crime and community safety
Wants policing prioritised and a justice system centred on protecting victims.
Housing affordability and supply
The party platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would ban foreign ownership of residential property.
State government debt and fiscal management
Opposes corruption, waste and unnecessary bureaucracy.
Infrastructure and public transport delivery
Wants infrastructure prioritised.
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 education prioritised and honest history taught.
The party platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would establish elected school boards with a parent majority.
Health and healthcare access
Wants hospitals prioritised.
Urban planning and housing density
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Climate and energy transition
The party platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, opposes Net Zero by 2050.
Treaty and First Nations affairs
The party platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would oppose and repeal Victoria's Statewide Treaty framework.
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 themes sit within One Nation's statewide platform. SSelf-stated — ON-KK, ET-ON-POLICYOne Nation Victoria, "Kristina Kaulenas for Southern Metropolitan"View sourceAustralian Election Tracker, "One Nation policy profile — 2026 Victorian election"View source
Wikipedia's 2026 candidates table lists them under the Southern Metropolitan Region. RReported — WIKI-2026CANDSWikipedia, "Candidates of the 2026 Victorian state election"View source
Track record & prior candidacies
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.
Kristina Kaulenas has not previously contested a state election on the sources retrieved, and One Nation's earlier results in this region were not retrieved.