Legislative Assembly · District of Yan Yean
Amanda Dow
Last verified 30 Sept 2026
Seat context — Yan Yean›
Yan Yean is a Labor-held seat on Melbourne's northern fringe covering Mernda, Yarrambat, Laurimar, Whittlesea and Wandong across the Whittlesea, Nillumbik and Mitchell council areas. Lauren Kathage succeeded Danielle Green in 2022, winning with 41.4% of first preferences and 54.3% two-party-preferred against the Liberals' Richard Welch, a margin of about 4 points, and is recontesting. The Tally Room calls it a must-win seat for the Liberals and says One Nation is an emerging threat in some booths. The 2026 field found is six candidates: Kathage, the Liberals' Amanda Dow, the Greens' Gufran Mohammed, One Nation's Jeremy Johnson, the Victorian Socialists' Andrew Bell and the Animal Justice Party's Sinan Okatan.
Background
The Tally Room describes her as a primary school teacher. RReported — TALLYROOM-YYThe Tally Room, "Yan Yean — Victoria 2026"View source
Is a teacher at one of Yan Yean's largest schools. SSelf-stated — LIBV-AMANDA-DOWLiberal Victoria, "Amanda Dow — Liberal candidate profile" (7 July 2026)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.
Tackling rising crime, reducing the cost of living, strengthening local schools and the complete duplication of Donnybrook Road.
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
Wants the cost of living reduced.
Crime and community safety
The Coalition's bail and sentencing policy, per the ABC, would automatically deny bail to reoffenders under a one-strike rule.
Wants rising crime tackled.
Housing affordability and supply
The Coalition would lift the first-home buyer threshold to remove stamp duty on homes up to $1 million, per a housing-policy comparison.
State government debt and fiscal management
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Infrastructure and public transport delivery
Wants road upgrades including the complete duplication of Donnybrook Road.
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 local schools strengthened, as a teacher.
Health and healthcare access
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Urban planning and housing density
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Climate and energy transition
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Treaty and First Nations affairs
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
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.
The Tally Room lists road duplications and rail extensions as local infrastructure demands; neither is attributed to her. RReported — TALLYROOM-YYThe Tally Room, "Yan Yean — Victoria 2026"View source
The duplication of Donnybrook Road. SSelf-stated — LIBV-AMANDA-DOWLiberal Victoria, "Amanda Dow — Liberal candidate profile" (7 July 2026)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.
Dow has not previously contested this seat. The Liberals' 2022 Yan Yean candidate polled 33.9%, well above the 4% mark.