Victorian Socialists


The Victorian Socialists is a democratic socialist political party based in the Australian state of Victoria. Founded in February 2018, it is an electoral alliance of various socialist parties, organisations, community groups and trade unionists.
The party initially comprised members of Socialist Alternative, Socialist Alliance, as well as non-aligned socialists. However, Socialist Alliance withdrew from the grouping in May 2020, citing disagreements with Socialist Alternative.

History

The Victorian Socialists' formation was announced publicly on the 5th of February 2018 and called for people to join the party in order to register with the Victorian Electoral Commission. The party was officially registered by the Victorian Electoral Commission on 6 June 2018.
In August 2018, the party announced that it would field candidates in every Victorian Legislative Council region, as well as several Victorian Legislative Assembly electorates. The announced candidates included the former Geelong Trades Hall Secretary Tim Gooden running for the Western Victoria Region, as well as the socialist councillors Stephen Jolly and Sue Bolton for the Northern Metropolitan Region.
The Victorian Socialists initial 2018 Victorian state election campaign gained support from several trade unions such as the ETU, VAHPA, UFU, CFMMEU, AMIEU and NUW. The campaign also gained support from several local immigrant diaspora organisations, including the "Kurds, Tamil, Afghan, Eritrean" and Lebanese community organisations. A number of public figures also endorsed the campaign including; Tariq Ali, Noam Chomsky, Gary Foley, Tom Ballard, Corrine Grant, and Helen Razer. The party failed to get any members elected, achieving 4.2% of the vote in the Northern Metropolitan Region, while achieving 7.2% of the Lower House vote in the seat of Broadmeadows in a field of four candidates.
The Victorian Socialists ran candidates in the electorates of Calwell, Wills, and Cooper during the 2019 federal election. The party was officially registered at a federal level with the Australian Electoral Commission on the 7th of April 2019. The party gained 4.6% of the vote in Calwell, 4.5% in Wills, and 4.2% in Cooper.
In September 2019, following allegations of family violence, Jolly was suspended from the Victorian Socialists pending an investigation, leading him to resign from the party.

Policies

Federal

The party's policies include:
Victorian Socialists launched its 2018 election manifesto on 24 August at the Brunswick Town Hall, outlining a broadly left-wing and socialist vision. It is based on broad principles of public ownership, workers' rights and equality. The party's policies include:

Federal

Victoria

Notable members