Several local organisations have come together to organise this candidates forum in Wills for the 2025 Federal Election on Tuesday 18 March. All declared candidates were invited to attend. Four candidates were present but sitting Labor MP Peter Khalil did not show up but sent a statement, and Liberal candidate Jeff Kidney did not respond. The major parties in Wills are taking environmental and climate concern for granted.

• Candidates Forum
• Candidates standing in Wills
• Video of the forum
• Forum Endorsements
• Willsvotes in the Media
• References

Declared Candidates standing in Wills:

This list has been updated from AEC information for all candidates who have nominated for Wills, displayed in ballot order:

1	BOLTON	Sue	Socialist Alliance
2	KHALIL	Peter	Australian Labor Party
3	KIDNEY	Jeff	Liberal
4	GLOVER	Margee	Legalise Cannabis Party
5	MILLER	Owen	FUSION | Planet Rescue | Whistleblower Protection | Innovation
6	RATNAM	Samantha	The Greens
7	VERSTEEGEN	Rachel	Libertarian
8	STEVENS	Bruce	Pauline Hanson’s One Nation

See Scorecards for Wills post for information on climate policies for parties with candidates standing in Wills.

Video of the Candidates Forum

Candidates who attended the forum held at Coburg Uniting Church Hall on 18 March:

• Samantha Ratnam (Greens)
• Cr Sue Bolton (Socialist Alliance)
• Owen Miller (Fusion Party)
• Margee Glover (Legalize Cannabis Party)

Candidates noteable for not attending:

• Peter Khalil MP (Labor). Provided a statement.
• Jeff Kidney (Liberal Party) Did not respond.

The sitting Labor MP Peter Khalil said he had another commitment and sent a statement. As the sitting MP he had been offered a choice of dates but prevaricated for a month. He has appeared at previous climate election candidate forums in 2022, 2019, and 2016. The Liberal Party Candidate did not respond. So we had a panel of all the progressive candidates presenting and answering questions.

Chapters:
00:00 Introduction by Rev Ron Salinsky
2:42 Introduction of Candidates by Kelly O’Shannassy
7:50 Candidates Not Present – Kelly O’Shannassy
13:20 Dr Nicki Burdett from Doctors for the Environment on the Intersection between health and sustainability
17:31 Sue Bolton (Socialist Alliance)
22:30 Margee Glover (Legalize Cannabis Party)
26:10 Owen Miller (Fusion Party)
30:25 Samantha Ratnam (Greens)
34:40 Kelly O’Shannassy introduces Audience Questions
35:30 Question 1: What global climate impacts concern you the most and what are the priority measures you will take to address them if elected?
36:10 Answer to Q1 by Owen Miller
37:10 Answer to Q1 by Samantha Ratnam
38:20 Answer to Q1 by Sue Bolton
39:35 Answer to Q1 by Margee Glover
40:33 Question 2: Many people are struggling with increased costs of living, with solar energy, batteries and energy efficiency available for house owners. What is your plan to make sure renters and low income households can participate in renewable energy and its benefits?
41:10 Answer by Samantha Ratnam
42:20 Answer by Owen Miller
43:22 Answer by Sue Bolton
44:30 Answer by Margee Glover
45:30 Question 3: From a teacher in the audience. How do I get my students and their parents to be active on climate change when they are struggling to pay the rent and pay bills?
46:00 Answer by Sue Bolton
47:20 Answer by Samantha Ratnam
48:45 Answer by Owen Miller
49:56 Answer by Margee Glover
50:50 Question 4: What will you do to restore what has already been damaged to help threatened plants and animals recover?
51:05 Answer by Samantha Ratnam
52:20 Answer by Sue Bolton
53:50 Answer by Margee Glover
55:18 Answer by Owen Miller
56:24 Question 5 from Isadora from AYCC: What is your party’s policy on nuclear energy?
56:45 Answer by Sue Bolton
58:10 Answer by Samantha Ratnam
59:36 Answer by Owen Miller
1:01:18 Answer by Margee Glover
1:02:14 Kelly O’Shannassy candidate summation
1:03:10 Samantha Ratnam
1:04:35 Owen Miller
1:05:38 Margee Glover
1:07:00 Sue Bolton
1:08:30 Kelly O’Shannassy on the ACF Climate Pledge and Policy Scorecard
1:15:13 Outro by Rev Ron Salinsky

Forum Endorsements:

This event has been jointly organised by locals, for locals by:

• Climate Action Merri-bek (CAM),
• Neighbours United for Climate Action (NUCA),
• ACF Community Melbourne NxNW and
• Doctors for the Environment Australia (DEA)

With the support of:

• Coburg Uniting Church,
• Newlands Parents for Climate Action,
• the Climate Choir,
• Australian Religious Response to Climate Change (ARRCC),
• Climate for Change, and
• Lock the Gate.

WillsVotes in the media

The Age, Live Coverage updated daily in key Melbourne seats, including Wills, https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/victoria-s-hot-seats-live-updates-federal-election-2025-continues-muslim-lobby-group-rolls-out-attack-ads-against-labor-20250421-p5lt3t.html

24 April 2025, Brunswick Voice, Final candidates’ forum puts schools and students at centre of election https://brunswickvoice.com.au/final-candidates-forum-puts-schools-and-students-at-centre-of-election/

23 April 2025, Brunswick Voice, Large turnout on first day of pre-poll voting https://brunswickvoice.com.au/large-turnout-on-first-day-of-pre-poll-voting/

21 April 2025, Brunswick Voice, Ratnam vows to back an Albanese government in hung Parliament https://brunswickvoice.com.au/ratnam-vows-to-back-an-albanese-government-in-hung-parliament/

13 April 2025, Brunswick Voice, Ballot draw gives Khalil an advantage https://brunswickvoice.com.au/ballot-draw-gives-khalil-an-advantage/

7 April 2025, Brunswick Voice, PM pops into Wills for short campaign stop https://brunswickvoice.com.au/pm-pops-into-wills-for-short-campaign-stop/

28 March 2025, Brunswick Voice, New party hopes to make an impact in Wills. Fusion Party was formed from a merger of four minor parties. https://brunswickvoice.com.au/new-party-hopes-to-make-an-impact-in-wills/

19 March 2025, Brunswick Voice, Khalil a no show at climate forum https://brunswickvoice.com.au/khalil-a-no-show-at-climate-forum/

11 March 2025, Brunswick Voice, Muslim group backs Ratnam campaign https://brunswickvoice.com.au/muslim-group-backs-ratnam-campaign/

11 March 2025, Muslim Votes Matter, Peter Khalil has mentioned “Gaza” 13 times in Parliament since October 2023 https://www.muslimvotesmatter.com.au/khalil

10 March 2025, Greenleft, Wills candidates debate foreign aid, Gaza https://www.greenleft.org.au/content/wills-candidates-debate-foreign-aid-gaza

10 March 2025, The Australian, Muslim Votes Matter backs Greens candidate in key Labor seat https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/muslim-votes-matter-backs-greens-candidate-in-wills/news-story/23e8fa1dd6933cf64ffaba76d90e4f59

5 March 2025, Brunswick Voice, Emergency medical care relief promised for Merri-bek https://brunswickvoice.com.au/emergency-medical-care-relief-promised-for-merri-bek/

9 December 2024, Brunswick Voice, Khalil prepares for Greens challenge in battle of Wills https://brunswickvoice.com.au/khalil-prepares-for-greens-challenge-in-battle-of-wills/

6 September 2024, Brunswick Voice, ‘People want to feel hopeful again’: Ratnam’s plan to win in Wills https://brunswickvoice.com.au/people-want-to-feel-hopeful-again-ratnams-plan-to-win-in-wills/

2 June 2024, Brunswick Voice, Why Labor’s hopes of keeping Wills just became more difficult https://brunswickvoice.com.au/why-labors-hopes-of-retaining-wills-just-got-harder/

20 April 2024, The Guardian, A test in Wills: Greens hope Samantha Ratnam’s federal politics gamble will pay off https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/apr/20/a-test-in-wills-greens-hopeful-samantha-ratnams-federal-politics-gamble-will-pay-off

19 April 2024, Brunswick Voice, Ratnam to represent Greens in the battle of Wills https://brunswickvoice.com.au/ratnam-to-represent-greens-in-the-battle-of-wills/

References

Candidates Forum leaflet:

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