Posted on Saturday, 20 July
Melbourne's northern suburbs are a heartland of working class migrant communities.
In the seat of Calwell, two thirds of people have both parents born overseas. A quarter of the electorate are Muslims. The overwhelming majority of residents are working class people struggling with out of control inflation and other cost of living pressures.
The people of Calwell want an end to the genocide in Palestine. They want real action from the government to improve living standards, and provide the services they need to give their kids a chance in life.
Calwell has been held by Labor since it was created 40 years ago. This has to change - now..
Voters in Calwell have supported Labor in the past because it claimed to be a party that supports workers and migrants, and said it was a party of peace.
Labor has fundamentally betrayed that promise.
For many years Labor has served the interests of big business, leaving its supporters to rot.
And since October 7, Labor has supported and enabled the genocide being carried out by Israel against the Palestinian people.
They can't be allowed to represent the people of Calwell any more.
That's why Victorian Socialists are announcing Omar Hassan as our candidate to take on Labor in Calwell. We are going to give everything we've got to give Calwell residents a representative in parliament that will fight for their rights and stand up for their values.
Omar is a teacher with years of experience working in schools in the outer north. He has spent many years campaigning for more funding for hospitals, schools, public transport and public housing, which have been deliberately neglected by both Liberal and Labor governments.
Omar has been fighting for the Palestinian cause for decades, and has helped organise many pro-Palestine rallies and events since the beginning of the latest war.
Victorian Socialists are proud to put him up as our candidate to give Calwell a representative it deserves.