Samantha Ratnam Leader of Victorian Greens

What matters to you

As our local MP, I’m fighting for our community. Please tell me what matters to you most, so I can be your voice in state Parliament.

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Don’t see your issues here? Tell me what else matters to you.

Samantha Ratnam Leader of Victorian Greens

What matters to you

As our local MP, I’m fighting for our community. Please tell me what matters to you most, so I can be your voice in state Parliament.

Name(Required)
Address(Required)

Don’t see your issues here? Tell me what else matters to you.

Hi, I’m Samantha. A Melbourne local, here to represent you in the Victorian Parliament.

ISSUES

What I’m fighting for

With your support, my Greens colleagues and I have pushed the Government to go further and faster on the issues that matter to our community.

ABOUT ME

I am the Leader of the Victorian Greens and an Upper House MP for the Northern Metropolitan Region

Together, my Greens colleagues and I want to take on the big corporations who are destroying our planet, make sure everyone has a safe and affordable place to call home and empower our kids to grow up knowing that they belong. 

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Latest News

Motion: Voice to Parliament

Parliament

1 Sep 2023

Community

29 Nov 2023

We need your help to save public housing

Media Release

26 Sep 2023

Greens introduce Bill to ensure developers build fair share of public and affordable homes

Media Release

20 Sep 2023

Labor’s Housing Statement abandons renters and could signal end of public housing

Follow Samantha

Tashi Delek. Happy Losar!

To Victoria’s Tibetan community: your courage and determination is truly Victoria’s treasure.

We stand with you.

We send our love and solidarity to all Tibetans. And we remember especially this year the Dalai Lama’s words - peace in the world begins with kindness in the heart.

#TashiDelek #HappyLosar
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Ramadan Mubarak 💚

Ramadan is a very special time for the Muslim community for reflection and connection.

Speaking to many in the community, I understand that this Ramadan is especially difficult knowing the suffering of family, friends and the community in Gaza.

In the midst of this pain, I hope the weeks ahead provide the opportunity to come together and share the kindness and care of Ramadan as we look after each other.

Wishing you and your loved ones a blessed Ramadan.
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No more tragedies like these. No more delay. Victoria needs pill testing, now. ...

It is devastating to hear of the death of Chaithanya Madhagani, fondly known as Swetha. Our hearts are broken for her family and community.

Just a few days ago, The Multicultural Women’s Alliance Against Family Violence hosted a powerful event in the Victorian parliament calling for more funding for more culturally appropriate services.

Here is their statement 👆

For years, our culturally diverse communities have been raising the alarm about the rise of family violence and its deadly consequences.

There are not enough culturally appropriate services and we need culturally sensitive family violence refuges.

However we are told time and time again that government wants to ‘mainstream’ these services.

But it’s not working.

And while we wait for decision makers to listen, more women are dying. If we want to prevent more deaths like Swetha’s, we need to do things differently.

And that begins with listening.
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This International Women’s Day, I’m thinking especially of the women and girls in Gaza and all the sisters they have lost.

Women are disproportionately harmed and killed by war.

I’m also reflecting on the strength of women from culturally diverse backgrounds who bring their own experiences of resilience and struggle to the leadership roles they inevitably play in every community they are a part of.

This was the highlight of @humecitycouncil’s fantastic IWD event today with this powerhouse panel. Peace in the world will be brokered by leaders like these.

Thank you for such an inspiring morning.
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What a brilliant day at the Sydney Road street party!

Thanks @merri_bekcitycouncil for hosting this fabulous showcase of music, food and community.

Our local councils play such a crucial role in creating moments for people to come together, connect with each other and have fun. Thanks to everyone who helped make it happen 🤩
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A great day for a community BBQ to save public housing 💚

A big thank you to @savepublichousingcollective for organising such a powerful event.

Lets keep building that community 💪🏽
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🗓️NEXT WEEK🗓️ Join @___office for an #ArtFundraiser to help secure funding for an independent feasibility study into the refurbishment of public housing towers.

Retain, Repair, Reinvest: Public Housing Fundraiser
Thursday 7th March, 6-9pm
35 Emma St, Collingwood

Contributors:
Ben Hosking, HoMie, U-P, Manic Books, OFFICE, Tony Birch, Saeed Ali, Andrew Quilty, Leon van Schaik, Damien Laing, Rachel Morley, Rory Gardiner, Sam Wallman, Paul Memmott, Guled Elyas, Torren Clifford, Jesse Marlow, Christopher Ferris, Tim Mintern, Philip Brophy, Ruby Yao & more…

Background:
The state government has recently announced the demolition of all 44 high-rise public housing towers despite no publicly available study being conducted into the refurbishment of the existing buildings. OFFICE, working with the local residents and professional consultants, intend to conduct their Retain, Repair, Reinvest strategy on an estate to accurately understand the refurbishment potential of the high-rise buildings.

Having already completed a study at the Ascot Vale Estate and Barak Beacon Estate this work has given the local residents proof of an alternative approach and a tool to advocate to the state government.

To secure funding for the independent high-rise study OFFICE are organising a fundraiser at their studio in Collingwood. This silent auction will include a range of donated works from local creatives and are available for purchase to the highest bidder. All money raised will go towards the production of a feasibility study and public advocacy report. The auction will be online for a week, although the work will only be available for viewing at the event on Thursday 7th March.

WE HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!
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With temperatures rising across Victoria many areas are being placed on high alert for extreme bushfire conditions.

Please stay updated at @vicemergency for updates and please follow all safety advice.

Take care and stay safe.
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To stay silent and to refuse to act is not a neutral position, and it’s sending a message to our communities that their pain and plight does not matter.

We will continue to support communities and push for aid for Palestinian people fleeing Israel’s war on Gaza, an immediate and permanent ceasefire, and an end to the genocide and the occupation.

#freepalestine🇵🇸 #vicpol
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Chaotic weather like today’s will continue to happen if Labor keeps approving new coal & gas projects.

Stop fueling the climate crisis!
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A recent report showed that Victoria spends less on social housing per person than any other state! So I asked the Minister for Housing about it.

The answer was, unsurprisingly, one that refused to acknowledge the real life experience of public housing residents that my office hears about over and over again.

Explaining how the triage system works and continuing on about the “record spending” does not negate the fact that Victoria is coming LAST when it comes to expenditure on public and community housing residents of any state or territory.

It’s time Vic Labor spent less on destruction of public housing and more on construction and maintenance.

#savepublichousing #housing #publichousing #melbourne #towers #housingcrisis
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This is what happens when our governments let wealthy property developers put profits before people.

Communities suffer.

#HousingCrisis
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