Greens target Labor heartland in Melbourne's inner north ahead of Victorian election
The Greens are mounting a fresh challenge to Labor in Melbourne's inner north ahead of the Victorian state election on Saturday, 28 November. The contest is centred on seats long regarded as part of Labor's heartland, including Northcote, where the party is seeking to regain ground. Victorian Socialists are also looking to make gains in the same area, adding to the pressure on Labor in the city's north.
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Northcote is one of the key targets in the campaign, with the Greens pointing to a shift in political mood among voters. The seat was previously held by Lidia Thorpe after a 2017 by-election, and it remains symbolically important for the party. Greens candidate Campbell Gome, a primary school teacher and trade unionist, is again contesting the seat after losing to Labor's Kat Theophanous by 184 votes at the 2022 state election.
The broader contest matters because Labor currently holds 54 of the 88 lower house seats in the Victorian parliament, while the Coalition holds 29 and five seats are held by crossbenchers. The Greens currently hold three lower house seats - Brunswick, Melbourne and Richmond - and are targeting at least five more, including Labor-held Footscray, Pascoe Vale, Preston and Northcote, as well as Liberal-held Prahran. Any gains in these suburbs could reduce Labor's majority and alter the balance of power in the chamber.
The campaign also reflects a wider effort by the Greens to recover after a difficult federal election. The party suffered major losses in 2025, including the defeat of leader Adam Bandt and former rising figure Max Chandler-Mather. The party now has a new federal leader, David Shoebridge, who has said he wants the Greens to replace Labor, and that message is also shaping the Victorian campaign.
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For Labor, the challenge is not only from the Greens but also from the Victorian Socialists, who are seeking to appeal to voters in the same inner-city districts. The overlap means the contest in Melbourne's north is likely to be closely watched as a test of whether dissatisfaction with Labor can translate into gains for parties on its left. It also offers an early indication of whether the Greens can rebuild after their federal setback.
What remains unclear is how far the anti-Labor vote will shift by polling day and whether the Greens can convert local campaigning into seat gains. The result in Northcote and nearby electorates will help show whether Labor can hold its inner-Melbourne base or whether the balance in the lower house begins to move. The election on 28 November will provide the first clear answer.
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