The West Party

The West Party
FounderPaul Hopper
Founded2025 (2025)
Registered7 August 2026 (2026-08-07)
Website
thewestparty.org.au

The West Party is an Australian political party in the state of Victoria. Founded in 2025 by Paul Hopper, the party will stand candidates in the western suburbs of Melbourne at the 2026 state election.

Foundation and 2026 election

West Party candidates Joe Garra and Mark Grech at an election forum.

The West Party was formed in 2025, after independent candidate Paul Hopper received 14.6 per cent of the primary vote in the 2025 Werribee by-election. Hopper, the party's founder and coordinator, had previously stood in the Werribee district at the 2022 Victorian state election. Joe Garra, another independent candidate, stood in Werribee in 2018, and Point Cook in 2022. As Hopper described it to Crikey, their candidacies were the nucleus for the new party, with people expressing interest to him about standing for parliament themselves after 2022.

Traditionally, the western suburbs of Melbourne have voted for the Labor Party by large margins. However, in the years leading up to the West Party's foundation, Labor's vote in the area has fallen. The West Party only stands candidates in the western suburbs, and has positioned itself as a community-based movement. Hopper has described the party as "sensible centre", and candidates for the party decide their own policies based on community consultation.

The West Party was registered by the Victorian Electoral Commission on 7 August 2026. The party is standing in the 2026 Victorian state election, contesting lower house seats in the west and the Western Metropolitan Region in the upper house.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Smethurst, Annika (8 December 2025). "For decades, Labor has owned Melbourne's west. A new party plans to change that". The Age. Archived from the original on 31 October 2026. Retrieved 31 October 2026.
  2. ↑ Smethurst, Annika (11 October 2025). "Voices group eyes Melbourne's inner west in first tilt at Labor seats". The Age. Archived from the original on 22 November 2025. Retrieved 31 October 2026.
  3. ↑ "West Party Closer To Ballot". Wyndham TV. 11 June 2026. Archived from the original on 31 October 2026. Retrieved 31 October 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Withers, Rachel (16 October 2026). "Can this new party win seats off Labor in Melbourne's neglected western suburbs?". Crikey. Archived from the original on 31 October 2026. Retrieved 31 October 2026.
  5. ↑ White, Daniella (30 August 2025). "Melbourne's west feels neglected by Labor, but this is why the Liberals can't break the red wall". The Age. Archived from the original on 30 August 2025. Retrieved 31 October 2026.
  6. ↑ Kennedy, Jaidyn (7 August 2026). "West Party Officially Registered". Wyndham TV. Archived from the original on 31 October 2026. Retrieved 31 October 2026.
  7. ↑ "The West Party registered as a political party" (Press release). Victorian Electoral Commission. 7 August 2026. Archived from the original on 31 October 2026. Retrieved 31 October 2026.