The 2016 Federal MP Greens candidate for Melbourne Ports, Stephanie Hodgins-May, is mounting a strong campaign to overtake incumbent Michael Danby, but as Labor has held the seat for over 100 years, this is not an easy task…but is she up for it?

A country girl, Stephanie was raised on a farm near Daylesford with her mother Vivien Hodgins, who was a teacher, father Rod May, a farmer also involved in local council and sister Carla. There she grew an appreciation for the environment, and this seeded her passion for protecting it. With a background in environmental law and international diplomacy, she has always rooted her career aspirations within her strong values for pursuing justice and bettering society. Her switch to public policy was driven by an ambition to make positive change in the issues she cares deeply about and a realisation that if she wanted reform then she needed to stand up and do something about it.

Stephanie asserted, “The same old dinosaurs in the party rooms of the Labor and the Liberal government aren’t looking out for the young people, they aren’t looking out for our futures”. So it is this passion for better policies and more productive politics that fuels her political aspirations. Her time at the Australia’s mission to the UN, lobbying for a spot on the Security Council, gave her greater perspective into the inconsistencies of politics and spurred her to fight for the policies that Australians, like herself, want implemented.

Hodgins-May previously ran for Federal Greens MP in the safe Labour seat of Ballarat in 2013, and despite not winning she says, “If it weren’t for the Greens running in that seat at that time, there would have been no voice for those people”. The loss did not deter her, but rather motivated her further and she is now campaigning fervently to turn Melbourne Ports green.

Melbourne Ports, being an inner-city electorate, is a priority seat for the Greens, and with 2013 candidate Ann Birrell rounding up 20.2% of last election first preference votes, just 11.5% behind Labor, it acts as a foundation for a 2016 challenge. Stephanie believes that the Greens are on the rise, appealing to younger voters that are increasingly disillusioned by the two old parties’ lines that misalign with their interests and concerns.

In her article published in the St Kilda News, ‘rebooting the democracy’, Stephanie insists that civil engagement must be reinstated as the focal point of politics, as opposed to private interests groups dictating the trajectory of the political narrative. She affirmed in the interview, “I want to restore politics place as a respected institution that acts on behalf of the people”, emphasising her commitment to transparent and accountable leadership.

Stephanie has strongly held positions on a spectrum of federal issues, including: the threat of global warming, use of renewable energy sources over coal mines, the asylum seeker ‘stop the boat’ policy and economic concerns over negative gearing. She asserts that the “Greens are no longer a single-issue party” and that this misconception is being slowly subverted.

Posting daily on social media to share her views and door knocking weekly to engage with residents, she is approaching her campaign at a grassroots level to show her commitment to listening to the electorate’s concerns. She says she hopes that into the future she “continues to listen and doesn’t become disillusioned”, wanting to remain faithful to her ideals.

Melbourne Ports with its ever-changing population has seen growing numbers of young professionals moving into the gentrified Port Melbourne and a thriving Jewish community in the Caulfield area, but these unique challenges do not sway her convictions. Incumbent Labor MP Michael Danby has held the seat since 1998 and has strong ties with the Jewish community. Alternatively Liberal candidate Owen Guest is a viable contender for the seat if he can capitalise on voters from increasingly gentrified suburbs.

This contest won’t be a cakewalk for any candidate to say the least, and only time will tell if Stephanie Hodgins-May can get over the line. Nevertheless, there is one thing for certain—you can’t say she doesn’t have the heart and guts for the job.