Bronwyn Murphy is the Victorian Socialists' candidate for Ovens Valley in the Victorian state election this month. Among the first to officially nominate last Thursday, the hospitality worker is forging new ground as the party has never contested the Ovens Valley seat before. Ms Murphy said she is running because she is "sick of seeing working-class people struggle while billionaires, banks and big corporations pile up the profits". On her candidate profile page, she said "regional and rural communities have been left behind while the wealthiest and most privileged areas of our state have been showered with resources and investment". Ms Murphy said she attended public schools in the region and believes students in our communities "deserve schools that have the resources to cater to all of their needs". "We need more investment in public education so that we can hire more teachers on decent wages and conditions and reduce class sizes," she said. "We also deserve fully-funded, accessible health and aged care services in our local communities, so we're not forced to travel hours to have our basic needs met. "In parliament I’ll fight to ensure everyone, regardless of their background or income, has access to secure housing, affordable groceries, energy and other essentials, and the ability to live a comfortable and dignified life - even this means cutting into the profits of those at the top." Ms Murphy said she opposes "the major parties and the racist, divisive politics of One Nation". "It’s only when working-class people unite - in all our diversity - that we’ll be able to fight for and win the kind of investment in local infrastructure and services we need," she said.
