Yaama (hello) Vic members,

We have three candidates running in the election on 26 November. As we are not a registered party in Vic, these proud Indigenous Victorians will run as Independents.

Thank you to everyone who got involved and gave us a chance to register as a political party with Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC).
Unfortunately, we fell short of the required 500 responses required. 295 positive responses were counted. While disappointing, this will not stop us.

"I'm 18 years old and want to stand up for Indigenous youth."

Laylah is standing for the Lower House District of Melbourne as an Independent with the full support of the Indigenous-Aboriginal Party of Australia.

Laylah Al Saimary is an 18 yr old Barkindji woman from Mildura.

Laylah says “I know 18 is young to be standing for parliament but someone must stand up for Indigenous youth in the regions and elsewhere. “
Laylah came to Melbourne after retail jobs collapsed in Mildura, due to the
Covid crisis. She works a 60-hour week in a cafe and tries to help her single
mum, Leanne, support her two sisters. They are grateful for the help.
Laylah is passionate about education, particularly for school refusers. “I am
a school refuser,” says Laylah "and we desperately need alternatives schools
in the region, Indigenous controlled. My mum was Chair of an Indigenous
Corporation which tried to set up an alternative school in Mildura but we
were just squashed by VRQA (Victoria's education and training regulator). VRQA were no help at all. It was a great
disappointment".
Laylah would like to see Indigenous Youth hubs in every regional town to
help with youth homelessness, create Indigenous homework centers, and
get drug and alcohol beds in rehab centers. “Many young Indigenous people
want to get away from drugs in the regions, but there is no help for them"
she says.

Storm is a proud Darkinoong man from Geelong.
Storm is standing in the Western Victorian Region of the Upper House as an independent with the full support of the Indigenous-Aboriginal Party of Australia.

Storm is a father of four and runs two construction businesses: concreting and brick laying.
Storm says, "I am not a politician, I am "just a normal bloke who wants to help bring about changes in the way things are done for Indigenous people."
Storm is concerned with the high rates of suicide for Indigenous people, especially, men under 35 years, which is 40% higher than the rest of the population. "And it's even worse in Victoria."
"Our people are losing their identities and it is creating huge problems with alienation and isolation leading to terrible mental health and suicide."
Storm says. "We need to preserve our culture, get back our culture, to improve levels of social wellbeing for Aboriginal people."