Check out the Green Light Candidates standing in Ashwood and the Southern Metropolitan Region

Below is a mock up of a Traffic Light Voting Guide for Footscray. The Ashwood guide for voters will not be published until after the ballot draw on Tuesday November 10th.

Below is a mock up of a Traffic Light Voting Guide for the Victorian Upper House in the WESTERN METROPOLITAN REGION. The SOUTHERN METROPOLITAN REGION guide for voters in Ashwood will not be published until after the ballot draw on Tuesday November 10th.

Voting Traffic Light in the 2026 Victorian State Election

You will receive two ballot papers to vote for your preferred candidates in the Victorian House of Assembly and the Victorian Legislative Council .

To vote Traffic Light, vote for all the Green Light candidates or parties first, then the Orange Light ones. Number the red light candidates last.

Red light candidates are threat to achieving a fair future for us all not just in relation to Climate Rescue, but also a range of social issues most of us are concerned about. The order you number the Red Light candidates will have a significant effect on creating a good outcome at this election. We describe this advice as Strategic Preferencing. Strategic Preferencing will turbo charge the effectiveness of your vote in Red Light electorates.

Strategic Preferencing in Ashwood District

Ashwood is not a Red Light electorate hence we are not advising how you preference Red Light parties and candidates. Nevertheless you have three Green Light candidates to preference on your ballot paper. Fortunately one those three is an Outstanding Green Light candidate and a very worthy independent.

Strategic Preferencing in the Southern Metropolitan Region

Whether you vote below, or above the line, number One Nation or their candidates stone motherless last. The divisiveness promoted by this party will tear us apart. Your vote can help to exclude them from minority government and preserve our capacity to restore social cohesion.

To do this effectively you will need to fill in all the boxes either above the line or below the line.

Outstanding Green Light Candidates

Hitendra Joshi Community Independent

Ashwood is where Hitendra Joshi’s family put down roots, where his children went to school, and where he’s spent nearly a decade building a life. Now he’s standing as a genuine community independent — accountable to Ashwood, not to a party head office.

A Mount Waverley resident with more than 27 years’ experience leading major infrastructure projects across Victoria, the Middle East and South Asia, Hitendra is running on cost of living relief, housing and infrastructure that works for local families, and real political accountability.

Priorities

My approach to policy-making is:

• Grounded in the best available facts and expert advice, making sense of the context at the time
• Informed by community voices and ongoing listening
• Free from party politics, vested interests, lobbyists, or backroom deals
• Guided by the values of inclusivity, integrity, accountability, and transparency

In the next parliament, a small group of MPs may hold the balance of power. If I am elected, as an independent, I have far more leverage to deliver local funding and systemic change compared to a backbench party MP bound by party discipline. This means that voting for me will have real impact. Your individual vote, regardless of who forms government, will mean Ashwood has a strong voice in parliament.

Just like the real world, the challenges we face evolve. As context changes, our responses may need to change. I understand and embrace change, and will make sure my policy priorities remain relevant to the Ashwood community, and I want you to be part of that process.

Join our community conversation and have your say here.

My Priorities

Promote smarter affordable housing solutions

Demand greater government accountability to the people

Addressing the risks of climate change

Realistic and sustainable cost of living relief

Foster a safer community environment for all

Support and defend Victorian Treaty, within our inclusive and diverse community

Better use our transport system to meet local needs

Protect our local green spaces and enhance biodiversity

Support education pathways to secure future capability and prosperity

Deliver and support greater preventative health solutions

Traffic Light Voting Assessment

I am happy to pledge that, if elected to the next Victorian Parliament, I will support real action on the ecological and climate emergency. As an electrical engineer with a background in energy infrastructure, I have a strong grasp of the issues, and supports the 3R framework under the Climate Rescue Accord: reducing greenhouse gas emissions, removing and drawing down what’s already been released, and reflecting and cooling where possible.