The streets of Brunswick tell you something before any poll does. The vintage shop windows, the halal butchers, the bikes chained outside terrace houses—all point to a place that’s shed one skin and grown another. In this electorate of Wills, the idea of a safe seat has become less certain. What was once a Labor heartland is now an electoral battleground, with green banners just as likely to flutter on front fences as red ones.
Wills has always been layered. At one end, cobblestoned laneways wind through heritage-listed homes. At the other, post-war brick units house multigenerational families. The 2021 Census revealed what locals already know—Wills is multilingual, migrant-heavy, and rapidly changing. Just under half the population has both parents born overseas, with Greek, Italian, Arabic and Urdu heard on streets, in shops, and at community centres. But this multicultural core now shares the postcode with a wave of university-educated renters and first-home buyers priced out of the inner city. In suburbs like Coburg and Pascoe Vale, old red roofs sit beside new apartment blocks.
Labor’s Peter Khalil has held the seat since 2016. His backstory is stitched into the area’s fabric. Born to Egyptian Coptic parents, he grew up in public housing nearby. Before entering Parliament, he moved through the corridors of government and media—advising Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on national security and working for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Defence, and SBS. His political career has been steady. His appointment last year as Special Envoy for Social Cohesion signalled Labor’s trust in his ability to speak across the aisle—and to speak to a cross-section of Australia.
But this election is no cakewalk. Samantha Ratnam, the Greens’ candidate, brings a very different energy. She arrived in Australia as a child refugee from Sri Lanka, after the 1983 Colombo riots. Her career has spanned social work, local government, and state politics, including a stint as leader of the Victorian Greens. She’s traded her seat in the Victorian upper house to run in Wills, betting that a grassroots campaign and a Greens swing in the inner north could topple Labor’s grip. Her base is strong in Brunswick and growing in Coburg. The party’s rise here isn’t sudden—it’s been building over a decade, fuelled by local issues like renters’ rights, housing development, and climate anxiety.
Their face-off captures much more than a seat in Parliament. It’s a contest between two candidates shaped by migration, but with diverging views on how politics should respond to today’s pressures. Cost of living, especially rent, tops the list for younger voters. For older residents, especially those from migrant backgrounds, the focus is on health, pensions, and keeping their communities heard in Canberra. Then there’s foreign policy. Labor’s response to the Israel-Gaza conflict has caused discomfort among parts of the electorate, especially in Fawkner and Glenroy, where some voters say they’ve felt unheard.
Wills isn’t short of candidates. On the far ends of the political spectrum, Bruce Stevens is contesting under Pauline Hanson’s One Nation banner, with a message built around national sovereignty and migration. Rachel Versteegen from the Libertarians and Jeff Kidney from the Liberals are also on the ticket, though the Liberals haven’t historically polled strongly here—Kidney’s campaign has struggled to build momentum, particularly after revelations of a past conviction. Sue Bolton, a long-standing local councillor, is again standing for the Socialist Alliance, while Margee Glover for the Legalise Cannabis Party and Owen Miller of the FUSION Party round out the field.
Despite the crowded ballot, most observers agree Wills is a two-way contest between Khalil and Ratnam. The 2022 federal results support that view. Khalil’s primary vote was 38.87%, while the Greens trailed closely at 34.67%. On preferences, the final two-candidate result showed a 4.2-point margin—narrow, but not unassailable. In an electorate with 90.59% turnout and an informal vote rate of just under 5%, every vote tends to count.
What’s changed since 2022 is Ratnam’s profile. A known name in Victorian politics, her transition to federal campaigning has added weight to the Greens’ ambitions in Wills. The party has focused its efforts on doorknocking and small community events rather than traditional advertising. Their volunteers are out in force across the electorate, pushing a message that positions the Greens as better aligned with voters’ daily frustrations. Meanwhile, Khalil’s incumbency means visibility—he’s been present at cultural events, mosque visits, and community forums, with a campaign message built around unity and lived experience.
What makes Wills unique is how many electoral cross-currents it contains. Gentrifiers meet generations-old migrant families. Renters share buildings with retirees. It’s a place where a two-bedroom home can be both a $1.3 million listing and a social housing property next door. That split is increasingly political.
The winner in Wills won’t be chosen just by suburb, age group, or ethnic background. They’ll be chosen by how well their message threads these divides together. If the past two elections are anything to go by, that thread is getting thinner—and harder to hold.
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