Port Melbourne local launches Voices for Macnamara to back independent candidates

Port Melbourne local Thomas Dolan has launched a new grassroots political movement, Voices for Macnamara, aimed at identifying and supporting community-backed independents ahead of the 2026 Victorian election.

Now 21, Dolan – the former chief of staff for the Enhanced Games – has begun door-knocking across Port Melbourne, Garden City and St Kilda with thousands of flyers and a simple question for residents: “what’s one issue you really care about?”

“Affordability comes up again and again,” he said. “It’s a diverse area, but everyone’s feeling the pressure.”

The aim of Voices for Macnamara, he explained, is to find a respected local who is willing to stand as an independent, community-driven candidate.

Someone who’s lived here for years, volunteers at the school fete, coaches a sports team, helps with beach clean-ups,” he said. A real community person. Someone people trust.

Dolan has ruled out nominating himself. “I don’t think I’m cut out for Parliament,” he said. “But I’m sure the right person will emerge.”

He is critical of the major parties, arguing that party discipline forces MPs to vote against their conscience.

“Most politicians are decent people,” he said. “But they’re required to follow a party line set by people who aren’t elected.”

Dolan believes community independents offer a way for MPs to vote according to local views rather than internal factions.

Voices for Macnamara is now preparing for the 2026 state election, hoping to identify potential candidates for both the lower and upper houses.

Dolan’s interest in independent politics emerged after reading How Australian Democracy Works: And Why We Need It More Than Ever, a collection of essays that prompted him to consider the vital role crossbenchers play in the parliamentary system.

He went so far as to compile his own spreadsheet of independent vote counts and added several teal MPs and candidates on LinkedIn. Hawthorn candidate, Melissa Lowe, agreed to meet him.

That meeting led to a visit to Parliament during a Liberal leadership spill. Dolan said watching proceedings made him question how effectively the opposition could scrutinise the government.

“With Labor’s majority, the opposition doesn’t have much power,” he said. “It made me realise how important the crossbench is.”

With door-knocking only just under way, Dolan knows he has a significant task ahead. But he’s confident the right candidate will be found. •