Antoinette ANT Pitt, Independent Candidate (Eastern Victoria Region) 2026 Victorian State Election

Be kind. Be brave. Be the change. Meet Ant Pitt:  The Nurse Taking on Party-Machine Politics in Eastern Victoria.Nurse, community advocate and Independent candidate, Antoinette (Ant) Pitt is standing for Eastern Victoria in the 2026 Victorian State Election, determined to put everyday people back at the centre of political decision-making.Ant Pitt isn't a career politician. She's a working nurse, a mum, a workplace representative and a community advocate who believes the people making decisions in Parliament need a better understanding of what life is like for the people affected by them.Growing up in Lilydale, 3rd generation in the Yarra Ranges and now living in Montrose, Ant has strong connections to Melbourne's outer east. Her nursing career has also taken her across Eastern Victoria, including Traralgon, Bairnsdale and Phillip Island.Through her work in healthcare, including as a workplace representative with the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF), she has seen firsthand the growing pressures on workers, families and essential services."I didn't grow up wanting to be a politician. I'm a nurse. I see problems, I listen to people, and I try to do something about them," Ms Pitt said."But there comes a point when you realise that some of the biggest problems people face can't be fixed at the bedside. They need to be addressed in Parliament."Putting people before party politics, running as an Independent for Victoria's Upper House, Ant says her commitment is to the communities of Eastern Victoria, not a party machine."People are tired of being told what they need by politicians who rarely experience the consequences of their own decisions.I want to be accountable to the people who elect me. Not party headquarters, not corporate donors, and not whoever has the loudest lobby group.Good ideas don't belong to one side of politics. I'll work with anyone willing to deliver practical outcomes for our communities."A nurse's perspective on the issues that matter, Ant's campaign brings together her experience in nursing, workplace advocacy, community, volunteering and healthcare sustainability.Her priorities include:● Ending homelessness: Recognising that safe, secure housing is essential healthcare,and increasing investment in public housing.● Fully funding public schools: Giving every child a fair opportunity, regardless of their family's income or postcode.● Strengthening healthcare: Supporting frontline workers, addressing ambulance ramping and en