FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Teal Moderate Greg Rublee Mounts Challenge Against Incumbent Matthew Guy

To Save Victoria, We Must Ensure A Minority Government In November

Self-described Teal moderate and Templestowe Lower resident, Greg Rublee, is stepping forward to challenge incumbent Member Matthew Guy. He is motivated by the shared frustration that we’ve been let down by party leaders of every kind who pretend to listen and then place party loyalty ahead of those they represent. But he is also highly optimistic about the growing movement of voters who are ready to reject the status quo and demand better.

Mr Rublee offers a rare combination of cross-sector leadership and public service. With three decades of experience in national security, higher education and local government roles, he understands how legislative bodies operate, how healthy governments are meant to function, and how to hold public institutions accountable.

Proud Australian citizens since 2016, Mr. Rublee and his family are deeply rooted in the Bulleen and Templestowe Lower communities. A devoted family man, he and his wife of 35 years celebrated their daughter’s graduation from Templestowe College last year. Beyond his family life, Greg brings a lifelong commitment to service that spans prison mentoring, Scouting leadership, and climate science fieldwork with Earthwatch. Locally, he is recognized for having founded and led Catch Your Breath, a program supporting neurodiverse youth and their families in partnership with Manningham Uniting Church.

Now, Mr Rublee is convinced we are approaching a pivotal moment that will define our quality of life for many years to come. However, unique among the field of declared candidates, he proposes a bold, transformative solution: “To save Victoria, we must ensure a minority government in November,” he said.

He explains, “With no major party expected to secure a majority, we can expect a divided election result, but in that division is a hopeful opportunity. The opportunity to intentionally elect a minority government held together by a few principled Independents willing to bridge divides and bring adult supervision back to Victoria’s Parliament. It’s been done before and that opportunity is coming again in November.”

Mr Rublee is referring to the last minority government in Victoria in 1999 when three Independents held the balance of power in a hung parliament. Instead of negotiating for their own benefit, they joined forces to compel the major parties to share power under the terms of an Independent’s Charter of Good Governance. That charter ultimately led to improved anti-corruption oversight, responsible investment in neglected services, substantial parliamentary reforms, and a durable, more open government for four years and beyond. This type of crossbench oversight meant every piece of legislation had to be publicly explained and justified before it could be enacted.

In strong support of this approach, Mr Rublee says, “None of the established party leaders can deliver the changes we deserve. Whatever they promise, the major parties are incapable of delivering genuine reform out of a sense of public good. The nature of party politics and executive control won’t allow it,” he said. Instead, Mr Rublee believes they must be compelled to reform by the voices of their electorates, backed by a few principled independents ready to hold ministers to account and reject political theatre. “When minority governments force the major parties to share power with Independents, the public wins,” he said.

Mr Rublee goes on to explain, “The major parties will certainly warn us about the risks of a hung parliament. But when they do, remind them the sky did not fall in 1999. Thanks to that minority government, Victorians now enjoy fixed-term elections. That means, when we combine a fixed-term parliament with a minority government, and a few independents to hold it together, we can effectively prevent any party from dominating with minimal risk.

The benefits would be enormous, he says. “The burden of risk would shift from the local  community members who are expected to live with whatever they are handed, to the individual Members of Parliament who must find ways to cooperate and earn the right to pass legislation every day, or suffer the judgment of their electorates. And, for the first time in a long time, Independent-led, cross-bench oversight would mean every piece of legislation must be publicly explained and justified before it could be enacted. Negotiations would require real collaboration, leading to more balanced and beneficial policy for all of us.”

Mr Rublee pledges, “If I’m elected to represent the good people of Bulleen, then I will invite every other Independent elected to join me in restoring an Independent’s Charter as a proven pathway to more open, accountable, and stable governance.”

For those not yet convinced, he cautions, “Consider the rise in political extremism carried by a troubling number of voters who feel so abandoned they are tempted to gamble on radical fringes to shake things up. The risks to our way of life and our children’s future are too high to be left to desperate measures, or even the stagnant promises of a familiar party line.”

“Thankfully, there is a path of lower risk and greater reward. But to walk it, we must find the courage to reconsider our traditional loyalties, because the party bosses, grandstanding shadow ministers, and radicals contesting this election are incapable of building a future in which we can all live and thrive,” he said. “Thankfully, securing a productive minority government isn't complicated, but it does require voters to be intentional at the ballot box.”

He outlines a simple formula when we cast our votes. Refuse to give any major party our 1st preference and pass that top spot to a moderate independent instead. Then, to ensure our votes still carry weight through preferencing, rank the major parties from the least objectionable to the most, placing extremists last to ensure they do not gain a foothold in Victorian democracy the way they have elsewhere. ”By disrupting the traditional two-party contest for control, and ignoring political radicals, we give local voices, moderate leadership, and minority government a fighting chance to save us.”