One Nation candidate Paul Stafford says Victoria needs a political shake-up, calling for stronger frontline policing, less government bureaucracy and greater support for households and small businesses.
Speaking to STPL News at his factory in Seaford, the Frankston resident and hospitality business owner criticised both major parties and outlined why he entered politics.
“We need to be the disruptor and we need to get in there and we need to have power in parliament and we need to actually stand by our policies and see it through.”
Stafford is contesting the seat held by Labor’s Paul Edbrooke, who is also Victoria’s Minister for Police, Crime Prevention and Emergency Services.
Why Paul Stafford Entered Politics
Stafford moved to Australia from the United Kingdom in 1989 and has spent decades working in hospitality. He came to the Mornington Peninsula in 2017 to manage a transition at Mornington Racecourse and now operates a food business.
During the COVID period, he completed accounting qualifications with plans to provide services to hospitality operators facing rising costs.
He said a dispute involving his business and Frankston council prompted him to act on his political frustrations. After discussing it with his partner, he applied to join One Nation.
“I literally, that night, in bed, on an iPad, filled in my application form for One Nation.”
Stafford said he had followed One Nation for years but had not previously joined the party.
Crime, Policing And Youth Opportunities
STPL News raised findings from its Rate Your MP community survey, which identified crime and cost-of-living pressures as leading concerns among Frankston respondents, with education and housing also featuring prominently.
Stafford said police needed more resources and less paperwork, arguing that civilian staff and technology could relieve administrative workloads and return officers to frontline duties.
“They need the resources, the numbers and the ability to do their jobs, particularly the police.”
He also questioned how courts deal with repeat offenders and supported greater scrutiny of sentencing outcomes, while acknowledging a role for rehabilitation.
The discussion turned to the lack of employment pathways for young people. Stafford argued that fewer opportunities in manufacturing and trades could contribute to disengagement and offending.
“These kids don’t see that they’ve got any hope. They don’t see any opportunity. They don’t see any pathway.”
He called for more employment opportunities, mentoring and practical career pathways, particularly for boys and young men.
STPL News has previously examined Labor and Coalition police recruitment promises and the questions surrounding frontline staffing.
Firefighters’ Rally Outside Edbrooke’s Office
Stafford had also attended a firefighters’ protest outside Edbrooke’s Frankston electorate office on Monday, 12 October, before the interview.
The United Firefighters Union says its dispute with the State Government and Fire Rescue Victoria involves an operational agreement and protections relating to staffing, equipment and workplace safety.
Stafford questioned whether money collected through the emergency services levy was delivering sufficient frontline resources.
“We were with the fireys this morning, we were chatting, fire service levy, bucket loads of money coming in, and they’re not getting the equipment they need to fight fires.”
“So where does it go? Where’s the money going?”
Edbrooke worked as a firefighter before entering Parliament.
Small Business And Cost-Of-Living Pressures
Stafford said energy, insurance and compliance costs were making it harder for hospitality businesses to remain profitable, even when they were busy.
He described the hours required to keep his own business operating.
“I regularly put in 18 hour days at my stage of life in this business and I don’t do it because I particularly want to do it.”
He criticised payroll tax as a disincentive to employing more workers. One Nation’s Victorian platform proposes lifting the payroll tax threshold and abolishing stamp duty on insurance.
Stafford argued that reducing business costs would help employers expand and create opportunities for local workers.
Energy Policy And A Political Alternative
Stafford opposed Victoria’s transition away from gas and said One Nation would scrap net-zero emissions targets and reverse restrictions on new gas connections.
He questioned Australia’s energy costs despite the country’s substantial natural resources.
“We’ve got everything, and yet we’ve got this insane mandate to get to net zero, which is killing us.”
“We need to get in, because we’re scrapping net zero.”
Under the Victorian Government’s electrification rules, all new homes and most new commercial buildings must be built all-electric from 1 January 2027. Existing gas cooktops do not have to be removed. The government says all-electric homes will cost less to run.
Stafford argued that both Labor and the Coalition had failed to address pressures facing households and businesses, calling for a different approach to government spending and regulation.
Asked what he wanted voters to remember, Stafford returned to his central message.
“I think we need to focus on back to basics. I think we need to focus on common sense.”
“I want Frankston to be better. That’s me being selfish but I also want Victoria to be better.”
STPL News previously reported Stafford’s candidacy in September.
The Victorian state election will be held on Saturday, 28 November 2026.
