Physical & community security → cybersecurity → secure cross-border fintech → Independent for Warrandyte.
Ilias Bafas is a Melbourne-based entrepreneur, security specialist and long-standing community advocate. His career runs a single thread — from physical and community security in Melbourne's east in the 1990s, through cybersecurity, to today's work in secure cross-border financial-technology infrastructure. He is the creator of the Australian Residential Security (ARS) community-safety framework and a recognised community crime-prevention advocate.
He now stands as Independent for Warrandyte on one simple principle: accountability before taxation, people before politics.
Restore Accountability. Stop Government Corruption.
Establish a Royal Commission into State Finances, Procurement and Major Project Governance. Independent audit of parliamentary and senior public sector pay — because accountability starts at the top. Independent Government Accountability Commission. Restore integrity and leadership in Victoria Police. End waste, secrecy and conflicts of interest. Strengthen transparency across government. Protect whistleblowers.
Independent Government Waste Audit — audit every department, publish the findings. Repeal Temporary COVID Taxes. Reform Housing Taxes to protect ordinary families and small landowners. Protect Taxpayers — no new taxes without public justification.
An Independent Vision for Accountability, Innovation & Prosperity
Victoria only has a revenue problem because it has an accountability problem. An independent vision to restore accountable government, strengthen local communities, and create a more innovative, prosperous and confident Victoria — government should never ask Victorians to pay more before proving it spends every taxpayer dollar responsibly.
Government Accountability
Royal Commission into State Finances, Procurement & Major Projects
Independent audit of government spending
Independent audit of parliamentary & senior executive pay
Government efficiency & waste reduction
Transparent government, responsible leadership
Tax Reform
Independent review of temporary taxes
Abolish temporary taxes no longer justified
Simpler, fairer taxation
Reduce waste before asking taxpayers to pay more
Better value for every taxpayer dollar
Innovation & Prosperity
Victorian Innovation Week & global tech summits
Advanced manufacturing, AI & cybersecurity
FinTech, blockchain & digital assets
Medtech, agritech, critical minerals, clean energy
Research commercialisation & export growth
Strong Communities
Better public transport & safer roads
Stronger community infrastructure
Green Wedge protection
Crime prevention & emergency preparedness
Fair investment, metro & regional Victoria
Pillar 1
Accountability
Royal Commission
Independent audits
Procurement reform
Public sector efficiency
Pillar 2
Prosperity
Small business
Manufacturing & agriculture
Trade & investment
Skilled jobs
Pillar 3
Innovation
Innovation Week
AI & cybersecurity
FinTech & manufacturing
Research to industry
Pillar 4
Strong Communities
Transport & roads
Community facilities
Green Wedge
Regional investment
Pillar 5
Justice & Integrity
Transparent & accountable
Independent scrutiny
Due process
Equal before the law
Not bigger government. Not smaller government. Better government.
Government that earns trust, spends responsibly, supports enterprise, strengthens communities, encourages innovation, and leaves Victoria stronger for the next generation.
Accountability stops the waste — innovation builds the future. Victoria has the talent, universities, entrepreneurs and industries to become Australia's innovation capital. An annual Victorian Innovation Week would showcase Victorian innovation, connect education with industry, attract global investment and inspire the next generation — across the sectors that will define our economy:
Artificial Intelligence
Cybersecurity
Financial Technology
Blockchain & Digital Assets
Advanced Manufacturing
Medical Technology
Agricultural Technology
Clean & Renewable Energy
Robotics & Automation
Space Technology
Defence Industry
Critical Minerals
Key Initiatives
Innovation Expos
Public showcases across metropolitan and regional Victoria for businesses, inventors and entrepreneurs.
Future Innovators
Statewide school, TAFE and university competitions in science, engineering, robotics, coding and enterprise.
Start-up Showcase
Connecting founders directly with investors, venture capital, industry and government procurement.
Research to Reality
Helping universities commercialise research into Victorian businesses, exports and jobs.
Regional Innovation Hubs
Ensuring regional Victoria shares equally through local showcases, partnerships and investment.
Made in Victoria Awards
Recognising excellence in innovation, manufacturing, research and community enterprise.
Our Long-Term Vision
Australia's Innovation State — where ideas become businesses, research becomes industry, and the next generation chooses to stay because the world's best opportunities exist right here.
Poll — Restore Integrity & Leadership in the Victoria Police
Add your voice. Tell Ilias you back an independent oversight watchdog powered by AI and blockchain technology — integrating the Triple Zero emergency phone system, Victoria Police’s ethical standards and compliance unit, and police body-cam GPS systems.
—Victorians have added their voice
In Warrandyte
Accountability must deliver locally: better buses, safer roads, protected neighbourhood character, honest project management and value for every taxpayer dollar. One electorate. Four local pressure points. One accountability standard.
Transport
Warrandyte and its surrounds have no local train or tram — residents rely on buses that don't run often enough or connect well. I'll push for better bus frequency and connections across Warrandyte, Warranwood, Park Orchards, Wonga Park and Donvale, and for honest answers on how major transport spending actually reaches our community. One accountability standard.
Roads
The Five Ways intersection has been called dangerous for years, school-run congestion clogs our roads daily, and Eastern Freeway corridor delays affect every commuter. I'll hold the government to the upgrades it has promised — delivered, not just announced — and to spending that's justified and accounted for. One accountability standard.
Neighbourhood Character & Green Wedge
Our bushland character and the Green Wedge are what make this area what it is. I'll stand for strict limits on inappropriate high-density development, protection of low-density bush precincts, and genuine community say over what gets built — not decisions handed down without consultation. One accountability standard.
Project Oversight & Community Infrastructure
1,611 residents signed the petition to keep the Scout Hall, Men's Shed and Historical Society Museum where the community wants them. Whether it's the Community Facilities Review, North East Link construction impact, or local reserves and sporting grounds, I'll demand transparent project management and lasting community benefit for every dollar spent. One accountability standard.
Find the Waste. Audit the Government. Restore Accountability. Put Victorians First.
The Accountability Crisis in Victoria
Government transparency, public integrity and major project oversight since COVID.
✓ The pattern is clear.
✓ The evidence is public.
✓ Victorians deserve accountability.
Big Build blowouts:
Cost overruns of $11.66 billion across major Victorian projects, per the Auditor-General's most recent review.
Source: Victorian Auditor-General's Office, Major Projects Performance Reporting, February 2025.
North East Link:
Publicly reported project cost increased from around $10 billion to approximately $26.1 billion, with significant schedule delays.
Source: Victorian Government / public reporting, 2023.
Suburban Rail Loop:
Parliamentary Budget Office estimates for the first two stages (SRL East and North) are $200.3 billion (2022), revised to $216.7 billion in 2026 (build and operate).
Source: Victorian Parliamentary Budget Office.
IBAC Operation Sandon:
Exposed serious allegations concerning planning and property development processes at the City of Casey, leading to charges and calls for integrity reform.
Source: IBAC public reports.
Victorian Auditor-General reports:
Multiple reports have identified governance, procurement and project management deficiencies across major public projects and agencies.
Source: Victorian Auditor-General Reports.
COVID-era inquiries:
The Hotel Quarantine Inquiry identified significant failures in governance, coordination and decision-making during the pandemic response.
Source: COVID-19 Hotel Quarantine Inquiry, Final Report, December 2020.
CALL TO ACTION:A Royal Commission into Victoria's COVID lockdown decisions and Big Build government corruption.
Broken promises. No transparency. No consequences.
It's time to restore public trust by enforcing accountability at every level of government.
Poll — Restore Public Trust in the Victoria Government
Add your voice. Tell Ilias you back a Royal Commission into Victoria's COVID lockdown decisions and Big Build government corruption.
—Victorians have added their voice
🏠
Safe Neighbourhoods
🏛
Transparent Government
⚖
Enforced Justice System
❤
Justice for Victims
👪
A Future We Can Be Proud Of
Statistics current as of publication and drawn from the sources noted above. Figures on major project costs are independent estimates and subject to revision.
Frequently Asked Questions
It means putting accountability before taxation. Before Victorians are asked to pay more, government must prove it spends every dollar responsibly — through independent scrutiny, published findings and genuine oversight of major projects and procurement.
A Royal Commission is an independent public investigation with the power to compel evidence, hold public hearings and publish recommendations. I'd advocate for one into State Finances, Procurement and Major Project Governance. An MP can't call one alone — it's established by the Governor on the Premier's advice — so the job is to build the public and parliamentary pressure that makes it happen.
No. An independent audit targets waste, duplication, executive remuneration and project blowouts — not frontline services. The goal is value for money, so that essential services are protected, not weakened.
An independent audit of government spending, parliamentary remuneration and senior public sector executive pay — published openly. Accountability starts at the top: before raising taxes on families, government should first demonstrate discipline in its own house.
Repeal the temporary COVID Debt Levy on its own terms, reform housing taxes that hit ordinary families and small landowners, and commit to no new taxes without clear public justification. Cut waste first — then there's no case for raising taxes.
It draws on M.O.K.T. (Management of Key Transparency), an independent-oversight concept using AI and blockchain to strengthen accountability — explicitly excluding predictive policing and facial recognition. The aim is public trust through transparency, not surveillance.
Practical steps achievable regardless of the election result: move to bring the COVID Debt Levy's sunset forward, call for the Royal Commission, submit an audit topic to the Auditor-General, and use every parliamentary tool to keep accountability on the agenda. See the Manifesto and Roadmap downloads above.
An independent can't govern alone — but can introduce and support bills, move motions, use Question Time and committees, and apply sustained public pressure. In a closely balanced parliament, an independent voice focused on one clear issue — accountability — can have real influence.
District of Warrandyte, Legislative Assembly. Victoria uses full preferential voting — number every box in your order of preference, with “1” next to your first choice.
Use the contact form below — we'll be in touch about doorknocking, booths and local events as the campaign builds.
Authorised donations are accepted only through the campaign account and in accordance with Victorian Electoral Commission donation laws. Get in touch via the contact form below to donate or find out more.
Media & Policy Cards
One plan, three priorities — download any card below.
