South Melbourne Market trader Georgie Dragwidge wants to go from the potato shop to parliament. It’s a bold move driven by a deeply felt belief that politics must be more genuine, respectful and responsive to the community.
Dragwidge owns Georgie’s Harvest, a potato and specialty produce store at South Melbourne Market. She says 15 years of conversations with customers have given her insight into local concerns, including growing disillusionment with party politics. She says those concerns prompted her to stand again as an independent to offer voters a community independent.
From corporate Australia to the potato shop
Before arriving at South Melbourne Market, Dragwidge worked in corporate Australia, selling litigation-support services—including office infrastructure and photocopying—to law firms. She returned to work when her twins were three months old, but when they were nearly two, she and her husband decided she would stay at home with them.
Interest rate rises made that plan financially unworkable. Reluctant to return to corporate life, Dragwidge visited Chef’s Hat to buy a cake stand for a business idea. The visit led to a meeting with market management, who told her the only available opportunity was to buy the market’s potato shop.
“I came with no experience in being a greengrocer,” Dragwidge recalls. “But it was very, very cute and had such a beautiful feeling to it.” She bought the store in 2011 and has commuted from Melbourne’s west to South Melbourne ever since.
Why she is running
Dragwidge says her decision to run for parliament is rooted in her experience of financial insecurity after her husband died.
“Fifteen years ago, when I lost my husband, it was one of the most vulnerable moments of my life,” she says. “It was really, really scary. A lot of times I wasn’t sure if I could pay the school fees, the gas bills, and I was doing it by myself.”
The experience, she says, convinced her that parliament needs more representatives who understand financial insecurity. In conversations with about 200 customers a day, she says she now hears many of the same anxieties.
“They’re not angry, they’re scared, insulted, and feeling really unheard,” Dragwidge says. “That’s what’s motivating me.”
Issues facing Albert Park
Running a small business has given Dragwidge a close-up view of inflation and rising operating costs. She says two items that cost a combined $16 in 2020 will cost $25 in 2026. She attributes the increase to factors including floods that affected garlic seed stock, while also pointing to higher market parking fees and red tape as pressures on her business.
Dragwidge says four issues emerge consistently in her conversations with residents across Albert Park, Middle Park and South Melbourne:
Crime and safety: Dragwidge says this is the issue raised most often by local residents.
Public transport: Port Melbourne residents are calling for more buses and that there is broader demand for tram and public transport extensions into Fishermans Bend.
Education and community infrastructure: Schools including St Kilda Park Primary need investment and room to expand.
Government accountability and regulation: Many residents are concerned not only about funding but also about recommendations from previous reviews that have not been implemented, including recommendations arising from the 2022 review of social housing regulation.
The independent alternative
Dragwidge presents her independent candidacy as an alternative to both the major parties and One Nation. She argues that political change can be pursued without anger or division.
“The One Nation choice is just like a pretty angry choice,” Dragwidge says. “We are trying to say we want a change in a really good way. In a wholesome way. Not about anger, not about hatred… It’s about doing politics in a respectful way and being there to listen to your community rather than to what your party is trying to say.”
TWiSK welcomes opportunities to interview all candidates in our four focus seats: Albert Park, Brighton, Caulfield and Prahran. Email Greg to arrange your interview.
