Over the weekend, Muslim Votes Matter officially endorsed Greens candidate Rhonda Garad in Bruce.

“Rhonda will be challenging [Labor MP] Julian Hill who’s been taking the local Muslim community for granted for too many years,” the group posted on Instagram yesterday.

”As a Dandenong local for over 30 years, she’s stood firmly for a ceasefire in Gaza and co-led a motion to fly the Palestinian flag in solidarity.”

Bruce is a seat with a significant Muslim population (around 14 per cent) and Muslim Votes Matter will now deploy more than 100 volunteers to doorknock and campaign for Garad in coming weeks.

Tally Room election analyst Ben Raue said the endorsement was unlikely to shift the needle in Bruce, with Labor more likely to lose votes to the Liberals than Greens.

Garad disagrees and aims to double the Greens primary vote in the south-east Melbourne seat by promoting federal policies like rent freezes and supermarket regulation as ways to tackle the cost-of-living crisis.

“I just met a man whose rent increased from $300 to $570 in one year. He’s paying 60-70 per cent of what he earns. He’s going to food banks just to get food. We’re seeing the rise of the working poor. If you go to Dandenong park, you see tents, people living in their cars,” she said.

I tagged along with Garad for a few hours on Monday. She wore a Palestinian sash around her neck and said “as-salamu alaykum” to passing women as she knocked on doors to ask voters what issues matter most to them.

She tears up speaking about the deaths of children in Gaza and what she says is an inadequate response from local politicians.

“They say nothing about this. The difference between what we’re feeling and what Penny Wong and Albo are saying is really traumatic,” she says.

First stop was strong coffee and home-made biscuits with Italian couple Luigi and Linda Stranges, who have lived in the area since 1967.

“I love Dandenong so much,” Luigi said. “Dandenong was very, very good. European come in, work hard. The last 15 to 20 years, Dandenong changed a lot. Kids are robbing. Not much control the young people. Before there was more respect.”

He sees crime and cost of living as the major issues driving his vote.

“Would you consider voting Greens?” Garad asked. “Maybe Greens yes. It’s too early to know yet,” he says. “I’m not Labor, I’m not Liberal. I go for which one is better for Australia.”

On another street nearby, a voter called Pam, who did not want to share her surname, said she did not like the Greens and has already made up her mind on who she is voting for.

“Liberals, don’t give me Peter Dutton, I can’t stand him,” she said. “We’ve always been Labor. Definitely sticking with that.

“Does this worry you, the Gaza situation?” Garad asked, pointing to her sash.

“The government can’t do anything about the Gaza Strip. You can’t send troops over,” Pam said.

“Nobody can do anything about it. It’s up to them, there. We’ve always been allies with Israel. I don’t like what they’re doing now, I think they’ve gone too far.”

“Would you like to see Albanese finally say something?” Garad said.

“Yes. Say one thing,” Pam said. “I have to get back to vegetables now.”

As for the other candidates, Hill was focusing on ministerial duties today, after attending 15 community events at the weekend.

Liberal candidate Zahid Safi has still not shared his diary.

We’ll be on the hustings again with Hill tomorrow. As always, feel free to get in touch with tips or your thoughts on charlotte.grieve@theage.com.au.