Victoria’s first independent teal candidate contesting the state election in November has revealed why she decided to jump ship and ditch Labor.

Lawyer and journalist Nomi Kaltmann, 30, announced on Tuesday that she would contest the marginal Liberal seat of Caulfield – which is held by a slim 0.1 per cent.

The mother-of-three is running on a platform built around climate change, integrity and gender equality as she goes up against Deputy Liberal leader David Southwick.

Ms Kaltman’s candidacy sparked backlash when her ties with Labor were revealed. She had run for a series of office-holder positions with the party in February before deciding to sever her ties last week.