I’ve lived on the NSW South Coast for 17 years and have been representing the Greens on the Shoalhaven City Council for the past 8 years. My working life has been diverse – I’ve operated a family business, had a career in banking and now own and operate a cattle farm in the Milton area.

I’m a big believer in community consultation, which is why I chose to be part of a party that’s all about grassroots involvement. During my time on Council I’ve witnessed how important community involvement is to local projects and I’m convinced that local knowledge is an essential ingredient for finding solutions to local problems.

I’ve also seen how regional communities are affected by high unemployment, especially among young people. We need to provide services or those affected by underemployment and socio-economic disadvantage. And we need to give our young people reason to stay in regional areas, by providing work and education opportunities. The Greens are calling for investment in food production and in renewable energies, two industries that can provide jobs and training in regional areas for many years to come.

The Greens are a party that understand regional Australia and appreciate the essential role played by our regional and rural communities. We want to protect the well-being of those communities by providing health, education and cultural services as well as long term job opportunities and prospects for business. A vote for The Greens is a vote for the future of regional Australia.