Hi, I'm Joel, your Ward 2 Candidate for Newcastle

A strong Greens contingent on Newcastle Council will work with residents to:

• Make Newcastle Council more accountable.
• Gain a better deal for those struggling to afford housing.
• Achieve a clean green future.

The closed shop and the lack of transparency in decision making is causing anxiety in the community about who benefits – a justifiable concern given the recent history of our representatives in this city. This can only be resolved through the transparency that Greens politics delivers.

I am a community worker and justice campaigner living, working and playing in Newcastle. I live in Cooks Hill with my young family, and work as a renewable energy campaigner in the not-for-profit sector. We moved to Newcastle in 2019 and have benefitted from the relative affordability of Newcastle and the opportunities that come with a dynamic and growing city – but those benefits are at risk. That is not okay, and I don’t accept it.

I’ve been involved in community development and local campaigns for many years, and I’ve learnt of the importance of putting people in the community at the centre of decision-making – and that means being transparent, honest and inclusive. We can transform politics in Newcastle by including more voices in decision-making.

Greens Councillors will fight for:

• Support for homes and businesses to switch to cheaper, electric systems.
• Planning processes that are community-driven and transparent.
• Creation of an Affordable Housing Officer position.
• 50% public housing in new developments on public land.
• Give residents the right to address Council before meetings.
• Making Councillor briefings open to the public not closed sessions.
• Allowing residents to address Council before meetings.