I acknowledge the traditional owners of the lands and waterways of the Canterbury area and pay respect to their elders. I acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded.

I joined the Greens because it is the only political party that resonates with my personal and professional values and aspirations for this country, its people, animals and environment. I am a GP, sometime artist and writer, and a local activist. 

I have been instrumental in gaining local heritage protections for my suburb and have worked with local groups to reduce the heritage and construction impacts of the State Government’s metro project and see off the Urban Renewal plans of  2016.

My mother was the first woman elected to Orange City Council in the 1970s; we still need more women, and progressive voices, in all levels of government. The only Greens councillor in my area, Linda Eisler, is retiring after 13 years of advocacy and responsiveness;  it is important to have somebody continue the work of calling out corruption, mandating climate action and connecting with community members. 

I am concerned about the pervasive effect that conservative ideology, self-interest and lobbyists have on our daily lives; our area is increasingly threatened by exponential  growth coupled with inadequate green space and poor infrastructure provision. Climate change and the ongoing manipulation of our natural world for personal profit must be uppermost in our minds. Public money should be spent wisely to benefit the whole of society, especially those with the least, and those who have lost the most. 

I believe that grass-roots activism by community groups, with good local government representatives, can help to shift the mood from hopelessness and despair to action and vision for a better future. 

There is a crisis in the political landscape across Australia; I want to be an honest voice, unencumbered by conflicts of interest, representing the public good.