Your Traffic light Voting Guide to elect five members for the Electorate of Ginninderra is now available. You can print the guide at home and take it to the polling booth to help steer your choices as you fill in the ballot paper. Alternatively you can access our advice on your mobile phone by clicking on the download button below.

The team at Vote Climate One encourages all candidates to support the 3Rs and the Climate Rescue Accord to underpin any decisions in the ACT Assembly relating to action on the climate emergency.

Green Light Candidates

Candidates who have committed to supporting the 3Rs and the Climate Rescue Accord are on the top of our list as Outstanding Green Light Candidates.

Leanne Foresti (Independents for Canberra)

Leanne is an Outstanding Green Light Candidate

Leanne resides in Macgregor with her husband and four children, and has called Ginninderra home on and off since 1986. Together, Leanne and her husband, Luigi, own and operate a respected concrete remediation business serving Canberra’s commercial construction sector.

Throughout her career, Leanne has gained diverse experience in construction, small business, not-for-profit health, hospitality, tourism, and immigration. Her advocacy is fuelled by a passionate dedication to supporting subcontractors, small business, families, women and migrants.

Leanne’s vision for Canberra transcends its public service identity. Her upbringing and lived experience have deeply influenced her values and priorities. She leads with the courage of her convictions and champions the wellbeing of the people of her community.

Independents for Canberra have endorsed the 3R’s and the Climate Rescue Accord

Mark Richardson (Independents for Canberra)

Mark is an Outstanding Green Light Candidate

Mark is a local Belconnen resident who has lived in Canberra since 1998. He has served in the Australian Federal Police since that time and is currently the Officer in Charge of ACT Road Policing.

Mark decided to put his hand up as a community independent to help bring about much-needed positive change for Canberra.

Mark has two sons, holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Melbourne, and looks forward to continuing to engage with the needs and interests of communities across Belconnen.

Independents for Canberra have endorsed the 3R’s and the Climate Rescue Accord

Carolyne Drew (Animal Justice Party)

As a long-time member of the Ginninderra community and AJP candidate for the seat of Ginninderra, Carolyne wants to protect the environment that animals and people call home. With encroaching development as the population expands, Carolyne wants to bring about a new model of development based on kindness and compassion for both animals and people, and the environment itself, with the understanding that kindness and compassion underpins social justice and equity, important to the heart of any community.

A passionate advocate for animal rights, Carolyne has a particular interest in ending the annual kangaroo slaughter and banning landholder licences that allow killing of kangaroos in rural zones. In addition, Carolyne wants to end the scientific experimentation on animals such as the kangaroo fertility program and develop instead positive relationships to living with kangaroos in our green capital. Along with this she wants to ban the use of poisons as an animal control method because of its inherent cruelty and its threat not only to wildlife, but the well-being of peoples’ pets as well.

Further Carolyne wants to see the introduction of Veticare which will enable families to take better care of their pets when the need arises. It would allow them to choose treatment instead of facing the prospect of ending their pet’s life because of financial struggles.

Carolyne has a Bachelor of Communication and Master of Education. Carolyne has taught in the university education sector for over 20 years advocating for education as the pathway for change. Her life-long passion is to change the way we see our relationship with animals and the environment, from an often negative and destructive one to one of care and concern and that in caring for the environment and other animals we, in turn, are developing a healthier, more caring relationship with one another.

Here is your chance to vote for a kinder vision by voting number “1” for the AJP in Ginninderra.

Animal Justice Party has endorsed the 3R’s and the Climate Rescue Accord

Dr Lara Drew (Animal Justice Party)

Lara is an Outstanding Green Light Candidate

Dr Lara Drew is a life-long activist for social justice and animal rights. Her advocacy work is grounded in a larger social justice framework inclusive of animals, people, and the environment.

For the past 16 years, Lara has led grassroots and public awareness initiatives to shine a spotlight on animal rights issues, including the atrocities of the kangaroo cull in the ACT. She fosters intersectional approaches to her advocacy, with a desire to create a more just and equitable world for all.

The annual slaughter of kangaroos, use of toxic poisons (like 1080 and Pindone), horse racing, chick hatching programs, and the abandonment of companion animals are just some of the problems in Dr Lara Drew’s community that she says need urgent fixing. As the “Bush Capital”, all animals should be protected from unwarranted abuse and violence. Lara wants to ensure that all animals are firmly on the political agenda in the ACT.

Combined with her advocacy work, Lara holds a Bachelor of Community Education and a PhD in Adult Education. She researches and publishes in the field of adult learning, social movements, activism and Critical Animal Studies. Her research informs and shapes her advocacy work and her decision to stand as your Animal Justice Party candidate in this election.

A vote for Lara, is a vote for animals, for people, and for the planet.

Animal Justice Party has endorsed the 3R’s and the Climate Rescue Accord

Jo Clay (Greens)

I’m your Greens MLA for Ginninderra. I’m thrilled to run for re-election in the 2024 ACT Legislative Assembly election.

A lifelong Canberran, I live in Macquarie with my partner, daughter and two dogs. I went to Weetangera Primary School and Radford College, then graduated with a Bachelor of Laws and Creative Arts. I’ve worked in government, the private sector, the law, business and the arts. I try to use my skills to help the environment.

Ever since I was a child, I’ve been seriously worried about climate change. I always assumed that by the time I was an adult, someone else would have fixed the problem. But it’s worse than ever. I set up and ran a recycling company and a climate change project to help. I volunteered for the climate movement and with Pedal Power. In 2020, I decided to run as your Greens candidate for Ginninderra to try to change the system, not the climate. 

I love Belconnen. I grew up here and I love watching my daughter grow up here in our thriving, culturally diverse community. But I’m worried that our public services haven’t kept up with our growing population. Ginninderra needs more investment in better footpaths, bike paths and crossings. We need more frequent buses now and a Light Rail line as soon as possible. We need a school in Belconnen Town Centre and better maintenance for our established schools and community sports facilities. We need more affordable housing. We need parks and playgrounds and genuine protection for our nature spaces. We need a healthy environment.

Since 2020 I’ve been advocating for these issues and more. My Greens colleagues and I have shown that pressure works. But we still have so much more to do. As your Greens candidate for Ginninderra in 2024, I will continue to speak up for our community. Join me and our movement as we fight to keep Ginninderra Green in 2024.

Dani Hunterford (Greens)

“I’m a 23-year-old policy and advocacy advisor, and also a Master’s student at the University of Canberra. After moving from the Northern Rivers in 2018, I’ve spent the past three years in the suburbs of West Belconnen, now proudly calling Belconnen Town Centre my home. Since childhood, I’ve been passionate about challenging the status quo and advocating for progressive change. That’s why I am excited to be one of your Greens candidates for Ginninderra!

As a young, queer, woman, my lived experiences have consistently driven my commitment to elevating diverse voices in politics. The cost of living and climate crises underscore the urgent need for policies that prioritise environmental sustainability and a fair distribution of wealth for my generation and those to come. I am dedicated to being a strong advocate for young people in Belconnen, speaking out against inequality, and amplifying the voices of marginalised communities in our electorate. 

Before moving to Belconnen Town Centre, I was actively involved in the Macgregor community. The people of Belconnen deserve a representative who will fight for you and your community. Together, we can create meaningful change, but only if you vote for it.

Tim Liersh (Greens)

I’m one of your Greens candidates for Ginninderra in the upcoming election. They say you should be the change you want to see in the world, and that’s why I’m putting my hand up to be one of your candidates. With the world at several critical tipping points—a climate crisis, a growing cost of living crisis, and international conflicts—we need leaders who are ready to take action and get the work done.

Originally from Melbourne, I have called Canberra home since 2011 when I moved here as a public service graduate. I quickly fell in love with this city. My background is in data analysis with the Australian Bureau of Statistics, where I worked to demonstrate how statistics can tell the story of our climate crisis. A year after moving to Canberra, I began volunteering with the Greens and have been an active part of our party and movement ever since. As a former union delegate with the CPSU, I have long advocated for workers’ rights amid numerous challenges faced by the public service over the past decade. I am also a proud member of Canberra’s LGBTIQ+ community, celebrating the city’s diversity and strong sense of community.

I believe that politics should be for the people, which is why I am running in support of Jo Clay and Adele Sinclair’s campaign for Ginninderra this election. We have a bold and transformative plan to create a 20-minute bus network, ensure access to world-class healthcare without financial barriers, and build and acquire 10,000 public homes so everyone has a safe place to sleep at night. Change is possible, but only if you vote for it.

Adele Sinclair (Greens)

I’m one of your lead Greens candidates for the seat of Ginninderra at the upcoming ACT Legislative Assembly election. 

Since 2014 I have called Scullin home, living here with my husband and dog. Born and raised in Western Sydney, I grew up in a single parent household where we lived in poverty for a decade, often relying on food parcels from charities. Through my childhood experience, I know the importance of a caring community and a public service that can provide crucial support when people are doing it tough.

I have been involved in the environment movement for over 25 years, and now, more than ever, I feel a deep sense of urgency about taking care of our environment and our plant. I co-founded Wombat Support & Rescue five years ago, and have been its Vice President ever since because I care deeply about protecting our native wildlife. I am proud to be one of the founders of the Scullin Community Group, formed to revitalise our suburbs’ ageing shops and use people power to turn the shops back into a community hub.

When I moved to Belconnen in 2001, I didn’t expect to still be living here over two decades later. My love for our friendly community and our natural landscape has kept me in the area. But while our electorate grows, the community services needed for our community are falling behind. In the midst of a cost of living crisis, Belconnen is becoming increasingly unaffordable to rent and buy, and housing availability is not keeping up with our population growth. Belconnen deserves better.

In 2020 the Greens made history by electing 6 Greens to the Legislative Assembly, including in Ginninderra with my colleague Jo Clay MLA. In the last term, the ACT Greens have shown that pressure works to deliver change. But we need to go further and faster to tackle the climate and cost of living crises. It would be a privilege to be one of your Greens MLA for Ginninderra.