My preference has always been to stay in the background, to do what needs to be done and get on with the job. However, I also recognise that sometimes what needs to be done requires something more. Things have changed in the way our country is run and I find myself unwilling to just stand by.I want to see a sustainable Australia, ecologically, socially, economically and culturally. I don’t believe the current state of our politics is conducive to that, quite the opposite. Its intentionally adversarial, belligerent nature deliberately creates impenetrable social and ideological divides for political gain.
The current politics repudiates the interdependency and cooperation needed to develop a sustainable society, across all measures. As a nation, we are at a crossroads. The choices we make at the next election will determine our society for decades to come on multiple fronts in a way that has not been seen in the modern era.
I’m putting myself forward to represent my community because the deliberately divisive politics of the major parties is antithetical to the eclectic community that sits at the heart of Page, my electorate. We have our opinions, and we have our tribes, but at the end of the day we recognise we are a community first. I want to stand up, to be counted but to do it in a way that moves things forward, to bring positive change.
I have variously worked as stockman, farmhand, labourer, barman, buffalo catcher, lawyer, miner, stock and station agent, lecturer, fishermen, even a marine conservation campaigner, and now as a workplace consultant in policy development and mediation. Not in passing but real jobs. Some to make ends meet, others for the challenge, to learn something new or make a difference.
I’ve been involved with local volunteer community groups for many years, currently I’m with State Emergency Service (SES) and Surf Life Saving. I’ve been a part of the Cape Byron Marine Park since its inception, 20 years ago, and have been on the Community Advisory Committee ever since.
All of this has shaped my view of the world and where to walk. It wouldn’t be unfair to describe me as a jack of all but expert of none. However, it leaves me well suited to represent a community as diverse as the electorate of Page, an eclectic mix of doers who defy efforts to fit them into a single box.