Supporting Candidates

Maryanne Thompson and Natalie Ng

Are you part of or have you been part of a political party? If so, which one? 

No

Tell us a bit about you and your team. What’s your day job?        

I’m a respected local community leader and run the highly popular ParraParents, an online guide and community for families living, working and playing in the Parramatta region. I have been honoured to be awarded Parramatta Woman of the Year (2020) and City of Parramatta Volunteer of the Year (2019) for the Australia Day awards for my valuable contribution to our community.

I have over 20 years’ leadership experience in public health and community development, backed by a Bachelor in Economics, Masters of Arts in Applied Anthropology and a Masters of Public Health.

I live with my husband and our two young children in Rydalmere and have lived in the Dundas Ward for over 7yrs.

This is my first time standing as a candidate in the Local Government elections and I’m definitely an accidental ‘politician’. I’m standing to bring a fresh, new perspective to Parramatta Council and make sure the hopes and concerns of families and our community are better served in the important work of Council.

Maryanne and Natalie are also local mums and respected community leaders, having both served as P&C Presidents, contributing significantly to community groups and advocating for improvements to community infrastructure.

What are some things you love about living in the area?    

I love living in a multicultural, river city full of potential, with bushland and waterways to enjoy, so many community focused small businesses and lots of families raising their children.

What do you believe to be the 3 main issues affecting our community?   

1. Matching growth with community infrastructure and improving the liveability of our neighbourhoods (including supporting local businesses);
2. Reducing the health, financial and environmental impacts of our changing climate; and
3. Safety and cleanliness on our streets

What are the 3 key things you plan to achieve?       

1. Making sure residents and local businesses are far better informed and engagement in shaping our city
2. Make our suburbs more vibrant and liveable
3. Cool down our neighbourhoods

What about your long term vision for the area?      

I want all residents to be proud to call Parramatta home and parents to love raising their kids here. We need to celebrate and embrace our uniqueness, rather than trying to replicate Sydney CBD. We have the opportunity to make the City of Parramatta the ‘coolest’ city in the West – both for it’s vibrant culture and liveability.

Other Comments

I don’t believe party politics has a place in Local Government. I am truly independent, with no connection to any political party or developers. The only vested interest I have is I want the community I live in to thrive. I have demonstrated a genuine care for our community for many years – long before people suggested I would make a great Councillor. You can see what’s important to me by looking at how I spend my time – helping families create fond memories, supporting local businesses, championing for improvements to community facilities, growing community gardens, creating communities of support, removing rubbish from our waterways, informing residents, supporting people to voice their concerns and more. I strongly recommend you look at the social media accounts of all candidates, and read about their background on platforms like LinkedIn, to find a candidate who best reflects your hopes and concerns for our city…. Hopefully it’s me!

Contact: kelliedarleyindependents@gmail.com

Website: https://kelliedarley.com.au/