Tell us a bit about yourself —family, background, and why you’re running.
I am a local currently living in Northmead with my husband and two cats. I manage a team of TV captioners, and have a freelance business as a Japanese translator. I grew up locally in Toongabbie, and I’ve lived and worked in Western Sydney my entire life.
I’m running to represent Parramatta because I’ve seen how the major parties take advantage of Western Sydney. In my work captioning TV and Parliament, I’ve watched them playing politics, putting profit above people and planet. The big two parties pick candidates based on factions and disregard who would actually be best able to represent locals.
So, I want to be able to provide an alternative that will put our community’s needs first, not corporate donors.
What’s your plan to help local families with the rising cost of living—especially around groceries, housing and childcare?
There are so many people struggling with the cost of living at the moment, and in a wealthy country like ours, it shouldn’t have to be that way. The Greens have a plan to make price gouging illegal, and break up the supermarket duopoly to make prices at the supermarket more competitive.
We plan to end negative gearing and capital gains tax discounts, which equate to over $176 billion in tax handouts to wealthy property investors. We’ll stop unlimited rent increases and introduce a National Tenants Protection Authority to ensure renter’s rights are protected. And we’ll create a government owned property developer to build 610,000 homes over the next decade for people, not profit. These will be available for Australians to rent at 25% of their income, or purchase for just over the cost of construction, saving an average of $249,000. We’ll also stop the banks price gouging on mortgages, by requiring them to offer owner-occupiers loans at just 1% above the cash rate.
We also know that childcare costs are out of control — and the current subsidy system is too complex, too expensive, and failing families. Right now, parents are forced to make impossible choices: put careers on hold, miss out on income, or skip early education altogether. For children, it means missing out on vital learning and development in their most critical early years. The Greens will replace the broken Child Care Subsidy with a new, public model that makes early childhood education and care free, universal and high-quality. We’ll invest over $9 billion per year on average to provide 50 hours a week of free early learning and care for every child.
What will you do to improve access to healthcare services in our area, including bulk billing, mental health support, and specialist care for families?
We’re in a cost-of-living crisis, and people across Australia are making tough decisions about spending money on healthcare, rent or putting food on the table.
The Greens believe that everyone should be able to access healthcare when they need it. The Greens want to get back to a system where you can go to the GP without paying out-of-pocket costs, and we want a universal healthcare system that is free and accessible to all Medicare card holders.
We know that Greens pressure works because Labor have now matched our plan to make sure every Australian can see the GP for free. We also want to set up 1,000 free healthcare clinics across Australia, giving people access to GPs, dentists, nurses, and mental health professionals with no out-of-pocket costs through a $31.7 billion investment.We’ll add dental into Medicare, to help the 1 in 2 Australians that put off seeing a dentist. We’re also looking to add mental health into Medicare, expanding it to include more mental health professionals, removing session limits and increasing rebates.
We will also ease the pressure on our public hospitals with 50/50 funding between Federal and State governments, with $30 billion invested in our hospitals in the next decade.
What are your top 3 priorities for the Parramatta electorate if you’re elected?
Number one is to make sure we build affordable and accessible housing, so that young people don’t have to move away from their families and support networks.
I would look to increase funding in our community for recreational spaces like Riverside Theatres, and our local parks, sports grounds and green spaces. In particular, the Greens have set aside $200 million over the next 4 years to grow participation and development in women’s sport.
I also want to make it more affordable for everyone to get around – we’re looking to match the 50 cent public transit fares that Queensland have introduced. This would save someone commuting from Parramatta to Central around $45 every week. It would make it much more reasonable to take kids on public transit, too, saving the hassle of parking.
What are your top 3 favourite local spots in the Parramatta area (e.g. cafes, parks, walks, playgrounds)? Bonus points for a hidden gem!
I love the upgraded Milson Park in Westmead, which has a wetland area that is great for birdwatching.
I’ll often get brunch at Qube cafe in North Parramatta, where I highly recommend the Foul Medames.
If you’re looking for me on a Saturday morning, I’m usually down at Eric Primrose Reserve inn Ermington for Parkrun. The pathway along the riverside is a fantastic way to start the weekend with my 500 closest friends!