Following the recent State election and Victor Dominello’s retirement, a new Member for Ryde has been elected. You may know a bit about Jordan Lane already, having been a long-time Councillor at City of Ryde and more recently the Mayor of Ryde – but there’s plenty more to the story. We’ve put together a few questions so we could learn more about him.
Up until recently, you were the City of Ryde Mayor. What made you want to move to become State MP for Ryde?
With the sad news that our longstanding MP Victor Dominello was retiring, I believed there was a need to continue his strong advocacy for Ryde and build upon his legacy. Being Mayor afforded me an extraordinary opportunity to work closely with Victor, meaning I was well-placed to pick up where he left off.
Prior to running for State MP, you worked in the disability sector. Will you continue to do this or do you have to give it up given you are State MP for Ryde?
In order to give maximum attention to my new role, I made the difficult decision to step away from my previous position as a disability advocate – however, I still maintain a strong passion and interest in helping people living with disability. I hope my background working in the sector will allow me to bring a much-needed perspective to the NSW Parliament.
Where did you grow up?
Ryde! I was born at Denistone House in Ryde Hospital and lived the first year of my life in a small unit at Top Ryde. My family then moved to Melrose Park where I grew up with my two sisters – Kendall and Madison. I now live in Meadowbank with my partner, Natalie.
I attended Meadowbank and Ermington Public Schools and went to high school at Marist College Eastwood.
How do you like to spend your weekends?
Weekends are always super busy, but if I can, it starts with an early morning ride with my cycling club. There are usually multiple community events to attend, then I try and keep the rest of the time to spend with family. I also have a cat, Oscar, and Sunday nights are strictly for him!
What is your favourite hidden gem in Ryde?
- Denistone Park AKA Roly Poly Hill – great views!
- The lake and ‘secret’ Italian Relics at Macquarie University. Apparently one of the ducks is named ‘Kayak’!
Describe a day in the life of The State MP for Ryde.
On Parliamentary sitting days, they are crazy! However, during the normal week, they are usually filled with constituent and stakeholder meetings and engagements, community activities and a lot of planning and research. This helps the staff and I make better long-term decisions for the benefit of Ryde. One of things that is really important, is keeping time for eating healthy, and exercise.
What do you think will be your favourite part of the job?
This might sound basic, but the most rewarding part of any role in public life is being able to listen and help people when they don’t know where else to turn. Governments are complex and can be hard to navigate – sometimes just being able to meet a person and understand their concerns goes a long way to restoring their hope and trust. The more of this we do, the stronger our community becomes.
And least favourite?
Saying goodbye to Natalie and Oscar each morning 🙁
What areas/facilities/infrastructure does State Government look after?
Great question! State government deals with:
- Aging and disability
- Arts, Sport and Multiculturalism
- Early Learning, Schools and TAFE
- Environment, Energy and Climate Change
- Fair Trading and Small Business
- Families and Community Services
- Health, dental and public hospitals
- Land and water management
- Local government
- Main roads
- Planning and Public Spaces
- Police, Fire and Ambulance
- Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault
- Public housing
- Service NSW
- Transport
- Veterans, Seniors and Women
What things should locals come to you for?
Anything. Even if the NSW Government can’t assist directly, my office will help point people in the right direction.
As your party is in opposition, what can you do for locals at a State level?
The main job of a State MP is to represent local residents in the NSW Parliament. This can be done from Government, Opposition or even the crossbench. I think it is incumbent on good MPs to work collaboratively with the government, irrespective of the political party in charge. Locally, we need to address the issues of our growing community, which means advocating for the Ryde Hospital rebuild, new schools, better rights for renters, more green spaces and sensible planning policy.
As State MP for Ryde, what are your goals for our area
Short term – Establish working relationships with relevant Ministers in the Government, especially on issues that impact Ryde like health, education, housing and transport.
Medium-term – Substantial progress on the Ryde Hospital rebuild and hopefully sites will have been identified by the new government for additional schools in our community.
Long-term – Gambling reform. It shouldn’t have to be a long-term goal, but I know it will take time to get all the relevant stakeholders on board.
Do you still get budgets for projects, community grants etc when in opposition that locals can apply for?
Yes! Many of the grant programs that have been in operation previously like the Community Building Partnership Grants, will continue. My office will promote this in the local community, but we are also always open to new projects and initiatives that benefit Ryde.
How can locals contact you? Will your office be located where Victor Dominello’s office was?
The Ryde Electorate Office is still located where Victor’s was, at Suite 202 Ground Floor 5-9 Devlin Street, Ryde. Our office number is 9808 3288 and our email is ryde@parliament.nsw.gov.au.
Feel free to reach out if there’s anything myself or my office can do to help!
