Most councillors are business people, what will a teacher bring to public office?

I’m in touch with young interests and attitudes and can steer Wagga in a direction where our young people want to stay and develop.

Understanding the dramatic change in the 20 years since I’ve left school and what will change in the next 20 will set Wagga up for progress.

You’re committed to a more transparent council, what does that mean in practice?

No one council does transparency particularly well, but the public needs to understand the factors that determine decisions.

I have endorsed Labor’s idea of live-streaming council meetings because it’s not realistic to fit everyone in the public gallery.

The live-stream would be a fantastic educational tool because a lot of young people and adults alike aren’t aware of what council does.

How did the last council fail Wagga’s women?

They didn’t fail anyone, but council is not as good as it could be.

We’re not about eradicating men, we’re about achieving diversity and balance.

When people with similar backgrounds and interests sit around the decision-making table, you have to expect similar results.

I’d also love to see more candidates with indigenous backgrounds because there’s not one single councillor with a different cultural background.

Our aim is for better representation of all facets of our dynamic community.

At third spot on the Wagga Women’s Alliance ticket it’s highly unlikely you will be elected, so why are you running for council?

I’m running to support the other candidates.

I’m running for the experience of being involved.

I’m running for the opportunity to educate people in the democratic process.

I want to show my students it’s everybody’s responsibility to be community-minded.

What are the biggest issues facing Wagga?

Crime is a well-documented issue that’s not easily fixed, but council can take an active role in prevention.

Boredom is the single greatest reason kids do silly things and council has a responsibility to facilitate more opportunities for young people to showcase their sporting and artistic talents.

I’m not an expert on crime but keeping people interested and involved in their community fosters ownership and custodianship of Wagga and more respect accordingly.

I think we need to utilise our natural resources better.

I don’t profess to have all the answers – I’m not a pollie – I’m an everyday person who happens to be quite analytical, absolutely loves this place and wants to be part of the conversation. 

What can council do better for elderly residents?

Our alliance strongly believes in engaging the elders of our community, which I am especially passionate about given I work in aged and disability care.

The voice of our elderly isn’t heard as much as it could be and it would be great to engage them more through existing groups such as the CWA, Probus, Apex, residential facilities and day centres.

What qualifies you to be the voice of culturally diverse community members?

I have a background working with Aboriginal women's organisations in the Northern Territory and I’ve worked overseas in developing countries.

I come across people of all backgrounds in the work I do every day and I feel I have a good understanding and empathy.

I’m the sort of person who looks for positives in people and recognises different people can always bring different strengths.

You've got grand plans for our environment but don't councillors have their hands full with bread and butter issues like roads and parking?

They sure do.

Wagga has grown dramatically in the 15 years I have been here, you can see the growth and it feels like the amount of traffic has doubled.

Instead of only improving roads to absorb the growth, we have to maintain the country feel by keeping our city healthy and relaxed.

Hand in hand with roads has to come walking paths, paths for wheelchair access, bike paths and public transport.

What are the biggest issues Wagga faces?

How we get around is a priority, which includes roads, parking, traffic flow and keeping our roads safe.

It’s also important we improve our parks and nature reserves including Wagga Beach, Wiradjuri Reserve, Pomingalarna and Willans Hill.

Our community has become so diverse in the last decade, council needs to be more inclusive. 

Wagga Women's Alliance's main objective is to install women on council, but shouldn't your focus be on championing the policies that have been overlooked by men?

I don't think so, there are skilled and energetic women out there who can do a good job on council and we haven't had that representation before.

We have joint passions about our kids, elders, families, businesses and our environment.

Our group happens to be five women who have a strong interest in the social inclusion aspects of our community.