Tell me about yourself.

I have a degree in agricultural science from Tasmanian University and I did a graduate diploma in food technology and then worked for 36 years in the food industry.

I started off working in Tassie, then moved and was with a company in Sydney and then moved to Sunrice in Leeton. I was at Sunrice for 27 years.

My biggest achievement at Sunrice was actually developing their 92^nd rice. Then they moved the R&D to Thailand, so I retired and moved to Wagga.

What I did in Wagga when I first moved here was become involved with a group in mental health called Grow and I was a volunteer worker for a few years, up until the end of last year.

I joined The Greens in about 2011. I mainly joined because my values system fits in with their four pillars which are ecological sustainability, grassroots participatory democracy, social justice, and peace and non-violence.

So were you interested in politics before, or did joining The Greens spark the political interest?

I've sort of always been active politically. When I lived in Tassie, I joined a political party called United Tasmania Group, which to best of my knowledge never, ever got anybody into power anywhere, but they were an environmental party. When The Greens first formed, I think that was one of the parties that went on to be amalgamated in The Greens.

So it's been a long-term interest for you?

Yes. When the United Tasmania Group folded, I wasn't a member of any political party, and then after I retired I came here to help The Greens with either a council election or a state election, just handing out, and thought 'oh, well, back into it', so I joined The Greens.

Can you see a time when The Greens could win a seat like Riverina?

It's going to be a long, hard battle. When I was at the candidates' forum last week in Forbes - which is National Party heartland - I got lovely feedback from somebody who was in the audience.

The sad thing is, there's a lot of people who will vote for us, but they are too scared to put their hand up in the community and say that's how they vote.

What are people telling you the issues are?

I'm getting lots and lots of correspondence and everyone is really concerned about Adani. People are asking what it's effect will be on the Great Barrier Reef.

Having come from a rural background - I was brought up on a dairy farm - I talk about the effect climate change is having in rural communities and about Adani.

Did that surprise you? Central Queensland is a long way from southern NSW.

It did surprise me, but I've been flooded with emails about it.

What are some of the other issues? It's a big electorate, isn't it?

One of the things that we have in common is the cutting back on public services. I'm getting reports from various people who are finding they are not getting the same services out in the bush as they are in the cities. It's something we'll address.

If you were elected, what would be your biggest priority?

The biggest priority goes back to climate change. We've actually got a plan to develop a renewable economy, stop coal mining and stuff like that.

A lot of farmers out there can see what climate change has done.

I can see it too. I studied - when I was doing my applied science degree - growing grapes in Tasmania for wine production. Going back into the 1970s, in Tassie, you had plenty of vegetative growth but it was only in certain parts of the Derwent Valley and on the eastern slopes in the Tamar Valley, you could actually grow grapes to make wine.

Now you can grow grapes all over the island.

That's just one thing.

People that believe the science - and can see the science - can see what climate change is doing, and so that would be the biggest thing, to start implementing our policies so that we can start making a difference in climate change.

With our renewable economy, we're creating jobs. There has been a lot of criticism that if we shut down the coal industry, there will be 55,000 or 60,000 people out of work.

Our plan's got 180,000 new jobs in renewables.

What sort of jobs would they be doing?

There would be people making all sorts of different components for renewables, both for use in Australia and for export, and because we would be moving the over, not only for energy generation, but for industry. There's heaps of jobs making stuff for that.

So, you're trying to renew Australian manufacturing?

Yes, totally, into a renewable economy. It's central to The Greens' policies.

What's the one thing above everything else you would say to voters?

I'd say to voters to take The Greens seriously. Look at our policies. It's what I've been saying all along.

Look at what we're going to do as far as putting money back into public services, look at our policies on climate change, look at our policies on a renewable economy.