Keryn Foley selected by Labor party as candidate for seat of Wagga

A first time candidate, Ms Foley takes on the task of winning a seat not held by Labor since the late 1950s.

"It's a big ask, but nothing is impossible," she told the Daily Advertiser.

The 62-year-old Wagga local describes herself as "polite, but outspoken" and felt compelled to enter politics by what she has seen as a lack of moral leadership in the electorate over recent years.

"I'm having a go because I really feel very strongly that our current member has let down the community and has let down the community in terms of women's issues," she said.

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Chief among those issues is Dr Joe McGirr's stance on abortion, Ms Foley declared.

"Voting not to decriminalise abortion," she said.

"I think that he hasn't been able to separate out his personal issues from human rights issues.

"I'm a person of faith. And yet I believe in women's rights."

Ms Foley joined the Labor party after seeing the treatment her "hero" Julia Gillard faced as prime minister, and became more determined to make change after Bill Shorten's failure to win the "un-loseable election" in 2019. But never imagine she would run for office.

A varied career started in retail as a 17-year-old at Edmonds in Wagga, then took her to a steelworks in Wollongong, coffee shops, furniture shops and a stint in London on the world ballroom dancing scene.

She retrained and has worked as a family counsellor and mediator since the year 2000, gaining a master's from CSU along the way. Her training is something that equips her well for the disagreeable nature of NSW politics, she said.

"I think all of the skills that I've learned in that crossover," she said.

"The ability to listen to people, the ability to reflect, the ability to support people when they are struggling with things, not fix for the things for them, but to help them to empower them to see that they have the solutions."

Other key election issues she will campaign on are "the important things that could be done for this electorate", such as local education programs, community events, and funding for local arts.

Her main aim is to become a voice for the electorate. She will champion local issues, but also national ones, such as the Voice to Parliament.

"This is why I'm standing for election. So the Wagga electorate has a voice. This is what we do when we put ourselves into public life, and stand up and say, 'we will be your voice. We will listen to you. And I will represent you'," she said.

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