Candidates are listed in order of their electorates
Philippa Scott for Balmain
Philippa Scott is a lifelong Inner West local, feminist and unionist, deeply committed to social justice who is delighted to be standing to represent her community of Balmain.
Philippa is Deputy Mayor of the Inner West and a Labor Councillor for the Leichhardt Ward of the Inner West Council.
Philippa holds a combined Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Laws degree from the Australian National University, a Master of Laws (Honours) degree from UTS and a Master of Education degree from the George Washington University in Washington D.C.
She has devoted her whole career to providing legal and management advice to the not-for-profit and public sector. In Australia she has worked for UTS, the University of Sydney, the Guardianship Tribunal of NSW (now a part of the NSW Department of Justice), and Salvos Legal Humanitarian, where she represented refugees and people in immigration detention. While living in the USA for several years, she worked for Harvard University, the Massachusetts Disability Law Center, and the Human Services Research Institute.
Philippa is a Board Director of MetroAssist, a migrant resource centre serving the Inner West and Canterbury-Bankstown LGAs, and is President of Sydney Secondary College, Leichhardt P&C.
Philippa has two children in local public schools, and is a lifelong Wests Tigers supporter, excitedly looking forward to their NRLW team joining the comp.
Donate to Philippa's Campaign
Sally Quinnell for Camden
Sally and her husband Damien moved to Camden 15 years ago and have raised their three children locally building deep connections with schools and clubs such as St Paul's Camden, St Gregory's College Gregory Hills, Cobbitty Scouts and Oran Park Cricket Club.
As a popular local school teacher in Camden, Sally understands the reality of the teacher shortage problem, along with the issue of overcrowding schools and schools never delivered. Sally has seen her beloved community being ignored by the Liberals for past 12 years and wants to change this by being a strong local voice for Camden in the NSW Parliament.
Sally has taught thousands of kids music in the Camden area for the past 15 years, in both schools and as a local business owner. She has a passion for supporting local musicians, performing herself at local events and churches, as well as being a founding member of the Camden Musical Society. Sally is also a proud union representative and secretary of the South West Sydney Independent Education Union sub-branch. Sally also regulars volunteers at her local Cowpastures Park Run, South Camden Tennis Club and St Vinnies homeless night visits.
Donate to Sally's Campaign
Tina Cartwright for Castle Hill
Tina lives locally with her husband and two children, who both attend local schools. As a long-term resident of the Hills, Tina understands and cares deeply about the challenges facing our community everyday. As a parent of a child with Special Needs, Tina is acutely aware of the importance of proper healthcare and wellbeing services across our community.
After 12 years of the Perrottet Liberal Government taking our community for granted, Tina will be a strong local voice fighting for the things that matter most to our community. Tina will ensure our community sees greater investment into crucial services such as health, education and housing, fight for sustainable development, and a fairer future for Castle Hill.
Donate to Tina's Campaign
Karyn Edelstein for Davidson
A local small businesswoman, Karyn Edelstein is a qualified lawyer and director of a custom design and construction project management company.
Dedicated to a government that is focussed on recruiting more teachers, resuscitating our health care system, addressing small business concerns and renewing manufacturing in New South Wales, Karyn thinks that it is time that the damage caused by 12 years of Liberal privatisation is repaired.
With three grown children she is now focussed on giving the people of Davidson a voice in the NSW government.
She is concerned by the parlous state of NSW Schools with its massive teacher shortage and falling outcomes. Karyn will fight to recruit and retain teachers and to restore respect to the profession by better rewarding and supporting them.
Living in Davidson is a privilege that Karyn appreciates daily, with its leafy streets, remnant bushland and surrounding National Parks. She will strive to ensure the preservation of our unique urban forest environment, working to further climate change mitigation, biodiversity conservation and fire control in Davidson through appropriate environmental planning and management.
Donate to Karyn's Campaign
Maryanne Stuart for Heathcote
Maryanne is a lifelong local, who lives in Engadine with her husband Russell. They are the proud parents of two children.
Maryanne has volunteered for many local sporting and environmental groups and has seen how the Liberal Party’s neglect of our essential services is hurting our community.
After 12 years in office, the Liberals under Dominic Perrottet are not listening to our community. Maryanne and Labor have listened and will work hard to get our area the health care and education services we need and deserve.
Donate to Maryanne's Campaign
Katelin McInerney for Kiama
Katelin McInerney grew up in Kiama and attended Minnamurra Public and Kiama High. She now resides in the town with her partner Brian and their two year old son William.
Education and Career
Ms McInerney has worked as a journalist, communications specialist and campaigner with unions and not-for-profits, representing a diverse national membership of actors, journalists, stage and screen crew, and musicians.
She was the first woman to hold the director position of the journalists union (MEAA) and has represented members at all levels of government, at Senate inquiries, with the ACCC, and fought for greater Federal government funding for the ABC and SBS, and positions in regional newsrooms, for more than a decade.
She is also a founding member of the Women in Media initiative, a mentoring and support network for women working in media – an industry with one of the highest rates of sexual harassment and gender pay inequity in the country.
In recent times Ms McInerney has worked closely with Labor Member for Gilmore Fiona Phillips and Kiama Labor councillors to secure a funding commitment for a dedicated Headspace in Kiama and will continue to campaign for greater access to health services across the area.
She is also involved in campaigns to utilise brownfields sites for sustainable development and to bring creative and arts-industry jobs to the region through her work with the Kiama Epicentre Association. She is dedicated to safeguarding our beautiful coastal countryside and waterways, and will push for key planning controls and infrastructure investment from the State Government.
Ms McInerney has also been a volunteer for the Kiama Downs Surf Lifesaving Club, as well as a member of the local softball and netball associations.
Donate to Katelin's Campaign
Penny Pedersen for Lane Cove
Penny has been on Ryde council since 2017, fighting for infrastructure like the Pittwater road shared cycleway; the Putney Park swim site; small business centre upgrades; the Riverwalk extension and campaigned to save Blenheim Park.
Penny initiated Ryde's first Reconciliation Action Plan; child minding; March Against Abuse; Battle of the bands; markets; EV charging; Council ban on single use plastic; street tree planting and with the Labor team planned a new civic building; delivered playgrounds; a multilevel carpark; heritage precincts and protected endangered forest among other projects.
Penny's background is in the arts and has lived in the Lane Cove electorate at East Ryde with husband and sons for 16 years.
She is a long time environmental activist; Climate Council local leader and NSW organiser at the Labor Environment Action Network. Her passion for clean waterways led to 5 years as delegate and 4 as vice chair of the Parramatta River catchment group, working to make the river swimmable again.
Penny represents local government in NSW as a director of local Government NSW and has represented Northern Sydney councils as Vice president of NSROC.
She also sits on the Ryde Hunters hill domestic and family violence committee and is on the board of the NSW Australian Local government women's association - to help get more women elected.
She has been a board director at Northside radio, arts/music presenter for over a decade and is a local government delegate to the NSW Music festival roundtable.
Donate to Penny's Campaign
Charishma Kaliyanda for Liverpool
Charishma Kaliyanda is an elected councillor for Liverpool City Council and a registered Occupational Therapist. She also currently works at UNSW, building awareness of and reducing stigma around mental health and well-being so that young people can access the help they need.
Charishma has worked with young people across many industries to build skills and capacities in the last 10 years and strongly believes in the important role that diversity plays in having robust decision-making structures.
Charishma is a champion for diversity in sport, as a Multicultural Ambassador for Hockey NSW (and a keen footballer!). She understands the power of sport and the arts to be a connector within our community.
She is proud to be one of only 13 women elected to Council in Liverpool's 150-year history, and one of the youngest, but hopes to see many more women elected. Charishma was re-elected for her second term in 2021.
She was named one of Australia’s rising political stars by Marie Claire, and twice nominated as a candidate for NSW Parliament before she turned 30. Recently, she was a 2021 finalist for Young Community Achiever of the Year at the Indian Australian Business & Community Awards. She was also named one of the winners of the 40 Under 40 Most Influential Asian-Australians in 2021 by the Asian-Australian Leadership Summit and a finalist in the Western Sydney Community Woman of the Year Award.
She has championed the needs Australia’s fast growing outer urban areas as a Strategic Advisory Committee member of the National Growth Areas Alliance (NGAA).
Donate to Charishma's Campaign
Ashvini Ambihaipahar for Oatley
Ashvini is a proud St George local with genuine conviction to be a proactive representative; one who will advocate with integrity and put the interest of the community at the forefront.
Ashvini has dedicated her career to advocating for employees and employers as an employment/industrial relations solicitor across various industries such as construction/energy, health and hospitality. She is a Councillor for the Mortdale Ward of the Georges River Council and has a wealth of volunteering experience with many organisations such as Red Cross, Gift of Bread and Sydney Homeless Connect.
Ashvini is a volunteer board member of St George Community Transport, an organisation that provides quality, safe and affordable transport in South Sydney.
As a local she understands that the community is facing big challenges and she is determined to use her experience to advocate and work hard to fight for a fairer future such as tackling cost of living pressures and repairing our health and education systems.
Ashvini holds a Bachelor of Science (Anatomy and Histology and Cell Pathology) from the University of Sydney, Juris Doctor (PLT) from the University of Technology, Sydney.
Donate to Ash's Campaign
Heather Dunn for Orange
My name is Heather. I live in Orange with my partner. I am an accountant and also run a small business.
I was fortunate enough to obtain qualifications from TAFE NSW. I completed a traineeship which grew my passion for learning how businesses operate and numbers, leading me to undertaking my Bachelor of Accounting through CSU Bathurst. Ultimately, obtaining a role in a local accounting firm. Without TAFE NSW, I may not have found my passion. I want to fight to restore TAFE NSW. To encourage a greater uptake in apprenticeships and traineeships and up-skill those within the local community.
Healthcare and access for all is another passion of mine. I have experienced the lengthy wait times to see specialists within regional communities. Also witnessing the toll of having to travel to access health care within my family. I want the opportunity to fight for everyone in regional communities to have access to adequate healthcare.
Fighting for universal health care, education and a fair and just society lead me to joining the Labor party 6 years ago. It is what motivated me to run for the seat of Orange.
Donate to Heather's Campaign
Karen McKeown for Penrith
Karen is a proud Penrith local.
With her husband Brendan, she has lived here for over three decades and raised their four children locally.
Having served on Penrith Council since 2004, including two terms as Mayor, Karen will never forget what is important to our community.
As part of the Minns Labor team, Karen will deliver improved staffing levels at Nepean Hospital – because what’s the point of upgrading Nepean Hospital if you don’t have the staff to run it – and creating local jobs by building our trains, trams and ferries here in NSW.
Donate to Karen's Campaign
Lyndal Howison for Ryde
Lyndal Howison is a high school teacher in Western Sydney and former councillor. Her family have been raising their daughter and serving on P&Cs and church committees in Ryde for 10 years.
Lyndal knows Ryde is a wonderful place to live and to raise a family, it is diverse and hard-working, but it is under pressure. Ryde needs representation by someone who doesn't take voters for granted, and wants to tackle the pressures on local schools and transport.
Lyndal has a Bachelor of Business (UTS) and a Masters of Teaching (secondary, Western Sydney University). She has a range of experience including communications management in charities and the finance sector.
More recently, having retrained as a high school teacher, Lyndal has first-hand experience of the challenges facing high schools in Sydney. If elected, Lyndal will work in a Minns government to address the teaching shortage and maintenance lag which is having an adverse effect on schools and learning in NSW.
The Perrottet government’s approach to frontline workers is combative and out of touch. Lyndal joins her colleagues in the NSW Teachers Federation in calling for solutions, because without great teachers, our kids don’t get a great education.
Donate to Lyndal's Campaign
Liza Butler for South Coast
Liza is currently a Councillor on Shoalhaven City Council and a successful businesswoman. The daughter of two primary school teachers Liza was taught from a young age about social justice and the right to equal opportunity for all to make every family’s life better.
Prior to starting her own business, Liza worked for the Dept of Ageing, Disability & Homecare supporting the NGO sector, and then for Centrelink assisting the most vulnerable in our community. Liza has a strong understanding of how policy and service delivery can impact people on low incomes and the devasting effects of poverty, disadvantage and domestic and family violence has on our communities.
Liza loves the South Coast and her community, and is now asking for the opportunity to serve the South Coast on Macquarie Street because she believes we deserve better, and only a Minns Labor Government can deliver that.
Liza’s priority issues include:
Address shortfalls in affordable and social housing
- Kick start construction of the Nowra and Ulladulla by-passes;
- Review Milton Hospital medical and birthing services
- Provide better access to health and services, with more Nurses and Paramedics
- Better support for teachers;
- Address overcrowding in our schools – especially Vincentia and Ulladulla High Schools.
- Enhance Nowra and Ulladulla TAFE and increase pathway courses for young people;
- Help build local community facilities in partnership with local community groups.
Donate to Liza's Campaign
Skye Tito for Sydney
Skye Tito is the Labor Candidate for Sydney in the 2023 NSW state election. Before becoming a political candidate, she was a Communications Officer at the NSW Department of Education, dedicated to a program designed to improve higher education and career outcomes for young people. Skye is also the Chief Operations Officer at a not-for-profit organisation aimed to amplify young female and non-binary voices to actively lead conversations in politics. Her 10 years of professional experience has seen her work across private, government and not-for-profit sectors, within this time she has held various administrative, marketing and communications roles. She is passionate about diversifying government and advocating for more representation of women in decision making spaces. This drive is further amplified by the release of the Broderick Review.
As a Sydney renter, a public school graduate and a worker in customer service roles since the age of 14, Skye is committed to using her professional and lived experience to help create a fairer future for all.
Donate to Skye's Campaign
Peree Watson for Upper Hunter
"I am Peree Watson and it is time for the Upper Hunter to make history and elect their first female representative.
Who I am and why I am standing for preselection:
I was born in Branxton, my father Mick Watson, was the president of the United Mineworkers in the days of months-long strikes and hard-won battles for improved safety and conditions for workers, my mother Melita volunteered tirelessly over the years for tidy towns and the Hunter Valley golf community, they taught me to work hard for what is important to your community.
I was the founding president of the Branxton-Greta Labor party branch in the late 90’s, owned a local café, wrote for the local paper and volunteered for playgroup, school, tidy town and football committees. This taught me that the backbone of communities are the hard-working local volunteers.
My eldest daughter Elodie is studying to be a science teacher following many years working in hospitality, my middle daughter Chiara works in Singleton in recruitment and lives in Denman and my 16 year old son Hari will attend Hunter Trade college next year. They teach me everyday that we must plan for the future we want for our families and our communities.
My now husband Ian, who I met 15 years ago, had a stroke at the age of 43 and as a result, taught himself how to weld and sew and operates a small business manufacturing ute canopies and camper trailers, he has taught me to fight hard to overcome adversity and the life-changing importance of access to the latest and best healthcare for all and the life-altering repercussions if this is not attained.
I have worked for the last 15 years as a Fundraiser for charities including the Hunter Medical Research Institute, the Leukaemia Foundation, Hunter Children’s Research Foundation, the Mark Hughes Foundation and the domestic violence charity Got Your Back Sista. Working for charities, especially those who directly support the most vulnerable in our communities, can be very confronting but is also exceptionally rewarding. The relationships I was able to build, and the funds I was able to raise in conjunction with the community, supported those in need and will have a long-term impact on so many. My charitable work taught me how to communicate and connect to people across all demographics, many when they were at their lowest, to achieve life-changing outcomes and the important roles charities play in supporting our communities.
The vast and diverse electorate of the Upper Hunter needs a collaborative leader with the vision to bring our communities together so we can build on our strengths rather than playing the politics of division. Listening to so many in our community has inspired me to imagine what we can achieve together if we win this seat, and Government, in March:
· Imagine the communities of the Upper Hunter set on a trajectory to thrive, with stable secure employment and equitable access to vital services
· Imagine universal access to timely and professional medical and allied health services, ensuring long healthy happy lives
· Imagine our children with equity of opportunity and access to fully funded education and training
· Imagine access to safe and affordable housing for everyone
· Imagine safe and well-maintained rural roads with reliable and accessible public transport
· Imagine properly funded and supported emergency services to help our communities when we most need them
· Imagine cost of living in rural communities being lower than some cities
· Imagine the lands of the Wonnarua people being cared for as they have been for thousands of years in any future development
· Imagine our whole community working together to ensure our future viability with thoughtful, proactive and consultative planning."
Donate to Peree's Campaign
Margaret Merten for Vaucluse
Margaret is a Bondi local with a career that has spanned publishing, podcasting and teaching at TAFE, UNSW and the University of Wollongong. She is the Co-Convenor of the Bondi Beach Precinct Committee, a group that works with Waverley Council on addressing community concerns in the local area.
Margaret cares deeply about the unique challenges facing our community. After 12 years of the Perrottet Liberal Government, Margaret will be a strong local voice fighting for greater education access, real action on climate change, and a fairer future for all.
Donate to Margaret's Campaign
Sue Wright for Wakehurst
The Northern Beaches have been home to my family since 1915. I grew up in Narrabeen and Collaroy Plateau, raised two children here, and love all that this beautiful part of the world has to offer. I am honoured to stand up for my community as the Labor candidate for Wakehurst at the 2023 state election. Over the last few years I have been active in working with community organisations, local councillors and other elected representatives to seek a better outcome for Wakehurst and the Northern Beaches.
My approach and experience with politics has primarily been as a community activist, which has involved working and collaborating with fellow activists and committee members of different political parties and persuasions. There is so much more that needs to be done on the Northern Beaches after years of stale Liberal Party representation, which has resulted in band aid solutions and reduced services of a lesser quality for the area.
Donate to Sue's Campaign
Sarah Griffin for Willoughby
Sarah Griffin is proud to be standing as Labor candidate for the NSW Legislative Assembly District of Willoughby. Sarah is a long-standing Willoughby local and is passionate about delivering progressive and community-centric solutions to the key issues our community confronts.
Sarah began her career as a Physiotherapist in the NSW public hospital system and retains many links to people working in the system today. Sarah is now a health economist having had national and international roles in health delivery and health technology. She built her economic consulting business, over the past 10 years advising the medical technology sector including health economics, health insurance, health policy and legislation, medical finance, reimbursement systems and government relations. She works with many small Australian start-ups and is interested in advancing the local medical technology industry. She has been appointed as an independent expert to government committees and national organisations. Sarah received her B.App Sc (Physio) from the University of Sydney and a GradDip in Health Economics and Policy from Monash University. .
Sarah is deeply connected to the Willoughby community and has worked in various community groups and sporting associations. She volunteers with an organization that assists vulnerable young people. Sarah is a mother of two and has lived with her family in Willoughby for over 20 years.
Donate to Sarah's Campaign
Current EMILY's List members seeking Re-election
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Kate Washington Member for Port Stephens Elected 2015 Donate to Kate's Campaign |
Yasmin Catley Member for Swansea Elected 2015 Donate to Yasmin's Campaign |
Rose Jackson Legislative Council Member Elected 2019 |
Penny Sharpe Legislative Council Member Elected 2015 |
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