I believe the answer is yes.
Corrupted behaviour of some, and contempt for their own voters, has cost the Liberal National Party dearly. It has woken up electorates everywhere; to the realisation that we the people hold the power.
In Wagga Wagga the incumbent Liberal Member resigned after links to developers came to light. Developers and development right on the door step of Wollondilly. In Wentworth the incumbent Liberal Member and Prime Minister resigned after toxic factional infighting, careerism, and personal self interest rendered the parliamentary party totally dysfunctional.
I am the first to suggest that each of us is entitled to a own opinion of our former Prime Minister and his job performance. No matter whether one loved him or loved to hate him, we, in the majority, voted for him and expected that he would serve a full term. At which point a new Federal Election would allow the LNP to win with grace or lose with dignity. Instead we appeared to be watching a slow motion car crash as factional infighting was progressively more public, becoming worse right up to and beyond the Wentworth By-election.
The results of the Wentworth by-election signified a truly great moment in Australian democracy. No matter whether one agrees or disagrees with the policy positions of Kerryn Phelps, we can all agree that communities in Wentworth have voted to have a Member of Parliament that is responsible to them first – not a party first.
In the wake of the by-election the Government and the Opposition sought to diminish the result by referring to Wentworth as just the voters way to “send a very strong message”. This only serves to illustrate just how arrogant and out of touch the major parties are with the Australian people.
I echo what Kerryn Phelps stated during her campaign: “I would like to say any young people, any women, any aspiring Independents out there, if you are thinking of running for Parliament or running for public office: yes, it can be tough, yes, the road can be hard, but it is so worthwhile that we have the right people stepping up to represent Australia.”
As for myself I have lived in Wollondilly for 28 years where I have raised my 3 children. As I have begun campaigning for the State Election, I have noticed a general lack of trust for people who put themselves up for public office. It is clear that political arrogance is grating on people at local, state and federal levels.
No matter the issue at hand, for nearly all the people I have met and spoken to, the conversation ultimately turns to a lack of trust and an overwhelming sense that the majority of politicians that make up both major parties are just in it for themselves.
Together we can change that, together we can put Wollondilly first.
As your Independent MP I will work for you the Wollondilly Electorate