About

Update: Huge thanks to everyone who supported me while I planned to run for the lower house seat of Heffron in the 2019 NSW state election.

After discussions with the James Jansson Team for NSW, I've joined that group of independents in contesting the upper house, in the second position on that ticket. What that means is you'll be able to vote for me on the other ballot paper on the 23rd of March.

--

Join me to demand better from our government.

Good government
Like you, I want honesty from our decision-makers. With openness and accountability, we can hope to avoid more cost blowouts and disasters like the current Murray Darling crisis. It's also time we had a Bill of Rights to protect our basic freedoms.

Culture and Infrastructure
Sydney should be a 24-hour city. Right now, it's not even a 9-to-5 city, with public transport delays and traffic congestion an expected part of Sydney life. Don't even think about having a quiet beer after work if you're a shift worker in the lockout area.

Top-notch education and healthcare
Incredibly, the number of public schools in NSW is on a steady decline while students are sweating through summer in demountables. Although redevelopments for public hospitals are often announced, very few new public hospitals have been built recently. The number of hospital beds per person hasn't improved in 5 years, so the redevelopments are only just keeping up.

Energy and Environment
NSW's target date for net zero emissions should be brought forward from 2050 to 2030. Fossil fuels must be urgently phased out. Pumped hydroelectric energy storage should be investigated to complement renewable energy generation. Wherever fresh water is in short supply, recycled water should be considered along with alternatives.

Why am I running as an Independent?

I am the leader of the Science Party, which is registered for federal elections. Due to differences in administrative requirements, the Science Party is not yet registered for NSW state elections, which means the Science Party name can't be on the state election ballot paper. That means I have to run as an independent candidate if I want to run at all. And I do.

About me

I was raised on Gunditjmara land in western Victoria and now live on Gadigal land in Sydney's inner west. I completed a PhD in microbiology at UNSW in 2016, and moved from there into microbiome research at a lab in Alexandria. I've played drums for the Botany Bay Band and when I get a chance I like to climb the walls at 9 Degrees Indoor Climbing Gym.

After a decade of casual activism, I decided to start creating the options that were missing from the Australian political landscape. I joined the Science Party in 2014 and was their candidate for Kingsford Smith in the 2016 federal election, and for Wentworth in the 2018 by-election.