IF you've been driving along the Pacific Highway in Gordon, you may have noticed a new office has popped up recently.
Nicolette Boele (pronounced Buller) has been spending time talking with locals in the Bradfield community of late and has focussed her attention on the upcoming Federal election.
Nicolette has spent 41 of her 51 years learning, parenting and working in Bradfield. She is a seasoned advocate on Human Rights and Climate Change.
During Nicolette’s free time, she loves to be outdoors from bushwalking and cycling to kayaking and anything that includes her family is her happy place.
With housing prices reaching record highs, how do you propose that Bradfield provide a suitable amount of housing for new residents?
"The issue of affordable housing is one that I've absolutely heard about, people want their children to be able afford homes in Bradfield. Kids are starting behind with a hecs debt as well. It's a very real and complex issue, and it goes to a whole lot of issues around tax and which comes not just at the federal level, but also state level.
It needs to be looked at but also in the context of a whole lot of other economic issues that need to be managed, like jobs, and making it easier for businesses to employ people, and all those things that go towards giving people more, for example wages haven't kept up with the cost of living.
We need to make sure that we stimulate the economy in a way that responsibly increases wages based on the cost of living and at the same time, we need to make it easier for people to get into the housing market. From my experience working in investment, getting people into their first home is the single best way to help circumnavigate or break that poverty cycle and gives them the security to have jobs to get loans and to be having that economic self-determination."
What would you say are your major policies apart from climate change?
"Integrity. So the reason that I am running as a community independent is that I think it's the only way that we can bring better accountability and improve integrity in our Federal parliament. If I wanted to just be a politician, I would join the party. It's about getting some sunshine and sunlight on to decision making and particularly how grants are given, how people are appointed to the boards of independent organizations like the ABC and SBS. So these things can't be along the party line, they have to be independent. And that's the kind of integrity I'm very keen to bring, as a community independent into the parliament. "
How is your campaign funded?
"The campaign is funded by donations from people and a few organisations. Voices of Bradfield have been raising funds throughout the community. I have a donation acceptance policy, the Australian Electoral Commission requires all donations over $14,500 be disclosed, however, I’ve dropped that to $1500" Nicolette will be publishing a list of donors on her website every 30 days."
Correction: ".... I will publish the names of donors the names of those who donate $1,500 or more on the website within 30 days of the election" clarity provided by Nicolette Boele after publication
How do any of your policies differ with regards to labor or the greens?
"I've been listening to the people in Bradfield, and I've been using my own expertise in finance, and sustainability and in clean energy and climate policy. I've been listening to people in aged care and in Disability Services, in areas that I don't deep experience in. This is about being evidence based, it's not competitive, it's about doing what's right for the people of Bradfield and in the national interest."
Are there any policies or programs that you would be looking to scrap and replace with something else?
"Two pieces of legislation I'd like to back are firstly Dr Helen Haynes' Federal Integrity (anti-corruption) Commission. Another is independent criteria and processes for appointment of people onto the board by the ABC. I would also say, Zali Steggall’s Climate Change Mitigation Adaptation Bill, which is built largely around the UK and the New Zealand one, is absolutely one that's worth backing. It even has the support from groups like the Business Council of Australia, and that's going to start pivoting our economy on to a more, not only environmentally, but international trade sustainability point of view, we're going to be competitive again with international markets, we won't be taxed by the EU when they take our goods and services into their marketplaces, which is going to happen.
Nicolette adds "I would absolutely love to see the Sexual Discrimination Bill, get rid of the loopholes that are in there, because I think everybody has the right to education, irrespective of their sexuality or gender and that goes across teachers as well... I just think, no matter your color, your creed, whatever, you have a right to an education.
Why do you think an independent would achieve more for Bradfield than a government MP?
"What I'm hearing from the electorate is that they want strong action on climate change.
They want a Federal ICAC with all these things that both parties have not been able to deliver over the last 25 years.
The parties can’t fix that because there's too much self interest, only an independent can get in and help break that deadlock."
Given high density living creates less of a land footprint when it comes to housing, are you in favour of higher density development?
"I think the principles behind this have merit, which is where you have existing transport, and you have existing employment lands, such as in Macquarie Park area, for example, you do want to have some mixed use and some higher densities of living, that just makes sense from an economically rational point of view.
But of course, there's often unintended social consequences and environmental ones that come with careless planning, and even talking to the Chinese Australian community I have heard that one of the reasons that they had left China is to give their kids a better lifestyle, and they really liked the space and the amenity offered by Bradfield and they don't want over-development either. So it's a real balance and trade off that needs to be happening."
Find out more about Nicolette Boele's platform at
