Federal Member for Indi Cathy McGowan has confirmed she will not re-contest the seat at the next election, stepping aside to allow newly pre-selected independent candidate Dr Helen Haines to take a run at office.
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Dr Haines, who is a nurse, midwife and rural health researcher from Wangaratta, confirmed on Monday she was excited to take the baton from Ms McGowan.
She has been given the opportunity after being chosen at a meeting of 200 Orange Independent supporters in Benalla last Saturday to succeed Ms McGowan as the next Orange Independent candidate for Indi.
‘‘In the past few years the political parties have shown themselves to be more interested in leadership challenges, in-fighting and scandals than in actually representing the people who elected them,’’ Dr Haines said.
‘‘But six years ago, we in Indi made a different choice. We elected Cathy McGowan who has spent every moment of her time in office working solely to listen, represent and advocate for the people of Indi.
‘‘Cathy has shown that politics can be done differently and she has delivered incredible results for Indi.
‘‘But there’s more to be done and I am humbled to put myself forward, and if chosen by the people of Indi, to carry on that work.
‘‘I love this region and I care very much about the people who make these communities their home. My home.
‘‘As every nurse has, I have been by people’s bedsides at some of the best and worst points in their lives.
‘‘In these times I have seen the very real impact that public policy decisions made by government can have.
‘‘After decades working to improve health on a local level, I am ready to take that fight to Canberra.’’
Dr Haines has lived and worked in Indi for 32 years, as a nurse and midwife in Chiltern and Wangaratta and now as a rural health researcher with the University of Melbourne’s Department of Rural Health at its Northeast Health Wangaratta campus.
‘‘Indi is so full of possibilities,’’ Dr Haines said.
‘‘We can grow our region to a greater, sustainable prosperity, but to do that we need a focus on the long term, and we need access to top-quality education and health services.’’
Dr Haines grew up in a Victorian dairy-farming family and attended Eurack’s rural state school of just 12 students before going to secondary school.
She said her own experience was that education delivered opportunities and enabled young people to pursue their dreams.
‘‘Opportunity starts with education and in Indi we are well below the state average,’’ Dr Haines said.
‘‘Barriers to successful education begin a lot earlier than at Year 12. We desperately need better investment in early years and post-secondary education.’’
Dr Haines said she was also deeply passionate about broadening the scale and scope of health services available in Indi’s communities.
‘‘As a country nurse and midwife who has cared for people through the most vulnerable times of their lives, I have become a walking billboard for improved access to lifespan healthcare for our communities,’’ she said.
‘‘There is real community concern about mental health and aged care and there is much more to fight for in terms of policy adjustments to Medicare that acknowledge the rural context.’’
Dr Haines has also championed local renewable energy projects describing them as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build the regional economy.
‘‘Climate change isn’t only a crisis, it’s a once-in-a-generation opportunity to rewrite how the economic pie is divided between the cities and the regions,’’ she said.
‘‘Clean, cheap energy — and all of the jobs this could create in regional Australia — is not a controversial issue in the country.
‘‘We can and are leading the way in Indi, but to do it we need MPs to champion this huge opportunity rather than stand in the way.’’
Dr Haines also said the values expressed in ‘‘The Indi Way’’ of community representation had been inherent in her life.
‘‘The values of respect, inclusion, diversity, listening - of recognising the power within communities — these are the values by which I’ve lived my life,’’ she said.
‘‘This is not about the individual MP. It’s not about a party or a rigid ideology. It’s about all of us. I have not harboured lifelong political ambitions.
‘‘But regional communities like ours rely on people showing up and pitching in. So, too, does our way of doing politics.’’
Dr Haines’ pre-selection by the Voices for Indi (V4i) group brought to fruition a 12-month planning process that enabled Orange supporters to decide the future Orange Independent candidate for Indi.
V4i spokesperson Alana Johnson said up to 200 Orange supporters came together in Benalla, in the heart of the electorate, to determine by consensus who would be the next candidate.
Participants engaged in a deliberative process that involved listening to three applicants — all women — and assessing their suitability through a series of collaborative decision-making exercises.
The assessment measured the applicants’ skills and strengths against those that Orange supporters in a V4i survey in November, last year, identified as essential.
These were honesty, integrity, empathy, respect and resilience, and the ability to communicate, listen, negotiate, engage and lead.
Ms Johnson said the forum had been a powerful community-driven event that stemmed from more than 12 months of intensive planning and consultation.
‘‘This rigorous process has engaged people from every Indi community and has demonstrated, again, V4i’s commitment to doing politics differently,’’ she said.
Ms McGowan and Dr Haines hosted a media conference on Monday where they outlined how they would progress a smooth transition ahead of the federal poll.
‘‘As you know, I have been thinking about succession planning for some time,’’ Ms McGowan said.
‘‘On Saturday in Benalla, Helen won unanimous support and she is ready to begin work today.
‘‘I have decided it’s the right time and she is the right person to receive the baton.
‘‘Even with this succession planning process under way, I remain as MP for Indi until the election is called. I will continue to give the job 100 per cent of my time, effort and energy.
‘‘It remains business as usual in the Indi electorate offices and my staff and I look forward to continuing to deliver great things for the electorate.’’
Ms McGowan said Indi had led by example, with many more communities standing up and demanding more from their representatives.
‘‘Indi’s remarkable journey has changed the Australian political landscape,’’ Ms McGowan said.
‘‘All governments take notice of independents and crossbench members now. Our communities now know that I can, and have delivered for them.
‘‘Voters want their interests considered ahead of party politics and personal ambition. Helen and I will be working closely together over the next few months to ensure Indi maintains a strong voice in Canberra, particularly on issues that are unique to rural and regional Australia.
‘‘My hope is that all of Indi's communities support our new orange candidate and our amazing Indi journey goes from strength to strength.
‘‘I’m proud of what we have achieved in six years. I will continue to be involved in my community. I will support, mentor and advise Helen through the campaign and when she becomes our representative in Canberra.’’
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