I’m Wendy Backhous, the Labor Candidate for Page. I came to live in Emerald Beach four years ago, but I’ve been visiting the Northern Rivers almost every year since my early 20s.
As a registered nurse working, in regional and remote communities around Australia, I know how critical access to an affordable, well-resourced and progressive health system is to communities. This only comes with Labor Governments.
As a former Commonwealth public servant, I have a strong understanding of the role and constraints of government. I’ve spent my life working in the public service and advocating for workers in our mighty union movement.
I’m a committed environmentalist and I have been working with the people who are making a positive difference on the Mid North Coast to continue Labor’s strong history of environmental protection. This is important to me as a grandparent of three young Australians. I have a deep personal commitment to a more sustainable future, and I understand education and secure well-paid jobs are essential for kids in our regional communities.
I have been passionate about disaster management and emergency services since my days as the Hill end community nurse. Since coming to the North Coast, I have joined the SES as a volunteer and the commitment and expertise of my unit never ceases to amaze me.
We can achieve great things when we work together to meet challenges. There is no better example than our response to recent natural disasters. My personal strengths include the ability to bring people together for a common cause and assisting people to channel their energies and interests for mutual benefit. I spent nearly a decade on the Board of the Central West Women’s Health Centre in Bathurst providing strong Governance for essential women’s health services and I’m proud to say they are still going strong.
Our businesses cannot thrive if their customers have no money left after they pay for essentials such as housing, bills and food. It is deeply distressing how hard it is for so many people in Page to just live, work and care for their families. That is why I decided to stand as the Labor Candidate. It was a big decision for me and my family, but I strongly believe Page needs a fresh approach.
The last decade of Liberal and National Governments both Federal and State has seen housing and living costs blow out and services disappear or become unaffordable as wages have not kept pace. The safety of our community depends on decent living standards and a safety net for all, so that no one is left behind.
When people describe how they are feeling, they often talk about their health and their safety. Safety is not just about being “tough on crime”. That just makes the people feel afraid and mistrustful of each other. Real safety is about young people feeling comfortable at school and online. It’s about women and children being safe in their homes and when they are not it’s about them being able to leave and find refuge. It’s about older people being protected from incessant scammers and being able to keep cool in a heatwave. It’s these day-to-day experiences that leave people feeling anxious and stressed when our community and our services are not meeting their needs.
Labor has a strong record in supporting safe healthy communities. Only Labor funds education and health for all not just those that can pay. Labor has introduced protections for people online whether this be young people on social media or older folk vulnerable to scammers.
Labor has always driven gender equality and safety by improving the gender pay gap, increasing the funding for domestic violence programs and economic reforms to name a few. This has accelerated in the last three years with the talented majority female Labor Government. Only Labor recognises the demands on carers though improved access to quality early education, aged care and NDIS services.
Labor and the union movement work hard to keep people safe at work and by protecting your rights at work. The Albanese Labor Government has delivered the lowest average unemployment of any government in fifty years while at the same time inflation is down and wages are up
Labor recognises that climate change is real that we need to move to a renewable energy future and to build resilience to adapt to the challenges of a warming planet. History tells us only Labor will work with our community to prepare and respond quickly and appropriately to the fires floods and heatwaves that will continue to come.
Only Labor will support the self-determination of our First Nations people. They have looked after this country for over 60,000 years and will be critical to meeting the challenges we face.
There is a very stark contest in this election for the people of Page. Labor is repairing and rebuilding our economy. It is putting money back into workers pockets through increased wages, fairer tax cuts, energy rebates and the investment into housing, health and education as only Labor can. All the Liberals and Nationals are offering is a risky and expensive nuclear fantasy, along with huge cuts to the services we all rely on every day.
I ask the people of Northern NSW and the Northern Rivers to think about what is important to their life today and into the future and vote for me as a Labor representative for Page. I promise to work harder and smarter to deliver real improvements and opportunities and to bring our communities closer together.
