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My name is Virginia Waters, and I have had the privilege of calling this remarkable area; these lands of the Widjabal Wia-bal, home for the past 28 years. I love this place!

Over those years, I’ve seen our community face both triumphs and challenges, and through it all, I’ve been deeply inspired by the resilience, creativity, and commitment of the people who live here. It’s this deep connection to our land, and the diverse community that has motivated me to run for the Lismore City Council as part of this highly competent Greens ticket.

The environment and community have always been at the heart of my life and work - it's why I live here and brought my children up here. Our lands, our waters, and the complex ecosystems they support are precious, and they deserve representation. Who will fight to protect and preserve them? We will.

All my life I’ve been an advocate for conservation, regeneration, water security and nature-based solutions, and I believe that with the right leadership, we can have a sustainable future where our environment and our communities can flourish together.

Growing up in close-knit rural towns in the Lachlan Valley and Riverina, community has always been at the heart of my life. This upbringing instilled in me a deep commitment to advocacy and building community capacity. It inspired me to study Community Services, and apart from several years working in Events and Tourism, including seven years with Lismore City Council, I’ve always worked in the community services sector.

My experiences, including living on shared land, have taught me the importance of compromise and negotiation to achieve the best outcomes for all while knowing when to stand firm on important issues. These experiences have shaped my understanding of the complexities within communities and reinforced the importance of communication, collaboration and connection as the building blocks of a healthy community. If I were to be elected as a councillor, these values and skills will guide me, ensuring respectful discussions, encouraging diverse perspectives, and prioritising genuine consultation to achieve the best outcomes for our community.

It’s impossible to focus on just one issue when so much needs to be done. We are in a period of social and environmental crisis. Fires, floods, landslips, housing affordability, homelessness, domestic violence, and a profound lack of youth services. All of these are urgent issues that demand immediate and sustained attention. To navigate these multiple crises, we need an accountable and transparent council that can lead effectively and focus on community-led recovery and solutions. It also needs lateral thinking and practical approaches to these issues, which is a skill I can bring, especially in critical situations and times.

The internal culture within the council chamber and within the council is in desperate need of repair. We need to work towards a culture of civility, respect, collaboration, inclusivity and transparency where every voice is heard and included. In the recent past the productive and friendly relations of councillors with staff and of councillors with community has been compromised.

As a member of the Nimbin community, I love its creativity, diversity, and spirit. I've been actively involved in Nimbin’s sustainable community strategic planning, the development and implementation of the Nimbin Disaster Plan, and I served on several groups and committees, including 16 years on a parent-run school committee as Secretary and Treasurer. I have also spent many terms on the Board of a Co-operative Housing community and held positions as Convenor, Secretary and Housing Coordinator. This experience has given me a solid understanding of and training in governance, its processes and procedures. If elected, I bring a working understanding of policy, strategies and planning to the chamber.

The recent floods and landslips have devastated our area. I have been part of emphasising sustainable community-led recovery efforts, and I'm dedicated to expanding on those efforts. As a member of the Nimbin Disaster Resilience Group, I am keenly focused on climate-conscious decisions and preparedness for future disruptions. I have extensive experience in and managing community response and projects related to natural disasters since the 2019 fires. During that crisis, I coordinated volunteer efforts, facilitating emergency responses, and organised recovery initiatives. My work on recovery projects after fires and floods has involved building preparedness and capacity with a trauma-informed focus, ensuring that our responses are sensitive to the needs of those affected.

For years, Nimbin has lacked a strong voice in the council chamber, and I'm determined to be that advocate for Nimbin and other villages in our LGA. I'm also committed to addressing the urgent issues facing our LGA. Most importantly, we need strong advocacy for increased affordable housing, expanded youth services, and the large-scale relocation or recycling of homes acquired by the Reconstruction Authority, as well as ongoing support for our flood-affected community members. It is imperative that genuine community consultation and the development of a comprehensive Lismore Community Strategic Plan occur. Post-disaster Lismore LGA needs a vision and roadmap to the future.

I am proud to be running on The Greens ticket alongside some of the most committed and capable people in our community.

Vanessa Grindon-Ekins, our mayoral candidate, was instrumental in bringing about the handback of the North Lismore Plateau sacred land, The Sleeping Lizard, during her previous tenure as Mayor. To my knowledge Lismore City is the only council to commit to reconciliation in this way, and we’re very proud of this achievement. Vanessa ran a council of great transparency with a culture of inclusion and empowerment. She has been an inspiring leader and an inspiration for my candidacy, demonstrating time and again that with collaboration and respect, we can achieve great things for our community. As Mayor, she achieved a good working and functional Council.

Adam Guise, current Councillor and our lead candidate, was a strong voice in the Bentley Blockade and continues to be champion for the community and our Relocatable Homes. He is another dedicated community leader who shares my passion for creating a sustainable, inclusive future for Lismore and ensuring a community-led recovery. This election is a critical moment for our community. It’s a chance to choose leaders who will work to protect our environment and communities, support a sustainable local economy, and create a compassionate, inclusive Lismore.

How you vote in this election will affect how we progress - will we be sold out and our work be outsourced, or will we become a strong self-reliant community? That's the reality you are facing when you pick up the pencil in the booth this September.

I’m excited by the prospect of being part of the healing and transformation of this community. In my opinion, by voting for The Greens, you are voting for a group that is dedicated to making a real difference in our community. You are voting for a future and future generations where our environment is protected, where our jobs are protected, where “reduce, reuse, recycle” are the bywords of our recovery.

So, on election day, I urge you to;

Vote 1 The Greens, 2 Labor above the line for Council

Vote 1 Vanessa Grindon-Ekins for Mayor

Virginia Waters

Candidate for Lismore City Council

To find out more about Lismore Greens, or support our campaign, visit https://greensoncouncil.org.au/lismore/.