Voices of Bean has chosen Jessie Price as its independent candidate to contest the federal election. Photo: Supplied.
Take note David Smith MP, an independent is coming after you.
The community independents movement is ramping up ahead of next year’s federal election, and grassroots group Voices of Bean has chosen its candidate for the ACT’s most southern federal electorate.
Currently, Labor’s Smith holds the seat of Bean with a margin of 12.9 per cent.
Voices of Bean wants to change that and has named local midwife Jessie Price as the candidate to take it up to Labor.
Price is a mum, a former journalist, lives in the electorate, and says her whole career has been about connecting with people.
“I grew up in Cooma and used to come to the Hyperdome in Tuggeranong to go shopping,” she told Region.
“I worked as a journalist in South-East Asia and got involved with refugees in Myanmar and a wonderful program supporting midwives.
“I wanted to help out with my own two hands. So I became a midwife and have been for the past 10 or 11 years.
“I’m part of the world nursing and midwifery association and am quite involved in advocating for workers and the system.
“I’m 44 years old, I have a husband, two teenagers, two Jack Russells, and lots of frogs at the moment with the rain we’ve been having.”
The cost of living, housing, health care and access to it, climate change, plus more infrastructure on the south side of Canberra are Ms Price’s priorities.
She wants to run a people-centred campaign.
“I would love to have a stronger community, coming together more,” she said.
“And I want Bean to stop being taken for granted.
“With an independent in Federal Parliament, our electorate of Bean could hold the balance of power in a minority government.
“My whole career has been centred around connecting with people and advocating for better systems. I want politics that is truly for the people, our community, and our future, not for the parties.”
Taking on Labor in the ACT isn’t something Ms Price finds daunting.
“There are no safe seats anymore,” she said.
“People have a new literacy of independents. We’ve had the example of the amazing David Pocock here in the ACT in the Senate and we can do it in the House of Representatives too – in Bean.”
Voices of Bean is hoping to attract Climate 200 funding, which has helped numerous independent candidates get elected, including Senator Pocock.
Labor’s ACT senator Katy Gallagher said she expected Senator Pocock to be re-elected as the first ACT senator to get across the line in next year’s election.
She said even the Senate race in the ACT should now be considered a marginal seat contest.
Voices of Bean describes itself as a group of volunteers inspired by similar Community Independents groups around the country.
“The Community Independents movement started in 2013 when the people of Indi in Victoria demanded better representation and succeeded in having a community candidate, Cathy McGowan, replace the sitting MP in a ‘safe’ seat. Indi has been held by an Independent ever since,” the group states on its website.
“Taking inspiration from Indi, similar groups have sprung up around the country, with Zali Steggall being elected as the Member for Warringah in 2019, and then six more (‘Teal’) Independent MPs being elected in 2022, from WA, Victoria and NSW.
“And right here in the ACT, community group proACT endorsed an independent, David Pocock, for the Senate at the 2022 election, and he was elected.
“This is a movement that is reviving democracy in Australia and changing the way politics works. It is challenging the two-party system and giving voters more choice and more say in how they are represented.
“There have always been independent candidates, but it is the ones backed by a community movement who have a real chance of succeeding.”
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