Shelby Eade of the Melbourne suburb of Altona is the Greens Party candidate for the federal electorate of Nicholls.
Ms Eade was born in Echuca and raised in Rochester, studied photography in Melbourne and currently works as a horticulturalist.
She is running for the electorate because she believes there are not enough young people fighting for their electorates.
“It’s been Nationals for as long as I can remember, and there’s never any proper Greens representation in the country,” Ms Eade said.
Among her top concerns for Nicholls is seeing dental covered under Medicare, which she said would lower the cost of treatment and help prevent other health issues.
Fully funding the NDIS to support vulnerable community members and implementing free childcare are other high priorities for Ms Eade.
“I’m at the age where I would probably start considering having a child, but the price of everything is putting me off,” she said.
A key Greens policy is increasing taxes on large corporations and billionaires, to generate more money for public services and reduce cost-of-living pressures.
“A nurse shouldn’t be paying more tax than a billionaire,” Ms Eade said.
Addressing the effects of climate change and disasters worsened by its effects locally, which Ms Eade has experienced first-hand, is another top concern.
On housing, Ms Eade said she would advocate for capping rent increases, raising and enforcing minimum standards for renters, and disincentives for landlords keeping vacant properties off the market.
She believes healthcare services in Nicholls need to be improved, including ambulance wait times and the lack of medical student graduates working in regional areas.
“There needs to be more incentive to get people working in the country because people leave town to go to uni, and not many people come back,” Ms Eade said.
Of Campaspe Shire Council’s advocacy priorities, flood mitigation was chosen as a priority.
Overall, Ms Eade said she would be an active member for Nicholls if elected, and saw the role as being hands-on.
She said she was willing to listen and learn, and would connect with communities across the electorate to hear residents’ needs.
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