That was quite a year. It’s hard to believe that Independents for Canberra didn’t exist 12 months ago.

This time last year, Independents for Canberra was just an idea. The name hadn’t even been thought up yet. I was having private conversations with a range of different people who wanted to see politics done differently in the ACT. I had drafted ten principles to inform those conversations – principles describing what we’ve seen from community independents across the country, and what I hoped to see here in Canberra.

I wasn’t sure, yet, if I’d throw my hat in the ring as a standalone independent or work with a wider group of like-minded independents across the ACT under a kind of quasi party structure. I’m very glad I decided to do the latter, using our principles to answer the question of whom to work with and to guide the development of a new model for engaging with the political process that hadn’t been implemented anywhere else in the country.

I’m a big believer in working hard to find common ground – and seeking opportunities to pursue common goals – with people of all different backgrounds. Exercising that belief in the political arena over the last year has been fascinating to say the least, and has brought me into close contact with a wide range of people I never would have met otherwise. I intend to press forward with that mentality in the Assembly, adopting a principles-based approach that creates opportunities to collaborate with colleagues from different ideological backgrounds on any given issue, even if significant disagreement exists on other issues.

Running a political campaign is a very intense experience. Long days packed with as much as one can possibly fit into them puts the squeeze on time with family (and time in bed!). Many campaigners are juggling various forms of employment or running small businesses as well. As a political candidate, you’re being criticised and discouraged by detractors as much as you are applauded and encouraged by supporters. There’s no one way to run a campaign, which means you’re constantly asking yourself if you’re making the best possible use of your time, and whether you’re ‘doing enough’. There’s also a lot of adrenaline and excitement to help drive you forward.

Campaigning as part of a new political organisation that needs to be set up, administered, explained and coordinated made it a particularly unique experience. Thankfully we picked up some absolutely amazing volunteers along the way who, for no reason other than believing in the movement, ended up carrying so much for us. I’ve been absolutely blown away by the number of incredible people I’ve had the fortune of meeting and working with over the past 12 months – from our candidates to our supporters, board members and volunteers. Not to mention the thousands of different community members I had the opportunity to connect with about what matters most to them over the course of the year. What a privilege.

My biggest takeaway from the campaign was the importance of believing in what you’re doing and managing emotional energy in the face of people who want to see you fail. If I’d invested emotionally in every interrogation about how on earth a party of independents can exist – or about how we could prove we weren’t Liberals in disguise, Labor stooges or closet Greens – I wouldn’t have made it to election day. My approach was to believe fully in the principles to which we had all committed, to do my best to follow them at all times, and to seek advice when needed from people I trusted who also believed in what we were doing. That seemed to work pretty well.

If you’re interested in how the campaign unfolded from our launch in early February all the way through to the election in October, you can go back and read our Independents for Canberra campaign updates here.

Since taking my seat in the Assembly, I’ve had the support of a fantastic little team to help me hit the ground running. Having trusted and experienced hands on deck in Leigh and Anne-Louise was especially valuable when Rosie and I welcomed our second child into the world 10 days after the election – on the day results were formally declared! I wasn’t able to take much time off when she was born, so I’m enjoying a welcome break with my family now.

Immediately after the election, I negotiated a solid supply-and-confidence agreement with the incoming government, securing key policy commitments reflecting some of the issues raised as priorities for our community throughout the campaign. I’ve since arranged meetings with each of the relevant Ministers to discuss plans and timelines for delivering on those commitments.

I’ve also met with most of the other MLAs along with dozens of different community members and organisations over the last couple of months. I’ve started hosting fortnightly mobile office events across Kurrajong, plus we’ve scheduled a community BBQ for 31 January, all of which you can find and RSVP for here.

I feel like I learned a lot this year about what people in our community want from our government. I’m loving it, and it’s energising to know there’s loads more to learn and plenty of further conversations to be had. 

Now that I’ve got my feet somewhat under the table, I’m really looking forward to getting stuck into delivering for our community as an Independent Member of the Assembly in 2025.

Happy New Year!