Why I Do This.
I didn't set out to go into politics. I'm a third-generation farmer, and running the farm was always the plan.
That changed because of water. A decision about access to our own property, made a long way from the paddock it affected. Sorting it out meant years on local water advisory groups, learning how the system actually works. One landowner's problem became a long lesson in how government makes its decisions, and how far they can sit from the people they land on.
Government isn't always listening badly. It's often just far away.
I didn't come out of that decade thinking government was acting in bad faith. I came out of it thinking government is simply a long way from where its decisions land. The people who write the policy aren't standing in the paddock. They don't see what a decision does to a farm, a business, a family. Not because they don't care, but because no one ever put it in front of them, clearly and formally enough that they had to answer.
That's the thing that stuck with me: the tools to make government listen already exist. Most people just don't know they're holding them.
Democracy doesn't stop at the ballot box.
We treat election day as the whole of democracy: you vote, then you wait three or four years to do it again. It isn't. Between elections there are questions on notice, petitions, public submissions, committee inquiries. Every one of them a formal way to put something on the record and force a government to answer. I spent years learning how to use them, mostly by trial and error, long before I was ever elected.
Why this site exists.
That's the philosophy behind this site. I'm one voice in a Legislative Assembly of 59. On my own, that voice only carries so far. But every submission lodged in Warren–Blackwood, every petition signed, every question handed to me with the evidence behind it, adds one more voice to mine. Enough of them, and government has to answer.
So this isn't just a place to read about what I'm doing in Parliament. It's a place to learn to do some of it yourselves: how to write a submission that gets weighed instead of filed, how a question on notice really works, how to put a case a government can't wave away. We spent years learning these the hard way. This is us passing it on.
You don't need me to have a say. You just need to know how.
The tools are already yours.
Four that do most of the work. Tap one to see how it works, and how I can help.
Public Submission
When government or a parliamentary committee opens a consultation or inquiry, anyone can put their view in writing. It goes on the official record.
When there's an open review, inquiry or draft policy on something you care about.
I can tell you what's open, help you shape a submission that gets read, and carry its points into the Chamber.
Petition
A formal request to Parliament, signed by members of the public. Once tabled, it puts your issue on the record and calls for action.
When a lot of people share the same concern and you want to show its weight.
A petition has to be presented by a Member. I can present yours in the Assembly and speak to it.
Question on Notice
A written question a Member puts to a Minister. The Minister has to answer on the record, in writing.
When you need facts, figures or a straight answer the government would rather not give.
I lodge questions on notice. Bring me the specific question and the evidence, and I'll put it to the Minister.
Committee Inquiry
Parliamentary committees investigate an issue in depth and take evidence from the public.
When something needs proper scrutiny, beyond a single question.
I can push for issues to be examined and help you give evidence when an inquiry is running.
Whether it's just you or a whole group, start here.
"I'm one mouthpiece in Parliament. Give me the evidence, and I can make it carry a lot further than one vote."
Why I Do This.
I'm one voice for Warren–Blackwood in Parliament. Here is how I make it carry further, and how you can add yours.
I didn't set out to go into politics. I'm a third-generation farmer, and running the farm was always the plan.
That changed because of water. I ran into an access issue on our own property, a decision made a long way from the paddock it affected. Sorting it out meant learning how the system actually works, and years spent on local water advisory groups. One landowner's problem turned into a long lesson in how government policy gets made, and how far it can sit from the people it lands on.
Government isn't ignoring you. It's just far away.
I didn't come out of that decade thinking government was acting in bad faith. I came out of it thinking government is often a long way removed from where its decisions land. The people writing the policy aren't standing in the paddock. They don't always see what a decision does to a farm, a business, or a family, not because they don't care, but because nobody has told them, clearly and formally enough that they have to answer.
That's the thing that stuck with me: the tools to make government listen already exist. Most people just don't know they're there.
Democracy doesn't stop at the ballot box.
We tend to treat election day as the whole of democracy: you vote, then you wait three or four years to do it again. It isn't. In between elections there are questions on notice, petitions, public submissions and committee inquiries, all formal ways to put something on the record and force a government to answer it. I spent years learning how to use them, mostly by trial and error, long before I was ever elected.
Why this site exists.
That's the philosophy behind this site. I'm one voice in a Legislative Assembly of 59. On my own, that voice only carries so far. But every time someone in Warren–Blackwood lodges a submission, signs a petition, or hands me the evidence for a question on notice, that one voice picks up another. Enough of them, and government has to answer.
So this isn't just a place to read about what I'm doing in Parliament. It's a place to learn how to do some of it yourselves: how to write a submission that gets weighed instead of filed away, how a question on notice works and why it matters, and how to put a case to government in a way that's hard to wave off. We've spent a lot of time learning these mechanisms ourselves. This is us passing it on.
You don't need me to have a say. You just need to know how.
"I'm one voice in Parliament. Give me the evidence, and I can make it carry a lot further than one vote."