Linda Seymour Newsletter No 4.

Welcome to newsletter No 4 in my campaign. To make sure you get all the information, I suggest you view the newsletter in your browser.
 

Hello supporter

We need to talk about our democracy and integrity.

But first, I hope you and your loved ones managed to escape severe impacts from the flooding that has drenched the east coast of Australia. We narrowly missed major flooding in our electorate, even though it was forewarned. This weather event has been described by Dominic Perrottet as a 1 in 1000. I beg to differ, sadly it is looking like they are going to have to redo the statistics on floods as well as fire.

This major flooding event that has taken lives and left thousands of homes uninhabitable, has coincided with the IPCC report 'Climate Change 2022: Impact, Adaption and Vulnerability'. The report highlights again, the urgent need to act.

The report also highlights that "the effectiveness of available adaptation options decreases with every increment of increased warming. Successful adaptation requires urgent, ambitious and accelerated action and, at the same time, rapid and deep cuts in greenhouse gas emissions. The quicker and further emissions fall, the more scope there is for people and nature to adapt".

None of this is easy, and it will require collective effort to create solutions, but it gets harder and harder the longer we leave it. With all this evidence at hand, including our lived experience in the form of fires and floods, why is our government not acting? Why indeed? 

I was first driven into this political space by how frustrated I was that Craig Kelly was a climate change denier and he was going into our schools and telling children to ignore their teachers and their parents. Then came the terror of the catastrophic 2019/20 fires and his claim that arsonists were at fault. I live in Bonnet Bay and our community knows all about fires and loss and we know that fire should never be treated as a political wedge. After speaking with experts and organising community forums, I realised that if we had integrity in our government, we would already have action on climate instead of a bunch of marketing videos and embarrassing claims at international events. 

The lack of integrity of those in power was again highlighted in their response to complaints regarding the personal safety of women working in our local MPs office.

I was furious when the Prime Minister cared more about his votes in Parliament than he did about Craig Kelly spreading misinformation about Covid treatments. Remember when Scott Morrison stood up at the National Press Club and announced.

“He’s not my doctor and he’s not yours. But he does a great job in Hughes.”

Money, rorts and deception have become the driver of elections, and the real needs of our community are not even considered as powerbrokers focus on winning at all costs.

The current broken system suits the major parties with their dumbed-down election slogans, marketing, and massive overspends on political campaigns. And this same model is being copied by micro-parties and some independents. To get that money, they need donations. Donations from corporations or individuals that supposedly seek nothing more than 'to support democracy'. Gina Reinhardt and Clive Palmer, two of the biggest donors in Australia, are not known for their altruistic spirit. But they are known for making a lot of money from digging great big holes in the ground and for being outright science deniers.

Since before We Are Hughes began, I have been called 'too ethical' by so-called 'political fundraisers', apparently this is an actual job. I was told, 'I may not like the game but that is how it is played'. But if someone doesn’t ever stand up and say I am not playing by your rules because the fundamentals of the game are wrong, nothing will ever change.

I have been 'advised' to simply get ten or twenty donations of $5000 from my network. Um, sorry, that might be OK for .001% but that is not my Australia, and utterly detached from my reality. I do not “network” with people based on their wealth profile, I work with people because they are my community, and they have needs that should be highlighted. Apparently, that is the opposite of what I am 'supposed' to do if I did politics as usual. But how do we get change if we are not the change we wish to see?

You can probably tell from my tone that I am extremely serious about how intertwined integrity is with functional democracy. To create change I need the support of people who can see beyond marketing, beyond short-term promises. To pinch an oldie but a goodie, I need you.

I am passionate about bringing integrity back to politics and to the Australian Government. Join me, We Are Hughes and the Australian Democracy network online on Wednesday night for our information and discussion event, Confronting State Capture - Integrity and Corporate Influence. RSVP here.

We also have our exciting koala event on Sunday, this will be a great opportunity to find out more about amazing local wildlife, to break out your purple shirt and to talk with our volunteer organisers about jobs you may be able to help us with.

As always, if you wish to donate I am always happy for the help and if you can spare some of your time or skills we would love to have you share this journey with us. We also have a raffle up and running. Great prizes donated by great supporters.

I always want to hear from the Hughes community, so please do not hesitate to contact me. 

What have I been seeing, hearing and doing this week?

Like everyone, I've been at home a lot this week - thank you weather. I know this is a minor inconvenience compared to what fellow Australians are experiencing, especially in northern NSW and southern Queensland. Even our community has experienced evacuation warnings and flooding.

I did have a rather spectacular opportunity on Wednesday night to join a couple of campaign supporters at the Illawong Alfords Point Progress Association meeting. There was an unexpected speaker, Craig Kelly, and I was able to listen to his rhetoric about why he became a UAP candidate. Turns out it isn't that complicated, they had the most money (integrity, politics and money ... again!). I was able to ask him a couple of questions about why he thought his stance on vaccinations represented Hughes and whether he thought his stance on 'freedom' aligned with his support for the Cashless Welfare Card. You can read more about the meeting here. 

I will be out and about this week, a couple of local cafes are helping me out to celebrate International Women's Day on Tuesday, and I will be speaking at the Confronting State Capture - Integrity and Corporate Influence forum on Wednesday night. Make sure you check Facebook or my website to keep up with my movements, especially if you want to catch up. If you have an idea for a good place to meet people, could be your local club, a particularly busy bus stop, or a community event, let me know, I am keen to meet as many people as I can.

Happy International Women's Day, #BreakTheBias

The photo above is from the March 2021 Women's Rally at Parliament House in Canberra when I joined with thousands of women and men to protest against gendered violence. 

This Tuesday is International Women's Day and the 2022 theme is #BreakTheBias. In the words of the movement:

Imagine a gender equal world.

A world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination.

A world that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive.

A world where difference is valued and celebrated.

Together we can forge women's equality.

Collectively we can all #BreakTheBias.

This Tuesday I am proud to offer a free coffee to women and men at:

Cafe Y at Menai

Chill Cafe, Engadine and

The Phoenix at Engadine Shopping Square

Please note, the coffee's are limited and not free all day. You are welcome to pay-it-forward if you want more people to think about International Women's Day and Breaking the Bias.

Online event

Confronting State Capture - Integrity and Corporate Influence.

RSVP here.

09 Mar, 7:30 pm – 8:30 pm AEDT

We are all hearing about the vast amounts of money being spent on political campaigns. In Hughes, we have an MP who has chosen his political allegience based on the amount of money to which he would have access as he campaigned. Other big political donors are seeking to influence the outcome of the election by pouring money into seats with which they have no connection. Lobbyists are also given direct links to parliamentarians through their wealth in ways that ordinary citizens do not. All of this money and influence erodes the basic tennents of democracy.

The Australian Democracy Network are an independent organisation working to build a movement for a better democracy. With partner organisations and experts, ADN have put together a Framework for a Fair Democracy - available as a resource to any party or candidate who wants to present a strong integrity platform. Join us as we discuss their resource "Confronting State Capture" with Isabella Morand, ADN Digital Campaigner, and hear the We Are Hughes Independent candidate, Linda Seymour weigh in on her position on integrity and donation reform.

Face-to-face event

Koalas, Hughes and why we need to care

Please register and join us at our Hughes-focussed event to learn more about our natural habitat, with the koala in the starring role. Find out more about the event here Koalas, Hughes and why we need to care.

Fundraising - a raffle!

We have had many community members donating beautiful items to run our raffle, including pearl jewelry, authentic Aboriginal artworks, vouchers, and even pet photography. All so we can get Linda elected. These items represent the generous nature of our supporters, as well as the beautiful area we call our home. All online here.

Tickets are priced at $5 each, 3 tickets for $12, 5 tickets for $20, 8 tickets for $30, 10 tickets for $40, 15 tickets for $50, 25 tickets for $75

Upcoming Events

Every event is different, they may be a chance to share my perspectives on issues that are important to me or a chance to let me know about what is important to you. If you have a purple shirt, wear it (you won't be alone) and join the fun.

• Tuesday 8th March, International Women's Day promotion, Cafe Y, Menai

• Tuesday 8th March, International Women's Day promotion, Chill Cafe, Engadine

• Tuesday 8th March, International Women's Day promotion, The Phoenix at Engadine Shopping Square

• Wednesday 9th, Online forum, Confronting State Capture - Integrity and Corporate Influence. RSVP here.
• Saturday 12th March, Sustainability Expo, Bundeena. I will be attending the talks at the Preschool and would love to meet you during the breaks. I'll be wearing a purple shirt, if you have a t-shirt, it will be a good place to show yours off too.
• Sunday 13th March, Koalas, Hughes and why we need to care. Why are purple koalas appearing in support of my campaign? This is an important and ultimately uplifting event. Spaces are limited, so be sure to register for this free event to guarantee a space. 
• Saturday 9th April, save the date. Something extraordinarily uplifting is happening in Sutherland with Tim Flannery and other amazing speakers and a film premiere. Details to come. We can't wait for this one.

Stay up to date via our website and social media 

If you are on Facebook or Twitter or Instagram we encourage you to engage with our social pages. They are updated daily and address the issues of the day. By engaging and liking or commenting you help increase our reach. This is an immediate action you can take to help me with my campaign. 

My website is regularly updated with blog posts and you can now find previous newsletters. Please take the time to explore the website news and updates. 

Flyers, signs and stickers! Help us get the word around town

Our campaign is underway - and we want as much community involvement as possible. With your help, we can get our message out, we would love you to be part of the team changing Hughes.

The rain has slowed us down for this week, but we are always looking for people to help our team deliver flyers although our team is covering a lot of ground quickly. Please contact us if you can help. Other jobs for volunteers are coming up to, we would love you to join us.

You can also use the contact to grab a Vote 1 Linda Seymour sign for your front yard. As long as they are on your property, you are allowed to start putting them up now. 

As a reminder of the vulnerability of Hughes to climate change, here are some of the community fire unit trailers we have come across as we deliver our flyers around Hughes.

Thank you :)

Everyone wants to know that the person representing Hughes in Parliament works hard every day to improve our lives.  

Unfortunately, the people of this beautiful place we call home have been repeatedly let down by a member who has undermined our public health response, and ignored the science on climate change. 

I am doing politics differently, working constructively with all across our electorate. With your support, I will continue to speak to people living in Hughes, to businesses and community groups. If you are able, please chip in to support to my campaign so that I can be a representative that works for you. I will keep working hard for action on climate change, integrity in politics, and a better future for us all… every amount helps. 

Acknowledgement of Country

I acknowledge and respect the traditional owners of the regions we are fortunate to inhabit. I recognise their connection to the lands, the waters, culture and community. I recognise all Elders past, present and future. I extend that respect to all Indigenous persons who visit our site and welcome all to join in our cause.