No stranger to the campaign trail, Samantha Ratnam, Greens candidate for Wills, VIC brings almost a decade of experience in local and state politics, including time as Victorian Greens leader, as well as a keen eye for injustice as an advocate for migrants and refugees. She hopes to offer an alternative to the major parties to tackle the big problems people are facing, such as affordability and the climate crisis.
- What prompted you to run for Federal Parliament?
Samantha Ratnam: As someone who cares deeply about our community, it is devastating that so many of us are struggling to make ends meet. Labor is backing their corporate donors making billions in profit, and failing to tackle the scale of the cost of living, housing or climate crises we are experiencing. We know Dutton would be worse.
But it doesn’t have to be this way and I wanted to offer a choice to the people of Wills. I believe that politics is about choices. We can choose to reform the housing market, make big corporations pay their fair share of tax and use it to fund world class health, education and public services. We can choose to take on the supermarkets and end their price gouging. We can do so much more to end the invasion and occupation of Gaza and end military exports to Israel. We can stop more coal and gas and tackle the climate crisis.
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2. What do you think are the pressing needs of the local community in your area?
Samantha Ratnam: Our campaign has knocked on over 60 000 doors and the number one issue coming from our conversations with the community is cost of living. Many in the community are struggling with the high costs of rents or mortgages, increasing food prices and accessing the healthcare they need. The conflict in Gaza is also a key issue for the people of Wills. The Greens have a plan to cap rents, deliver low rate mortgages, make price gouging by the supermarkets illegal to bring down grocery prices and put dental into medicare and make visiting the GP free.
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3. There is much disillusionment with politics and politicians in current times. What would you do to change that public perception?
Samantha Ratnam: Our campaign has been focused on having thousands of conversations with people in the community. Listening to the community is one of the most important things anyone vying for political office should be doing. I understand why so many people are disillusioned – the major parties aren’t tackling the big problems people are facing. Labor is tinkering around the edges while the Liberals will make things worse. My advice to people who are feeling disillusioned is that if you want change you have to vote for it. We can’t keep voting for the same two parties and expecting a different result.
4. Tell us a bit about your background – personal and professional (where home is in South Asia, when you arrived here, or if you were born here, what you do for work outside of politics etc)
Samantha Ratnam: My family arrived in Australia from Sri Lanka in the late 1980s after the civil war broke out. Through this experience and the migration journey, I learned about how important politics is when it comes to people having the resources and opportunities they need to build a good life. I trained as a social worker and worked in community services for 15 years including in international development and settlement services for newly arrived migrants and refugees. I got involved in politics because I was very worried about climate change and wanted to help take action. I was elected to local council including as mayor and served in the state parliament of Victoria for 7 years before putting my hand up for the federal seat of Wills.
