JoGash

My father gave me a strong sense of fair play and taught me that there are two kinds of people in this world: those who do the work and those who take the credit. "Jo", he said, "always be in the first group as there is far less competition." He was right, for there are no short cuts in life. I left school at 15 to help support the family budget.

My passion for public advocacy and fighting for what’s right was aroused when, as a mother of two daughters and not yet 21, I was not even able to vote for those who ran the country!

I stood for Parliament because I believed my life experience gave me the skills to achieve a balance in the decision making process and its outcomes. I was determined to make things better for the people in our area - people who I consider to be like family.

The previous Labor government ignored the basic infrastructure of regional communities. This divided families and fostered a sense of dependency rather than generating investment and creating much-needed jobs.

Australia faces serious challenges in the future. Now, more than ever, we need to ensure that we have a team with a long-term plan and proven leadership to help us deal most effectively with those challenges.