By YASEMIN TALAT
The woman chosen by Labor to replace Julia Gillard in the seat of Lalor is preparing to battle her first major election campaign.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced last weekend that Australia will go to the polls on 7 September.
And leading the charge for Labor will be Ms Joanne Ryan, school principal and educator.
On the eve of the election being announced, Ms Ryan told Star education would be a key issue.
“Prior to being an endorsed Labor candidate I’m a principal and a teacher, I’m absolutely committed to seeing the national better schools campaign enacted again,” Ms Ryan said.
“I hope that Victoria signs onto that so our state school can join the independent and the Catholic schools in accessing those incredibly important funds to create better opportunity and better outcomes for students,” she said.
Ms Ryan said she felt she had natural rapport with young people and respected their sense of community.
“I’m open to listening to young people and committed to working for them,” Ms Ryan said.
“I think it’s critical in our community, where our number of local youth is so high, that the older people in our community embrace the ideas coming from our younger people and engage with them,” she said.
Ms Ryan said she would also make sure local organisations would be connected to the appropriate people at the federal level and have access to the best advice.
“The seat of Lalor has a broad demographic and it’s really important to make sure all facets of that demographic are being heard,” Ms Ryan said.
“We are an incredibly quick growing area, we have certain challenges but some of those challenges are also equally opportunities,” she said.
“We are fast becoming much more multicultural, that has challenges in the way we work together and embrace one another but it also has fabulous opportunities for new ways of working together.”
Ms Gillard said Ms Ryan would be an excellent representative for the Wyndham community.
“Joanne was born and raised in Werribee and understands the issues that matter to local people,” Ms Gillard said.
“Joanne has a long and proud history of fighting for the region and I know she is committed to improving outcomes for this community.”
Ms Ryan said the former Prime Minister was someone she personally admired.
“The fact that she was the former Prime Minister, makes me feel very honoured, it also demonstrates Julia’s personal commitment to our community,” Ms Ryan said.
“I’m feeling really excited, it’s very humbling to have gotten that level of support, now I have to turn that support into action,” she said.
“It certainly will be new work for me, I just hope and I’m committed, that I will be as good a local member as Julia Gillard was and making sure that this community still gets the quality representation it’s had for the last 15 years.”
