Eyes on equity for Eureka

LABOR Member for Buninyong Michaela Settle is seeking a second term in parliament, contesting the new electoral zone of Eureka.

A Ballarat local since 2011, Ms Settle said the best part of her job has been having a direct impact on, and connection with, her community.

“I’ve always been a big believer of talking directly to people in the community because I think that’s how you understand the real issues that need to be addressed,” she said.

“People have lost faith in politics so it’s about reminding people that our job is to help them.

“I come from a long line of community involvement. My parents had the first homeless boys’ halfway house in the 1960s, so I was born into community service.”

With the former Buninyong electorate part of the Eureka seat, Ms Settle said it’s “bittersweet” to lose many familiar suburbs, but she’s already reaching to the new communities.”

“We’ve spent a lot of time down south getting to know people in Teesdale and Rokewood. For me it’s about getting out there on the ground,” she said.

“What I love about this job is getting to know people in the community and the other side of it is you get entirely new communities to know.”

Ms Settle has a background in media, theatre and the arts, previously worked at Ballarat Community Health, and also ran her family farm in Ararat while raising her two sons.

She said if re-elected, her priorities will be in ensuring equitable growth for her representative communities.

“We’ve got a growth area in Brown Hill, for example, while a lot of attention seems to be on Ballarat’s west, so it’s about making sure they’re looked after and serviced too,” she said.

“In terms of Golden Plains, it’s about making sure a small school like at Cape Clear has the same resources you can get in Ballarat.

“Access to health is also an issue across small country towns. Regional development is also changing in terms of transport so we need to make sure those surrounding communities can get into Geelong or Ballarat comfortably.”