Independent candidate Fiona Carrick has announced that Marea Fatseas will be her support candidate for the electorate of Murrumbidgee in the October 2024 ACT Legislative Assembly election.
“The electorate of Murrumbidgee now takes in the Inner South suburbs of Yarralumla, Deakin, Forrest and Red Hill,” Ms Carrick said. “Marea has a strong track record as a community advocate standing up for inner south residents as the former Chair of the Inner South Canberra Community Council and as a former President of the Yarralumla Residents Association. Her experience and insights will contribute significantly to my campaign in Murrumbidgee.”
Ms Fatseas has been a volunteer with environmental organisations, and a volunteer tutor. For more than a decade, she has been part of the core volunteer team that developed, delivered and now operates a community-owned solar farm in the ACT.
Ms Fatseas said she brings significant management, policy development, and program management experience through her public and private sector careers, including in innovation, large-scale research/industry collaborations, and international education co-operation. She is the daughter of Greek immigrants, and empathises with the challenges facing immigrants in Australia.
“I want to support Fiona to become the first Independent in the ACT Legislative Assembly in over two decades,” Ms Fatseas said. “She has shown a strong commitment as a volunteer community advocate standing up for the interests of Woden and southern Canberra residents for many years. She cares for her local community, and will advocate for positive changes to benefit the Murrumbidgee electorate and the broader ACT community.”
Fiona Carrick, former President of the Woden Valley Community Council (2016–24), stood in the 2020 election, when she attracted the largest independent vote, and came fourth on first preferences, receiving more than MLAs Emma Davidson (ACT Greens) or Ed Cocks (Canberra Liberals), but did not receive enough preference flows.
Ms Carrick is a federal public servant working on major transport infrastructure policy; holds a Commerce degree and a CPA qualification, which led to many years of managing budgets, and certificates in horticulture and arboriculture; and is an active member of her local community fire unit. She grew up in Woden, and says she would bring a strong local focus, to address issues such as the loss of social amenity in the area, and the lack of affordable and social housing.
“I am standing as a local independent candidate because the government shows a lack of vision and ambition for the Murrumbidgee electorate,” Ms Carrick said. “The electorate is diverse, with new suburbs in Molonglo and older leafy green suburbs in the Inner South. Regardless of where we live, we all need great planning to ensure densification is done well with great design, trees, and shops that attract small business and jobs to create activity and build strong local communities.
“Unfortunately, our social infrastructure has not been a priority for this government with the ongoing loss of community facilities in Woden. For example, the basketball stadium was demolished, and the pool and the ice rink were sold to Geocon – high yield developers. This has led to a lack of indoor recreation facilities that are accessible by public transport where we can build our local community connections to support our physical and mental health.
“We have the highest rate of persistent homelessness in Australia, yet our public housing stock decreased over the last 10 years while the population increased. The high cost of living is driven by poor access to affordable housing, it can be difficult to access health professionals, and our Year 12 attainment rates are below the Australian Year 12 attainment rates.
“After 23 years of majority Labor or Labor/Greens governments, with Liberals the only other voice, it is time for independent voices to have the opportunity to represent our communities. The formation of a crossbench that is not aligned to party politics would provide better outcomes by tempering the absolute power of a majority government, and allow recommendations from the committee system to be more rigorously considered.
“I have the experience and qualifications relevant to effectively representing Murrumbidgee residents, and I am committed to standing up for our communities with a strong independent voice that is not aligned to party politics. I will vote on issues based on merit, and demand transparency around expenditure and net debt.”
Ms Carrick says she would not align with any party; she would assess each proposal on the evidence and its merits, seeking expert advice; she would promote the best interest of the community, not vested interests; and she would work with all MLAs to achieve the best outcomes for the community. If she has the balance of power, she would consider the makeup of the Legislative Assembly and the best options for the community; and ensure a government is formed so a Budget is passed, and essential services are delivered.
“I encourage all people and organisations in the Murrumbidgee electorate to contact me to discuss their views and issues, so I am better informed about community needs,” Ms Carrick said.
For more information, go to fionacarrick.com.
