Lockdown might have brought ordinary life to a halt, but our political representatives from every party – both government and opposition – are working hard to look after the people of Canberra during this difficult time, while also facing the same personal stresses – from the loneliness of isolation to home schooling. In the third of a series, we find out what some Labor MLAs are doing.

Mick Gentleman

Mick Gentleman, Member for Brindabella, is Minister for Planning and Land Management, for Police and Emergency Services, for Corrections, and for Industrial Relations and Workplace Safety

Working remotely, and during a pandemic, is challenging – many of you know that firsthand. I start each day with an early morning walk through the suburbs of Tuggeranong before jumping straight into preparing for Cabinet by catching up on briefs and meeting with my advisers and relevant officials.

Every morning at 9.30am, the Chief Minister kicks off our virtual Security and Emergency Management Cabinet, bringing together Ministers and Senior Officials to hear from the Chief Health Officer (CHO). Our job is to support the CHO, Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister and Health Minister as they help the Territory navigate these difficult times.

All my portfolios are deeply involved in the pandemic response, and this is on top of the usual business of government.

I’ve been meeting virtually with unions to discuss workplace safety issues and also with industry groups to see how we can safely reopen construction. We just announced that from Friday (10 September) residential construction will be able to resume.

I’ve also been ensuring the public service, particularly our frontline staff, are supported through these changed work conditions. A key thing my team and I’ve been working on is increasing surge capacity – things like deploying students in our community to help distribute vaccines.

ACT Police and our emergency services are doing incredible work right now to support Canberrans during lockdown – I’ve been working with our staff and volunteers to support them and the wider community.

In the Corrections space, I’ve been working with key stakeholders to see how we can better support staff and detainees during this lockdown. 

And planning for our growing Canberra goes on – I’m still speaking with groups and the local community on planning issues so Canberra can continue to grow once we move out of lockdown.

There’s also plenty of work going on behind the scenes to prepare for the return of the sitting of the Legislative Assembly on 16 September.

Like many Canberrans, I sometimes feel stressed with the challenges of working from home – and doing so while in a pandemic. That’s why it’s great to pick up a lockdown hobby, or jump back into an old hobby. 

So while some of my friends have been doing puzzles in lockdown or baking, I’ve been restoring a 1969 Yamaha Trail Bike. It’s been a great way to relax, and a real joy, as I had a similar one when I was 14 and living in Higgins – back then, the suburb was brand-new.

In these stressful times, it’s also important we’re checking in on others. My team and I always have a virtual afternoon tea where we just check in with each other and make sure everyone’s doing okay. We also like doing an online quiz together – something we’ve always done, but never virtually. 

Lastly, it’s been heartening to see how Canberrans have been helping one another to get through this pandemic. It makes me so proud to be a Canberran and to work for and represent this community.  

Suzanne Orr

Suzanne Orr is Member for Yerrabi

The initial most important part of my role as an MLA has been to communicate important information around the lockdown. This also includes notifying residents in my electorate of the support services available to them and being there to answer any questions or concerns people have.

Naturally being an MLA keeps me busy with work, it has been a matter of adjusting to doing all meetings online. I have also had to work with my team to adapt our planned electorate work into a safe and virtual way that is still engaging with constituents.

In my time outside work hours, I have been catching up on some overdue gardening, other activities around my home, and my cat, Portia, is keeping me entertained.

What is it like conducting normal government business during an abnormal period?

I would say it can be very challenging. I am unable to duck into a colleague’s office to have a quick chat or work together on something. As everything is virtual, you really need to plan around what everyone is doing while in lockdown. Virtual meetings and conducting government business from home, naturally can take a little longer too, and I’ve been playing lots of phone tag, but everything is getting done and that’s the important thing.

How are you managing the stress of this time?

My yoga studio has moved all their classes online, so I have been lucky enough to keep up with my yoga routine. I have also been gardening, which is a good way to get fresh air and sunshine, and my plants are looking much healthier than they were. I am also having lots of online chats and after work catch-ups with friends, which is great for company.

What makes you happy during this time? What gives you hope? What inspires you?

Seeing the community come together and work together to beat this virus is inspiring and gives me hope that we will be out of this soon. I am seeing on social media and in the correspondence I received that many people are proud to be a Ken Behren during this time. 

Any tips for surviving lockdown?

Take up the opportunity to complete your one to two hours of daily exercise. Make sure you do so while following the health advice. Don’t forget to take regular breaks if you are working from home, and keep in touch virtually with your friends and family.

Everyone, please keep following all the health advice, only leave your home for essential reasons, and get vaccinated. The more we follow the health advice, the safer we all will be. The ACT Government is here to help, and has a range of support services available for those in need. If you need anything, my team and I are always available to help. You can reach out to my office at [email protected] or (02) 6205 1439.

Dr Marisa Paterson

Dr Marisa Paterson is Member for Murrumbidgee

Now, more than ever, my primary role is to support the local community, and to keep up community spirit however I can. Obviously, this is a time of great uncertainty, anxiety, and stress for many people. I’m receiving a lot of correspondence from local community members about individual concerns and situations, and I am working to assist them as best as possible. This includes working closely with MLA colleagues to obtain and provide accurate and timely information. 

Email correspondence and online meetings with constituents and stakeholders has dominated my work time. I’ve also been heavily reliant on my social media platforms to communicate with the electorate and provide up-to-date information.

I’m also continuing to progress other key projects including the drafting of legislation to amend the Crimes Act in relation to communicative consent, and the survey for the Her Way active travel plan for southside women has just closed, so doing the analysis for that.

However, making, and encouraging the community to make #CBRScarecrows has been perhaps the most unique part of my lockdown experience so far! When a member of the Weston Creek Community Council presented the idea of a community scarecrow competition, in lieu of their Father’s Day community scarecrow workshop, it seemed a great opportunity to engage with the community and keep up morale. The response has been overwhelming. Fifty scarecrows were submitted, and many, many more people logged on to cast their vote in just the first 24 hours of voting! This has been a very happy project. Being able to see the incredible response to something like the #CBRScarecrow competition is really uplifting.

What is it like conducting normal government business during an abnormal period?

There has certainly been a pivot involved. Immediately after we transitioned to home offices, my team and I reassessed our work program and priorities. First up was rescheduling calendar meetings and considering how to respond to the situation and the changing needs of the community. I also gave some thought at that point to what my role as an MLA is at a time like this; how can I best support and represent those in my electorate; what does the community need from me at this point in time. And even that’s changing every week.

My team and I are really well connected throughout the day. We have a daily check-in at the start of each day; and regular online chats and video calls as needed throughout the day. 

How are you managing the stress of this time?

I have three school-aged children, so, yes – this is a busy and stressful time. Like most parents, I find it really hard trying to manage working from home while home-schooling. But we’re doing our best! The mornings are a bit stressful trying to get everyone all hooked up to their classes and online, and doing their school work – however, by the afternoon I tend to have given up and it’s all out the window. Then we try again the next day.

Just like everyone else in the community, my heart sinks whenever the exposure sites are released, or the daily numbers are high. I find that stressful. But that is life in a pandemic I guess, so little things like doing my work outside when the sun is out helps. And the weekends are much more low-key than normal, which also helps to manage the stress.

I booked a Pfizer vaccination as soon as they opened to my age group, but the closest appointment I could get was for late September. So within a couple of day of the lockdown, I decided it was a priority to be vaccinated so I ended up going to my local chemist and received my first dose of AstraZeneca. It was such a relief to have the first vaccination, and it was so easy and quick. There is so much about this pandemic that is very disempowering, but I personally found getting the vaccination an empowering step that I could take to protect myself, my family and my community.

Any messages for the community?

I want to commend our community. There is a sense of everyone looking out for each other and doing this for the greater good. This is a really hard and difficult time, and it affects us all in many different ways. We all have a slightly different situation to deal with, and different ways and means of coping. I think the ACT community is incredible in the way that everyone looks out for each other, and the vast majority of people are doing the right thing, working towards a common goal of getting everyone vaccinated so when we can start to open up, we can protect the community as best as possible. People are keen to say a quick ‘hi’ on the odd occasions that you pass someone (at a distance!) while out walking or doing the essential groceries. At risk of a total cliche, the Canberra community inspires me!

I guess that there is a positive, bright future ahead. In March last year when the nation went into lockdown, a vaccine was non-existent, and we had no idea what was in stall for us. Now, we have multiple vaccines, we understand more and more about the virus and ways we can work to protect the community from it. So, even though these lockdowns are very disheartening, we are a long way ahead of where we were this time last year.

Any tips for surviving lockdown?

Lots of tips – follow my Facebook page to find them all! I’ve been trying to provide positive motivators and distractors for the community most days.

Michael Pettersson

Michael Pettersson is Member for Yerrabi

The most important work is helping constituents navigate fast changing rules. MLAs are a good first port of call when Canberrans have an issue, because we might already know the answer or we know the best way to get it.

The most common thing constituents have needed assistance with is accessing financial supports, but the one I found most surprising was the large number of Canberrans stuck interstate or moving house as COVID-19 hit Canberra. When there’s a problem we can’t immediately solve, we talk to our colleagues and get to work finding a solution. It’s not too different from normal times, but the stakes are far greater. 

I’ve been spending a lot of time talking (and Zooming) to constituents dealing with COVID-19 related issues. There’s still a reasonable amount of non-COVID-19 related correspondence, but it’s lessened. The policy committees of the ACT Legislative Assembly have continued to work throughout the lockdown to make sure we meet our deadlines this year. 

Conducting normal government business during an abnormal period is surprisingly similar. The technology to enable remote work is so advanced and commonplace now that it’s hard to tell who is and who isn’t working from their office.

I was also fortunate that my age cohort recently became eligible to book a vaccination through the ACT Government, so I got to check out the new AIS vaccination hub when I received my first vaccination shot.

It was a very impressive operation getting so many people in and out, and safely. I was a secondary contact early in the lockdown which was a nerve-wracking couple of days. Thankfully, nothing further to report!

How are you managing the stress of this time? What makes you happy at the moment?

I’ve been trying to exercise more and eat healthier. I think it’s been helping. I’m not very good at gardening, so I’ve enjoyed having a bit more time at home to make sure everything is watered properly!

Any tips for surviving lockdown?

Good Wi-Fi.

Any messages for the community?

We’ve got this, Canberra!