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 first of a series, we find out what the MLAs from the Canberra Liberals in Kurrajong, Brindabella and Murrumbidgee are doing. Next time, we’ll look at the Liberal MLAs from Yerrabi and Ginninderra.

CW has also approached the ACT Green and Labor MLAs and are waiting on their responses.

Elizabeth Lee

(Leader of the Opposition; Shadow Attorney-General; Shadow Minister for Climate Action and for Economic Development, Tourism, and Major Policies; Member for Kurrajong)

Lockdown is a challenging time for many Canberrans. I acknowledge and thank our frontline health professionals working harder than ever keeping Canberrans safe.

I was able to get my second jab last month at the Airport Vaccination Clinic. After feeling a little sore for a day or two, I was back to making calls and checking in on members of our community.

I’ve been chatting to small businesses and peak industry bodies about the challenges of lockdown, to our community organisations where staff are stepping up in aged care, early childhood education and community services, and to parents who have to juggle working from home and remote learning.

It is a challenging time for many in our community, and my team and I have been doing everything we can to help – from providing them with information they need, and listening to their concerns and raising them directly with the Chief Minister and the Health Minister, to putting them in touch with organisations that can provide support (emergency food relief, mental health support, etc).

As leader, I am also very conscious of making sure to check in on my team – my MLAs as well as the Canberra Liberals staff members. Whilst our priority is working with the ACT government on the pandemic response, work continues on policy development, local representation, and preparation for the upcoming estimates hearings.

I have also been spending more time with my two-year-old daughter, Mia, who is definitely a handful! My partner, Nathan, has also been volunteering through his RFS brigade on duty at testing sites, delivering groceries to vulnerable Canberrans, and anything else required.

We have been trying to keep active by doing at-home workouts (check out the video of Mia’s body combat skills on my Twitter!) and enjoying beautiful walks around the Inner South. We are lucky to live in Canberra, with access to beautiful nature walks nearby.

I am so proud of Canberrans; everyone wants to play their part and do the right thing to keep us all safe. The enormous heart that we’ve seen of Canberrans supporting other Canberrans is really heart-warming. This is community.

Jeremy Hanson

(Shadow Minister for Education, for Early Childhood Development, for Police, and for Veterans Affairs; Member for Murrumbidgee)

During lockdown, I’ve been getting on with the normal business of being MLA as much as possible, including talking to constituents (by phone), committee meetings (by Zoom), and working on policy.

I’ve enjoyed spending extra time with my family, and been trying hard not to annoy my wife too much, who is also working from home.

When not working, I spend my time playing guitar and singing badly and staying fit.

Happily, I was also able to get my second Covid vaccination at my local pharmacy.

Nicole Lawder

(Shadow Minister for City Services, for Seniors, for Women, and for Arts; Member for Brindabella)

I have been making phone calls to older Tuggeranong residents. Still responding to usual constituent requests which come in via email and social media.

I spent three days last week volunteering at the ACT Health contact tracing centre. They put the call out to Community Fire Units, of which I am a member in my local area.

It was a great opportunity to contribute to keeping Canberrans safe in this once in a lifetime pandemic and get a better understanding of how it works and what needs to be done. 

Mark Parton

(Shadow Minister for Transport, for Housing and Homelessness, for Sustainable Building and Construction, and for Gaming and Community Clubs; Member for Brindabella)

I’ve been busier than ever thanks to the impact of the lockdown on many Canberrans, and especially its impact on some public housing residents. The lockdown hasn’t stopped people reaching out for help; my in-tray is bulging with pleas for help from small businesses and other members of our community reaching out.

I’ve also had the privilege to do some meal deliveries as a volunteer for Garry Malhotra – Ken Behrens Helping Hand, which is a powerful experience in helping people less fortunate than myself. Keeping in touch with the community is a real challenge due to the lockdown, so I’ve been quite busy on social media, which is proving an effective medium for connecting with people and helping them with their issues.

Our Shadow Cabinet is meeting remotely and making sure our MLA team is connected and tuned in to what each of us is doing. I’m also on the Planning Transport and City Services Committee, whose rhythm has certainly not been interrupted by lockdown – except I have to do all the prep remotely for a video catch-up. Once again, it’s not the same as a face-to-face meeting, but I believe our team is working pretty well in this space.

I’m a keen walker and jogger, and make the most of the one-hour exercise period each day to take in the beautiful hills around Tuggeranong with my wife and our two dogs who are always leading the way, of course. I enjoy cooking and believe I’m not too bad at it, but I’ll leave it to others to judge that.

Giulia Jones

(Deputy Leader of the Opposition; Shadow Minister for Health, Mental Health and Wellbeing, and for Multicultural Affairs; Member for Murrumbidgee)

As a family of Mum, Dad, and six kids aged from three to 15, it’s a full-on time for us. It has been a real juggle during lockdown for my family, with the kids all at home with remote learning.

As the Shadow Minister for Health, I have spent a great deal of my time both closely watching the government’s response, and keeping records so that we can discuss it in detail when the lockdown is over, as well as troubleshooting and asking for improvements to the systems that have been implemented.

I have asked the government to respond to everything from children needing to see a parent dying in hospital, to nurses calling me in distress about systems that aren’t working as well as they really must. I have made contactless food deliveries to neighbours in need, and organised financial support from friends to a family on the brink of collapse.

I have been working hard to advocate for the health care workers who were already suffering from overstretch before this outbreak, and now are carrying an even heavier load as hundreds of their colleagues are in isolation after being contacts; for the business owners who watch years of work disappear in days and who don’t know if they will survive or how they will pay the bills; and for the parents trying to work fulltime while educating children at home – which can easily drive people to their limits.

As a parent, my only suggestion is to walk together. I take my rowdy tribe out every day, and we go off in one direction for about 30 or 40 minutes. Even little kids can walk long distances, and it keeps everyone in my family calmer. Cook the things you love and enjoy them with your family. It is a rare opportunity to reach back into the past and see how our forebears coped with difficulty, and so often it revolved around eating together.

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