Attributing her successful campaign down to personally connecting with her electorate, new Canberra Liberals MLA for Yerrabi, Leanne Castley, is deeply passionate about her community.

After growing up in north Canberra and having spent most her life here, Ms Castley told Canberra Daily she was “honoured” to be elected into the Legislative Assembly by a community she’s been a part of for the past six years.

“It isn’t something that I take lightly and I’m looking forward to meeting more people in the electorate,” she said.

Having run as the Australian Liberal Party candidate for the House of Representatives electorate of Fenner in the 2019 election, Ms Castley first decided to enter the political fray because she “got sick of complaining about things”.

“I want to speak up for and represent people like myself who strive to work hard and provide for themselves and their families,” she said.

Ms Castley unseated incumbent Canberra Liberals MLA James Milligan at last month’s election and cited “personal contact” with her electorate for her success, saying it was “by far the most important part of my campaign”.

“I will be working to achieve better outcomes for the people of Yerrabi and I believe that starts with getting to know them and understanding more deeply what their biggest needs are,” she said.

“I’m very practical and want to ensure the basic needs of our community are met.”

She referenced “infrastructure, transport, emergency services, health and cost of living” as the biggest issues facing her electorate.

Ms Castley grew up on the north side of Canberra in Flynn and Fraser and has lived in the Gungahlin region for the past six years with her two children.

Prior to entering politics, Ms Castley was an IT project manager and remains a professional country music singer with over 25 years’ experience in the music industry.

This profile on Canberra Liberals MLA Leanne Castley is part of a series Canberra Daily is running on all the ACT’s newly elected MLAs following the 2020 ACT election.

Johnathan Davis | Emma Davidson | Marisa Paterson | Andrew Braddock | Peter Cain | Jo Clay | Rebecca Vassarotti