Sara Poguet is an Independents for Canberra candidate for Kurrajong.

My background, with a Labor-supporting mother, a Liberal-leaning stepdad, and Green-supporting grandparents, made for a political battleground at the dinner table. This upbringing led me to choose an independent path, prioritising people over politics.

My priorities revolve around a key question: “How can we shift expenditure to ensure every dollar furthers the economic and social prosperity of our Territory?” This means asking tough questions and demanding clear, reliable evidence.

Take our nurses, for instance. Nurses work under intense pressure with long shifts and insufficient support, contributing to burnout and a struggling system. Yet, the government spends $220 a night on accommodation for out of state healthcare workers, which is a temporary fix. This money should be invested in permanently attracting and retaining these essential workers and addressing the root causes of our healthcare issues.

Let’s not forget the $160 million overspend on the Digital Health Record, which nurses and midwives report still isn’t fit for purpose.

Mental health is a critical issue. Rising rates of anxiety, depression, and suicide highlight the inadequacies in mental health services, particularly for young people. Recent forums we’ve hosted and attended have exposed gaps in mental health services and the impact on families and communities.

One organisation we met with had chilling predictions: mental health among young people will be even worse in two years. This should be a wake-up call. If we had taken earlier action, we might not be facing the crisis we are in now.

We don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Comparing ourselves to Victoria and NSW, we see that clear planning frameworks result in better healthcare outcomes. Victoria’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Act 2022 led to a 15 percent reduction in mental health crisis admissions, while NSW’s focus on prevention and community-based care decreased emergency presentations by 20 percent in five years. These are real, tangible results, and the ACT should follow suit.

But mental health services alone aren’t the full picture. As the Mental Health Community Coalition rightly points out, we must also address the broader factors affecting mental wellbeing – like social support, economic stability, housing affordability, and the cost of living. These are all intertwined, and by tackling them together, we can create a healthier and happier society.

Although Canberra boasts one of the highest rates of healthcare spending per capita in Australia, we have bugger-all to be proud of when it comes to real healthcare outcomes. Despite huge spending, we see chronic underfunding in critical areas such as mental health, specialist services, and dementia care. It is unacceptable that we are forced to travel to Sydney, Goulburn, or Wollongong to access specialist care. Dementia care is a real, pressing concern. Stakeholders, eager to make a difference, grapple with a challenge: private funding is in place without land being made available by the ACT Government.

We must ensure that healthcare, housing, and mental health services are fully integrated into our city planning. Failing to do so will only deepen the crises we’re already experiencing in these areas.

One of the key reasons we continue to face these crises is a lack of transparency and accountability in public spending. The government’s $78 million bungled IT project highlights just how mismanaged our public funds have been. This level of waste demonstrates how government blunders stand in the way of addressing real community needs.

Moreover, the lack of transparency regarding light rail costs and timelines underscores the need for a new approach to governance. Canberrans deserve to know how their money is being spent, especially on major infrastructure projects that affect daily life.

As someone who’s lost loved ones to the failings of our system, I’ve seen firsthand the damage that political manoeuvring does when it comes to healthcare, mental health services, housing, and education. If we want a Canberra that thrives, we need leaders who are willing to listen, act, and make themselves accountable to our community.

It’s time for a new kind of politics in the Legislative Assembly – one that follows expert advice and is community-focused and transparent. Above all, we need leaders who are dedicated to long-term solutions, not more Band-Aids.

Views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of the publication.