High-profile environmental lawyer Sue Higginson has been endorsed as the Greens candidate for the seat of Lismore in the 2019 state election, setting the scene for an intriguing battle with fellow rookie candidate Austin Curtin of the National Party and Labor stalwart Janelle Saffin.
Higginson, a former CEO/lawyer with the NSW Environmental Defenders Office, wasted no time in targeting one of her rivals in next year’s poll, describing the Nationals as a ‘party of the past’.
‘[They] left the farm a long time ago to look after big business with policies that serve the wrong interests across the state,’ she said.
‘As we saw with Coal Seam Gas, if the community had not rallied together and stood up, the Nationals would have happily sold out our region.
‘A new vision is needed for a fairer and liveable future for our communities.’
Higginson’s battle with Curtin and Saffin promises to be amongst the most hard-fought next year, with all three in a position to win the seat.
The Nationals currently hold it by a paper-thin margin after the National’s Thomas George pipped Adam Guise of the Greens at the last election.
However, with George retiring and the Nationals choosing Curtin, a relative unknown, via a community pre-selection process, the race is wide open.
Labor has also moved to seize the opportunity, parachuting in Saffin – the former Federal Member for Page – who is generally well-regarded in the region.
In making her pitch to voters on Wednesday, Higginson promised that if elected she would:
– take immediate action to address the devastating impacts of climate change
– remove the barriers to local sustainable agriculture
– fix the chronic understaffing of Lismore Hospital and see better investment in preventative health
– get better resourcing for local government
– develop a comprehensive regional public transport system, and
– develop a sustainable tourism industry through the region
‘As an environmental lawyer for EDO NSW, I have stood up for farmers and communities around the State and across our region fighting to protect their rights to farm and protect our precious places,’ she said.
‘I have stood up for the small guys in courts against governments and big business not playing by the rules and I have won. I am no stranger to Macquarie Street
having spent many long hours advising Members of Parliament from all parties about the meaning of our laws and how they will impact on the daily lives of the community.
‘The role of an MP is to represent their community and to make laws for the State. I know what good laws look like and I know how laws impact on communities and our environment.’
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