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Byron Shire
March 27, 2024

Is Mandy in the Greens the new black?

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Mandy Nolan in green. Photo Tree Faerie.

Eve Jeffery

Love her or hate her, you can’t ignore her. (Oh no you can’t!) And soon you may actually have to listen to her if Mandy Nolan’s wish to become the member for Richmond comes true.

Ms Nolan began her post announcing she would be throwing her very stylish hat into the Green pre-selection ring with the words: ‘Stepping Forward’

Mandy went with ‘quieter’ look for her announcement.

‘What does your life mean?’ she asks. ‘What do you care about? What are you prepared to do to facilitate change? How well do you embody your values in your actions? How can you be of service to a greater good? What next?

‘These were some of the questions that I asked myself during 2020 on the long beach walks I did each morning. This was the upside to the uncertainty. It made me question my purpose. Perhaps my life wasn’t as certain as I thought? Perhaps I needed a shake up.’

Mandy says that being a 52-year-old comedian in a country town with a passion for her community and her environment, as a feminist committed to pushing uncomfortable conversations, and as a mother demanding a future for her kids, she wondered if there was more she could do. She wondered if there was more she should do.

So Mandy has decided to do something that terrifies her. ‘I have thrown my hat in the ring for pre-selection as the Greens candidate for Richmond.’

I am a comedian. I am not a politician

‘I am a comedian. I am not a politician. This is a long way outside my comfort zone. This is what I thought about when I walked the beach. I wondered if I was worthy. I wondered if I would be taken seriously. Could I change the narrative? In a landscape full of bullshit and hype, could I continue to have these real conversations with my community? Can I be of service to this place and to the people I love?’

Mandy says she believes she can work to change the narrative, have real conversations, can be taken seriously and can be of service.

I am an open book. I have done a reverse strip and come out naked and got dressed as a comedic feminist action, I have MC’d the nude ain’t rude rally wearing nothing but a breastfeeding toddler, I have written and published my stories, my ideas, my values to enthusiasm, but sometimes to outrage and abuse – they are all out there in the public domain. I intend to maintain my voice. My humour. My way of seeing and interpreting things through my comedic lens. It is probably my super power! Photo for a domestic violence campaign by the Tree Faerie.

‘I’m scared, but yes, in a weird way I feel like this has always been my destiny. To pay back my social debt. To save this place that thirty years ago saved me. So hello politics, Mandy Nolan is stepping forward.

‘Perhaps after the mess the dudes in suits have created, it’s finally time to send in the clowns. What do you think?’

Show of support on social media

By Sunday morning there were over 700 comments that told Mandy what they thought and 138 shares of the post.

Byron Shire Greens Councillor Sarah Ndiaye was one of the commenters on Mandy’s page. Ms Ndiaye has already endorsed Mandy even though she has already put in her own forms as a candidate.

‘Some great news for New Year and for the local Greens with Mandy Nolan announcing that she’s putting her hat in the ring for Pre-selection for the Greens, to run for the seat of Richmond.

‘I’d heard she wasn’t going to run so had put my forms in but Mandy will be an excellent candidate and I’ll definitely be supporting her 100%. I’ll leave my forms in for the first hurdles of S44 and probity because they can be complex (as we saw with so many having to step down a couple of years ago), but I’m really grateful Mandy is prepared to use her intelligence, heart, wit and profile to help make positive changes for our community.

‘She always has in her own way but we need people like her to help shift the paradigm we’ve all had to suffer through at a Federal level.

‘Go Mandy.’

Overwhelmed by response

On Saturday Ms Nolan posted that she was totally overwhelmed by the support and love she has received after her announcement. ‘I am honoured to have garnered such deep respect and trust from my community.

‘Thank You.’

Before any public voting takes place, Ms Nolan will need to be selected through a vetting process by the Tweed, Ballina and Byron Greens and they have to vote for who they want as their candidate.

It will be mid to late February before the process is complete.


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30 COMMENTS

  1. Hey, Mandy! Now that’s a call you are ‘suited’ to. No bull, bluff. No more bloody lies.
    The political pace & place needs you – simply that. Nothing but the best.

  2. Dudes in suits? Gladys is a funny looking dude. Hopefully that doesn’t set the tone for her campaign.

    Echo, I’m starting to see a conflict in interest here.

  3. What wonderful news! Mandy is exactly the person the public has been crying out for to provide leadership and voice their concerns.
    Her incredible passion for the environment and this community speaks for itself. She would bring extraordinary skills and a unique style to a federal Parliament that so often fails us.
    What a whirlwind of fresh air to the political landscape and the Greens. Exciting times!

    • No thanks, there are enough clowns in parliament as it is. I say David Heilpern. He would have my vote in an instant. He knows the law, can understand how legislation is drafted and passed and has EXPERIENCE.

  4. Let’s just face it, I love mandys comedy and columns but reading her articles on vaccination, how can she hope to run for a party full of anti vaxxers? people vote green to feel good but are usually well off enough that when the conservatives are Re elected their not overly affected by their policies.
    Remember federally they screwed us over carbon emissions!

  5. Great!!!! As if we already haven’t enough comedians and clowns in politics, now another is going to join the ranks. If it works for Donald Trump and his counterparts down under why wouldn’t it work for Mandy!!??

  6. Mandy -A Strong Woman with a Strong Voice – “Choice”

    Set a precedent for the Government- No more mucking around with changes that are well overdue.

    • The only hope to change this current govt is with a Labor victory. We already have this seat with the honourable Justine Elliot(Labor). Do you really want to undermine our chances to change this government by attacking an already safe seat for Labor. This would be a disaster, the greens would never get enough votes to take the seat. All you would achieve is take a swag of populist votes away from Justine and hand over a safe seat to the NATS. Think people.

      • You’ll make a much better representative for Richmond than our current member, who does very little for our area and is very much a member of the right wing of the labour party

      • Tim,
        It is a win / win. The Greens preferences mainly go to Labor so them getting more votes decreases the chance of Nats getting in. If Mandy wins (with labour preferences) we will have someone with more of a voice for the local region.

  7. Great news! Not sure about Mandy throwing her hat into the Green’s camp. Hopefully party politics won’t restrain her too much. But it’s good to have a ‘machine’ behind her come election time. To be honest, if there were 2 Mandys standing – one Independent and one for the Greens – I think I’d be more incline to prefer the former than the latter. Having said that, I’d vote for her anyway.

    Like everyone else, I’m fed up to the neck with the current mob allegedly running the show. Pity Slomo’s not holidaying in Hawaii this summer. We (not he) could do with a break from his constant ‘salesman’ persona and his ‘do nothing but appease his party’s right wing’ approach. It’s always about ‘him’ and not the poor who really need his help more than big business & the well-to-do.

  8. Seems the self righteous editorial staff has struck again- dominated by anti vaxxers and 5 g conspiracy theorists
    Try again just saying Mandy and her articles on vaccinations was brilliant but to try to run for a party dominated by anti vaxxers ( having talked to so many at prepollingand polling stations) is depressing. Remember this is a party that screwed us over carbon emissions federally.

  9. I would hope that Mandy reads the Australian Constitution. It is only 25 page long but it is the foundation of what she can and can’t do as a Federal member of the House of Reps. Forget about Housing for the Poor (State), Education (State), Roads (State and Council), Environment (State), and come to terms with Defence, Taxation, Border Control, Care for the Elderly, Welfare, Immigration. By targeting these often dirty and boring issues, she can make Australia a better place.

  10. Yep as many others said already so beautifully…You’re a breath of fresh air Mandy. You have a wealth of skills /expertise & knowledge but best of all I reckon you will add some down to earth comedy & a reality show rarely seen in politics. So many of us trust you and have great faith in you, VERY rare for any of us informed voters to feel , but for a handful of pollies. To those that said ‘this is a conflict of interest’ for The Echo, I disagree, for a start they (The Echo) are simply reporting on a local gal running for selection within a political party which they report on everyone else ( running for a political party ) & secondary if there was a ‘true’ conflict of interest that was ever adhered to then we wouldn’t have Sky News (wouldn’t that be great) The Telegraph, The Australian etc etc and other media outlets ALL run by Murdoch.Now that’s a whopper of conflict of interests , that is continually accepted by the voting public sadly. Go for it Mandy we dig you possum.

  11. Mandy you. are an intelligent and talented woman
    However I could never vote for a Greens candidate. They are just too extreme and over the top on Global Warming for me.limiting mining and stooping a Nuclear power Industry which would secure our energy future.
    I would be prepared to support you as an Independent if you could release your policies for voters to look at.
    I am sure that there are others that would support you as an Independent.
    You speak and present well(with clothes on) and I think that would assist yo in Parliament.
    There are a lot of clowns in Parliament but they are not funny. It’s about time that somebody shook them up.
    Cheers.

    • I completely agree with John’s comments.
      I love and admire Mandy, but I would never vote Greens because of my own convictions. I believe in looking after our planet but the Greens haven’t got it right.
      BUT, I wish Mandy all the very best in her career and will watch it with caring, from afar.

  12. Hi Mandy, Great news and good luck to you. But you should go Independent. I am a Greens member but believe in Vaccination (flu shot kept this old girl sick free all of 2020!) and don’t mind 5G if the tower is in an isolated position etc.
    I think you would have a better result as an Independent, besides to me that describes you to a T! Mandy for PM !! (one day?)

  13. Go for it Mandy,
    But look what happened to Peter Garratt from Midnight Oil.
    It’s all not rose coloured glasses in politics.

  14. For those who are skeptical of the Greens, please check out their policies at https://greens.org.au/policy . They are not extreme, they are what we need to secure a safe and sustainable future. If you are not happy with any of the policies, as a Greens member you can be instrumental in making changes at a grass roots level. The Greens is the only party which supports 100% renewable energy without any reliance on fossil fuels. The major parties fail to explain how they intend to achieve zero net emissions by 2050 whilst continuing to open new coal mines and expand the gas industry. What we need are more high profile Greens candidates like Mandy who can bring the community with them. If the Greens can gain balance of power, they can put pressure on the Government of the day to make decisions in the best interests of our community, the planet and future generations.

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