Three years in parliament was just the start of what Cathy McGowan wanted to achieve for Indi.
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The independent has chosen a method of serving in office where she meets with community groups, then takes their ideas to politicians in Canberra.
“We’ve set the platform in place and I’m really keen on developing that,” she said.
We’ve set the platform in place and I’m really keen on developing that.
- Cathy McGowan
“We need another three years to actually embed that in place.”
Ms McGowan’s methods have been described as ineffective by supporters of the major parties, but she said they are the best way to make a difference in key areas of mobile phone blackspots, the North East’s train woes and cross-border anomalies.
The Indi Telecommunications Action Group was made up of local government representatives who discussed the best way to attract funding for the worst areas.
Ms McGowan said she would continue pressuring the federal government about its mobile black spot program “until the problem is solved”.
“Nobody in there cares – I’m almost the only one in parliament that asks questions about that,” she said.
Similar actions group around renewable energy and the arts would be formed if the independent was re-elected.
The other key issue was trains.
Ms McGowan said she wanted to work with the Victorian government to increase the number of services on the Albury-Wodonga line.
The allocation of $15 million as just over 1 per cent of the Victorian government’s statewide funding on trains was widely criticised, but the incumbent MP said it was a good start.
“I’m optimistic that we’ve turned the corner,” she said.
“It’s easy for our state members of parliament to attack the government – they did nothing.”
Ms McGowan revealed her next big challenge would be replicating the idea of Totally Renewable Yackandandah – to become reliant on only renewable energy by 2022 – across all of Indi.
After a pilot in Indi, she said she would pitch the idea to the government to roll it out nationally.
Team McGowan has about 600 volunteers signed up and $90,000 raised for the campaign so far.
The money will cover advertising and volunteer hubs all across the electorate.
“I don’t see any of my opponents having the local knowledge and the local networks to do this work,” Ms McGowan said.
“I welcome the criticism, it makes the whole thing better.”
- The Border Mail will run profiles of all Indi’s candidates in the lead up to the federal election
