Greens candidate Amelia King says a voice that listens to farmers while also pushing for urgent climate action is needed in Murray.
Ms King wears many hats. She works in marketing for a charity organisation called the Brain Cancer Collective, as an after-school educator and as a nanny.
She said she was drawn to represent the Greens because their views on climate change aligned with her own.
She wanted more positive and proactive action to be taken when it came to tackling climate change.
During her time at university, she was given the opportunity to intern for NSW Greens MP Cate Faehrmann, a position that led to her wanting to be more involved with the party.
“Growing up rural I could see first-hand the effects that climate change was having on the natural environment, so voting for a party that recognised these changes, especially to smaller, rural towns, was very important to me,” Ms King said.
“I believe that everywhere people should have an opportunity to vote green. Growing up rural, I saw first-hand how smaller country communities can often feel out of touch with ‘inner city’ politics.
“We have seen drought, flooding and fires across NSW. We need a party that will provide support to small businesses and take real action on climate change.”
This will be Ms King’s first time running as a candidate for Murray.
If elected, she will be advocating for urgent action on climate change, a just transition to low emissions within industry, more public and affordable housing, as well as better deals for renters to address the housing crisis.
Ms King said the agricultural and environmental industries could be working better together to create stronger outcomes for both sectors.
“Farming and climate consciousness aren't mutually exclusive; in fact, they can complement each other beautifully by employing sustainable practices, farmers can preserve soil quality, protect biodiversity and, in turn, create long-lasting and profitable farming practices,” she said.
“As we have seen over the last couple of years, climate change has had a significant impact on farming in NSW.
“This region has experienced prolonged droughts, more frequent heat waves, and erratic weather patterns, which have made crop yields less predictable and water management more challenging. Additionally, it has brought personal devastation to many families, seeing financial stress across both their work and home.
“We need to see serious action to counter the devastation that climate change is bringing to these communities and we need a voice that listens and stands up for farmers while pushing for real action on climate change.”