Carol Berry to replace Stephen Jones in Whitlam

Carol Berry is the new Labor candidate for Whitlam in the Illawarra NSW, replacing Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones.

Transcript

00:00Grateful for the support that I've received this morning. It's been a fantastic couple of weeks for

00:05me speaking to local branch members in the ALP seeking support for this pre-selection, so I feel

00:12very honoured this morning to have been pre-selected by the ALP. I'm very grateful for

00:18the PM being here this morning to support me. Just wanted to also acknowledge the work of Stephen.

00:22Stephen's been a very capable MP here in Whitlam for 15 years. He's made an amazing impact here on

00:29our region. He's also someone that's gained a lot of respect across the Australian community

00:34for all of his work, particularly in his role as Assistant Treasurer. Stephen is someone who

00:38has worn his heart on his sleeve. He's someone who has touched millions of Australians, particularly

00:43with his compassionate approach to leadership, and I intend to emulate that approach when I

00:49hopefully win this election as well. So, a bit about me. I'm a local mum. I've lived in

00:54Neelawarra for 25 years. My husband's here. We've raised our family here in Neelawarra.

00:59I'm someone who's given back to our local community. I'm someone who cares about our

01:03local community, so I've been very actively involved. I've been a soccer mum. I've been

01:08I've been on so many years, I can barely remember the number, so I'm someone who's

01:13really tried to give back. In terms of my professional experience, I'm someone who

01:18comes with a lot of professional experience. I have been a lawyer. I have worked with both state

01:23and federal governments. I've been the local CEO. I was the CEO of the Neelawarra Women's

01:28Health Centre here in Roralla. I stood up for women's health. I believe very passionately in

01:33women's health. I also stood up for women who are risking domestic violence. I've also been

01:39the CEO of the Disability Trust. So, the Disability Trust is one of the largest providers of disability

01:44services in Australia and has its head offices here in Neelawarra. So, I'm someone who's given

01:50back to our community for decades. I'm very passionate about standing up for this community

01:55and I can't wait to get started.