The Mayor of Bega Valley Shire, Kristy McBain, has announced she’s running for Labor in the upcoming Eden Monaro byelection, and been endorsed by Federal Labor leader Anthony Albanese to do so.
McBain will need to be pre-selected by the Labor party for the seat and, if successful, would then take on candidates from both the Liberal and National parties who have already announced plans to contest the seat.
McBain rose to national prominence for leading her area during the Summer bushfire crisis. We listed her as one of a number of key female leaders to watch at the time as cause for hope.
“I did not set out seeking this position but I want to take it on,” McBain told reporters this morning during a press conference with Albanese.
“And I want to take it on for a couple of reasons: I’m local, I’m the community and I’ve worked for the community for a number of years now.
“Over the last 6 months it’s become abundantly clear to me and I’m more resolute than ever that leadership needs to happen and it needs to happen at a local level. With the resignation of Mike Kelly, now is the time that Eden Monaro has a reset button. A reset button that I think people want. A change in politics.
“We have people who are still living in tents and caravans on properties who haven’t been able to receive any meaningful support from the government and people who have been left behind in this covid crisis as well,” she said.
During the bushfires McBain remained at the firefront for days and continued for weeks and months following to speak for her community. She held numerous emergency meetings and constantly relayed critical information to keep her constituents safe.
The byelection comes after Labor MP Mike Kelly announced he was resigning due to ongoing health issues.