Representing One Nation in the upcoming State Election, Luke Tester wants to use his candidacy to help break the stigma that surrounds the party.
The 32-year-old father believes that going “back to basics” is vital to his campaign as he joins the race to win the seat of Londonderry.
Growing up in Oxley Park and attending school in Colyton, Tester’s own experiences in life spurred his interest in getting involved in politics.
“I am an employer account manager, so I link people on JobSeeker payments to hiring employers and negotiate to give people a fair go to get a job,” Tester told the Weekender.
“I followed world politics and then since COVID I saw changes within Australian government that I didn’t like, so I thought why not stand up and have a go?
“My daughter, who is 21-months-old, has also got me thinking about what life will be like for her future.”
Education is a key focus and something the community wants made a priority, according to the candidate for the seat currently held by Labor’s Prue Car.
“The main thing we are focusing on is the NSW education system as a review of the curriculum by the Legislative Council shows that we have some of the fastest falling academic scores in the world,” Tester said.
“I have had parents discuss with me that their children are being unnecessarily exposed to political, sexual, and racial ideologies, when we need to go back to basics and focus on language, literacy and numeracy.”
Tester wants to help create “common sense solutions” to both local and broader state wide issues if elected.
“Youth crime is something people aren’t really talking about and I am familiar with crime in places like St Marys, so I want to work with local law enforcement and PCYC so our youth can have other things to focus on,” he said.
“One Nation supports renewable energy, we just want to ensure there is a stable base load to support it.”
While the party may have a reputation of having certain conservative and anti-immigrant views, Tester hopes people can look at him and what he is trying to represent.
“If you look at the past with a stigmatised view of the whole party, it can draw away from the potential of the candidate and the potential good I can achieve,” he said.
“One Nation NSW as a party has diversified, which is great, and we are starting to gain momentum as people realise the potential in our policies.”
With the countdown underway, voters are encouraged to have a chat with the local before polling day on Saturday, March 25.
“I am open to civil conversations no matter the view, so people can contact me by going to my Facebook page or I will be posting locations where they can meet me in person,” Tester said.
Visit http://www.facebook.com/LukeTester.PHON.
Emily Feszczuk
A graduate of Western Sydney University, Emily covers Local, State and Federal politics for the Weekender, as well as crime and general news.