Playgrounds to Politics

In this episode, I talk with the Honourable Minister Kristy McBain MP. Minister McBain is the Federal Member for Eden-Monaro, Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories. Minister McBain talks about her pathway into politics which in keeping with the name of our podcast, actually came about because of a playground! Minister McBain talks about how a personal frustration at a local government level led her to become the Mayor of her council and propelled her into Federal politics.  You may notice the bells in the background through parts of the interview. Minister McBain was in Parliament House in Canberra during our interview and the Senate bells definitely made themselves heard. Regardless, I hope you enjoy our conversation. To find out more about  The Connection Table’s mission to get more rural Australians a seat at the decision making table, head to our website www.theconnectiontable.com

In this episode, I talk with Senator Perin Davey. Senator Davey is a member of the Nationals party and is a Senator for NSW in the upper house of the Australian Government. She is also the Deputy Leader of the Nationals in the Senate, the Deputy Federal Leader of the Nationals and is the shadow minister for water, and the shadow minister for emergency management. Senator Davey talks about her incredible journey to her job in Canberra, when she had sworn that she would never consider a career in politics. Senator Davey has some fantastic advice for young people and gives some really great insights into why it is vital to be engaged with politics, even if you don't want to be a politician. I hope you enjoy our conversation. To find out more about  The Connection Table’s mission to get more rural Australians a seat at the decision making table, head to our website www.theconnectiontable.com

In this episode, I talk with Dr Helen Haines MP. Dr Haines is the Independent Federal Member for Indi in the Federal Government’s lower house, the House of Representatives. Dr Haines talks about her passion for rural Australia and how her political career was nurtured by the Voices for Indi movement in her electorate. Dr Haines talks about her role as an Independent member of parliament and gives some great advice for ways for young people to get involved in their communities, particularly through volunteering. I hope you enjoy our conversation. To find out more about  The Connection Table’s mission to get more rural Australians a seat at the decision making table, head to our website www.theconnectiontable.com

In this episode, I talk with Senator Susan McDonald. She is a member of the Liberal National Party of Queensland and sits with the National Party in federal parliament. She grew up on a cattle station in Western QLD and trained as an accountant before she found herself in politics. Senator McDonald gives some interesting insight into the valuable role that rural people play in politics and is a strong advocate for helping make the connection between politics and daily life for Australians. I hope you enjoy our conversation. To find out more about  The Connection Table’s mission to get more rural Australians a seat at the decision making table, head to our website ⁠www.theconnectiontable.com

In this episode, I speak to the Honourable Fiona Nash. Fiona served as a Senator for New South Wales in the upper house of the Federal government from 2005 to 2017, representing the National Party. She was the party's deputy leader from 2016 to 2017 and was a cabinet minister in the Turnbull government. Fiona talks about her political conversations around the dinner table as a ten year old and gives some great insight into the politics between parties behind the scenes. I hope you enjoy my conversation with Fiona. To find out more about  The Connection Table’s mission to get more rural Australians a seat at the decision making table, head to our website www.theconnectiontable.com

In this episode, I talk with the Honourable Jackie Jarvis MLC. Minister Jarvis is a member of the Labor Party and sits in the upper house in the Western Australian state government. She is the Minister for Agriculture and Food; Forestry and Small Business. Minister Jarvis shares the story of how she got into politics when she was a young mother to three small children and describes both the challenges and thrills of becoming a Minister of an industry that she is so passionate about. Minister Jarvis also gives some great advice for young people who are interested in exploring politics, I hope you enjoy our conversation. To find out more about  The Connection Table’s mission to get more rural Australians a seat at the decision making table, head to our website www.theconnectiontable.com