Campese enters politics as Labor candidate for the seat of Monaro in 2023 State Election
Former Canberra Raiders Captain and Queanbeyan Blues Captain Coach Terry Campese has put his hand up to be the Labor candidate for the seat of Monaro.
Terry has been strongly involved in the local community since leaving his professional rugby league career in 2016, employed as Queanbeyan Regional Palerang Community Programs Co-ordinator, and working tirelessly with his Terry Campese Foundation.
At a press conference held at Queanbeyan Public School this morning Terry gave the following statement:
“I’m very proud to be standing here today with Chris (Minns) and his team representing Labor in the upcoming State Election. I am a very proud community man of the Monaro. I was born and bred in Queanbeyan.. I loved doing community work during my time at the Canberra Raiders and setting up the Terry Campese foundation in 2012 and making a difference for our community. Then I joined the Queanbeyan Palerang Regional Council as a Community Programs officer after my professional career and now I see this as the next step in making a bigger impact”.
Terry said his priorities will lie with the community’s and that schools were definitely on the agenda if elected:
“Education is big for me, I think everyone deserves a great education. Googong is a growing community so a high school out there would be really good, that’s a top priority” Terry said.
Leader of the Opposition Chris Minns and Member for NSW Tara Moriarty opened the press conference, saying that Terry would be a breath of fresh air for the Monaro region:
“We need more community people involved in politics, it shouldn’t be the domain of professional politicians, we need people who have worked in the community, represented their town, their city and their country, sitting in the NSW Parliament, writing laws on behalf of this town and this community”
“Regional communities need someone who has a profile, who can fight for their township and not get lost in the crowd, and I’m a little bit concerned that the incumbent member, having won a by-election, is getting lost in the crowd a little bit. This township, this community from Queanbeyan all the way down to Cooma needs someone who is not going to take a backwards step and make sure that the tax payers in this community get their fair share and know Terry is going to do exactly that” Chris Minns said.
Terry indicated that while new to the politics arena, he had a clear plan on how he would deliver for the Queanbeyan region:
“I thoroughly enjoy being on the ground and working with the community and now I see this as the next step to grow and be better for our community.. I’m going to get out there and learn as much as I can and meet the team, I’ve got a steep learning curve in front of me, but one that I’m willing to jump into and get out there and listen to the community and see what everyone’s priorities are”
“I think we can make a big difference here for the Monaro region, It’s definitely been an interest of mine, and I think it’s the next step and the right time”.
The NSW State election will be held on March 25th 2023.
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About the Author: Holly Winchester
Part Jennifer Coolidge, part Jennifer Garner (gaudy and geeky), Holly idolises Dolly Parton and Princess Di and loves NRL. When she's not creating killer content, you’ll find Holly at the Maccas drive thru getting her chai latte fix or buying 1990s memorabilia for the walls of her Googong home. Specialist subject: the Woolies carpark.
