Independent to make political debut in Labor heartland

Social enterprise leader Kylie Flament is the first independent candidate to contest the NSW state seat of Keira since the current MP, NSW Health Minister Ryan Park, was elected more than 15 years ago.

It's also the first foray into politics for Flament, head of the Social Enterprise Council of NSW and ACT (SECNA), and a former CEO of Wollongong non-profit Green Connect.

Flament said her bid was inspired by people wanting alternatives to party politics.

"I believe independent representation provides an opportunity to listen carefully to the community and to consider issues on their merits," she said.

"I really love a lot of people in the Greens and I really love a lot of the values behind them as a party. 

"What I came to when I started contemplating the best way forward for politics in general and for our region was… it's still a party, and it's still driving the agenda of its individuals more than I want it to be."

The next NSW state election will be held on March 13.

Keira lies west of the city of Wollongong, stretching from Woonona in the north to Kembla Grange in the south. It's a historically safe Labor seat – Ryan Park has held Keira since 2011, and in 2023, he won more than 57 percent of votes.

Flament's independent campaign launch was held at Corrimal Community Centre on October 17. It attracted about 100 people.

Reflecting a wider frustration with major parties, attendees said they wanted more choice and that Flament's appeal lay in her community track record.

"I appreciate that she’s interested in standing for the people," said Robyn Dawson.

"She’s already spent more than a decade genuinely serving the community through business for good. She’s got runs on the board that demonstrate genuine passion for community service for its own sake, not for the limelight."

Gareth McKeen said: "I have little interest in politics, but a huge interest in democracy, so for that reason, I just feel like we need more choices in the Illawarra.

"I’ve seen across all levels of government the increase in candidates who really, I don’t think, are worthy of standing. And so when Kylie is someone who I believe is genuinely worthy of standing, steps up, it gives us a democratic system with people who care."

Flament launched her campaign before the attack on federal independent MP Helen Haines put the safety of politicians across Australia in the spotlight.

"Entering a public role of any kind comes with risks, but personal safety shouldn't be one of them," Flament said last week.

"Just like nurses, teachers and tradies should be safe at work, so should politicians. The community can support healthier relationships with people in politics by engaging in dialogue and debate, and diving into the nuances of issues together, rather than allowing themselves to be swept up in the wave of anger, fear and hatred that is driving a lot of online discussions these days."

Flament said she's focused on a positive campaign.

"In a world of 'angertainment' and clickbait, it's actually really easy to form a political campaign around anger and grievance, and appealing to people's fear and mistrust... What's harder is to build a campaign that is about togetherness, enoughness and creating a better future for all of us,” she said.

"We've got some tough times coming... we need to be able to pull together and trust each other and trust the people leading us."

For this independent, health and housing are two key challenges.

"At the moment, if you go to the emergency department, it takes 15.5 hours on average to be admitted to hospital," Flament said.

"Doctors and nurses are stretched to breaking point; they are exhausted, burnt out and considering leaving the health system.

"We have a housing crisis… it's really hard to afford a home... but also there are people in the community really worried about over-development, about having a 38-storey building going into our CBD on a floodplain.

"These are nuanced issues. There's no three-word slogan to solve this, and we shouldn't be pitting the community against each other. We need to sit down, talk them through and make a considered decision together." 

Flament said she's driven by a desire to reform systemic issues such as pork-barrelling and policy failures.

"It's about wanting a system that is cleaner, greener, fairer and kinder for everyone. It's about wanting to see integrity in politics, and wanting to see good, fair use of public money."

Funding the campaign

A bake sale, plants and merchandise were on offer to raise funds.

Flament said it was a battle to build a grassroots campaign against major parties. Under election funding rules, major parties receive public funding based on prior election vote tallies – starting Labor and the Liberals with over $150,000 and $100,000 per electorate respectively, while as a new independent candidate, Flament starts with nothing.

"Even getting a single-page black-and-white flyer into the letterboxes of all 59,330 voters in Keira costs $6000," she said. 

"It’s a massive undertaking to build a team, brand and presence from scratch."

For more information, visit www.kylieflament.com.au