FREMANTLE business owner Kate Hulett has been announced as Voices for Fremantle’s independent candidate, hoping to break Labor’s “stranglehold” at the upcoming state election.
Voices for Fremantle describe themselves as a “nonpartisan” group and insist they are “not a political party” but rather an organisation to represent the community.
Ms Hulett, who owns South Terrace retailer Kate and Abel, was selected via Voices for Fremantle’s six-month long “community consultation process” which will see her challenge Labor’s Simone McGurk at the election on March 8.
Additional to her retail business, Ms Hulett currently serves on the City of Fremantle’s Destination Marketing Working Group, and is heavily involved in Fremantle’s arts and culture scene, contributing the Fremantle Culture Council, Biennale and Design Week.
• Voices for Fremantle candidate Kate Hulett.
Over the last six months, Voices for Fremantle say they have canvassed Fremantle using an online survey and “structured kitchen table discussions” to determine the concerns of residents and who they would think best suit the role of a community independent candidate.
Ms Hulett says she wasn’t planning a run, but was formally approached by the Voices for Fremantle and endorsed by its community campaign group.
Running on the pillars of “climate, people, and integrity”, Ms Hulett acknowledges the “weighty” position of being selected as a community independent and says she is “completely honoured” to be chosen.
“I’m not pushing myself forward, it’s more that we [as Fremantle residents] are a group of people, and one person needs to be the spokesperson,” Ms Hulett said.
“Part of me feels like it has given me a wonderful purpose… I spend a lot of my time doing work for Fremantle both on a volunteer basis and as part of my job, so this certainly feels like giving a title to something I already do.”
Ms Hulett has some experience of working with government, having worked for the London Underground in which she would regularly deal with both the Mayor of London and the UK Parliament.
“I’m not a politician, and I have zero ambitions to be a career politician,” Ms Hulett said.
“This is a regular person going into a new realm.”
The role of an independent candidate is unique, as Ms Hulett will not have the backing or financial strength of a major party, and she says her election funding will come from community donations.
Ms Hulett highlighted the “beauty” of the community independent model, which she describes as “properly democratic” and devoid of the restrictions of traditional party structures.
Loggerheads
“As an independent, you are not deliberately opposing the other party, like Labor and the Liberals are when they’re at loggerheads over every issue,” Ms Hulett said.
“That is so unhelpful for people and their futures, so if someone has a good environmental policy, for example, if the community will be behind it, so will I.
“A politician who is aligned with a party has far more trouble putting forward their community’s views, and the opportunity of an independent candidate is that you can question that.”
Ms Hulett acknowledges that the two-party system has a stranglehold on WA’s political system, especially given Labor has held Fremantle for 96 out of the last 100 years.
“It will take a long time to soften its grip on our political system but the slow chipping away has to start somewhere,” Ms Hulett said.
“Every time a community elects an independent candidate that represents them, it shifts the dial just a little bit, and in time we will have a parliament that really represents the people for which it should represent.
“Politicians are public servants…right now, politicians tend to be the servants of fossil fuel companies and big corporations, and Fremantle is done with that.”
Ms Hulett describes the Cook government as engaging in “state capture” after its 2021 supermajority.
“Labor are in power, and we are the richest state in Australia, yet we’ve got people sleeping on the street, who can’t afford to eat food, or pay rent,” Ms Hulett said.
“Our politicians are being dictated to by corporations and coal and gas companies, and people don’t have a say anymore, and we must urgently make a change.”
Ms Hulett’s community independent campaign will be launched today, Friday January 10.
by KATHERINE KRAAYVANGER