Hi I'm Ella,
I am a proud queer resident of Merri-bek with lived experience of poverty and adversity. Growing up around mental illness, addiction, and financial hardship drove me to become a passionate advocate for social justice, working to ensure that no one is left behind. Now, as a psychologist and community advocate, I’m ready to fight for a fairer, more connected and sustainable Merri-bek for all.
If elected, I will:
1. Address the housing crisis by pushing for property developers to build genuinely affordable, high-quality housing, exploring opportunities to build affordable housing on council owned land, and putting limits on Airbnbs to free up homes for renters and first home buyers.
2. Connect our community and address the cost-of-living crisis through improving and expanding essential services, such as maternal child health, community childcare, youth and older people’s services, playgrounds, sporting facilities, and libraries.
3. Address the climate and biodiversity crises through increasing green space, tree coverage, expanding the renaturalisation of the Moonee Ponds Creek trail, and supporting households to transition to renewable energy.
4. Invest in accessible and active transport across Merri-bek, so that all people can get around safely and sustainably. I’ll do this by supporting safe cycling and walking infrastructure like separated bike lanes, bike parking facilities, and pedestrian crossings. I’ll also advocate to our state government to improve public transport services, including making our tram stops accessible, and duplicating the Upfield line track so that we can finally have frequent and reliable trains!
5. Support arts, culture, and creative expression by backing more public funding for art, artists, and art organisations. I’ll support - more grants and professional development programs for artists, commissioning local artists to create public art and murals to enliven our streets, and continued investment in festivals and exhibitions.
6. Revitalise our streets. I’ll do this by supporting investment in upgrading our shopping strips and streetscapes, improving our footpaths, and increasing public funding for events.
7.Champion local democracy. I’ll prioritise ongoing consultation with the community so that local democracy can thrive. I’ll support services for all parts of the community and prioritise transparency and accountability on Council.
It’s time to elect a young, progressive woman to truly represent the community with integrity and compassion.
Your vote is powerful.
