In this episode, we talk to Ms Julie Owens MP, Federal Member for Parramatta, about engaging the Australian voters in the political discourse.
Topics covered include:
- Life before politics
- The division bells system in Parliament House
- The toll Parliamentary work can take on politicians’ lives
- What it means to join a political party
- The benefits of political parties
- What business can teach you about politics
- What it is like to be a politician as an introvert
- The importance of politicians being aware of constituents’ ‘ordinary days’
- A politician’s role as a community leader
- The J-Curve and declining economic literacy
- The need to think creatively about the future to start to ask the questions which may become issues in 2 to 10 years’ time
- The future of data sector
- The effects of the gig economy on our federal economy and our mental health
- Business’ role in the development of our cities and communities
- The impact of cities on local biodiversity
- How to make constituents more receptive to policy change
- Seeing rubbish as an opportunity rather than a problem
- The history of government support of the arts industry
- Our need to think about the bigger picture and preventative action in politics
- What the future will look like as cars become driverless
- The opportunity for multicultural Australia in the business sector
- The power of high school children
About Ms Owens:
Julie was first elected to the House of Representatives for Parramatta in 2004. She was a small-business owner and head of the Association of Australian Independent Record Labels.
The electorate of Parramatta is based in the western suburbs of Sydney. Besides Parramatta, it includes Constitution Hill, Dundas Valley, Granville, Harris Park, Holroyd, Mays Hill, North Parramatta, Oatlands, Old Toongabbie, Rosehill, Rydalmere, Telopea, Wentworthville, & Westmead and parts of Dundas, Guildford, Merrylands, North Rocks, Pendle Hill, South Granville, South Wentworthville and Toongabbie.
Some of Julie’s policy areas that she is most passionate about are small business and employment, heritage and the NBN.
Julie has run a small business and supports local jobs. Through her support of Shop Small and Parliamentary Friends of Fashion, Julie has been a vocal supporter of small businesses in the Parramatta area and beyond.
Parramatta has some of the oldest colonial buildings in Australia and Julie has fought hard to maintain much of its heritage. While Parramatta is building as Sydney’s second CBD, Julie has fought to ensure the heritage is not destroyed in the development. Julie has been very vocal on the proposed development within the Cumberland Hospital precinct and the Female Factory site.
Julie has fought hard for Parramatta, being a business and residence hub, to get a higher quality broadband network. Some parts of Parramatta have internet speeds as low as 0.14 megabits per second – far slower than the average speed of the Republic of the Congo, which is 1.75 Mbps.
