Independents for Canberra is today announcing three support candidates in the electorate of Kurrajong: publican Ben Johnston, former Matilda Sue Read and ANU student Tenzin Mayne.
Ben Johnston was born and raised in Canberra and is well known in the hospitality sector as the owner of the Old Canberra Inn and Dickson Taphouse. He is passionate about supporting the creative arts and is an active community member, having led the organising committee for the Winter Solstice Swim since 2019. Mr Johnston is a fierce advocate for bringing vibrancy to Canberra and has firsthand experience negotiating Canberra’s education and healthcare systems. After teaching the Primary Ethics program at his son's school in Sydney, he said he was convinced these classes should be taught in every school in the ACT.
“Watching the kids develop critical thinking, empathy, communication, and respect made me realise just how transformational these classes can be. The world needs more people with these skills, we should be teaching Ethics as part of kids' primary and secondary education,” said Mr Johnston.
“Raising money for Lifeline through the nude swim is really great but it’s not good enough that the ACT Government is outsourcing mental health support to such a large extent.
“I’d like to see the development of a high-performance culture in the ACT Government that will reduce administration costs and boost funding for frontline services supporting mental health, education and housing.
“Despite the rapid growth of Canberra, there has been a disturbing decline in the live music and entertainment scene, and in the beauty of our city. The government must do more to support performers, venues and the arts more broadly. We also need to put more creativity and beauty into our built environment to honour the natural beauty of Canberra.
“Canberra should be famous for weaving art, music and beauty into the very fabric of the city.”
Sue Read grew up in Canberra and studied psychology and neuroscience at the ANU before going on to become a registered psychologist. She served as a goalkeeper for the Australian women's soccer team, the Matildas, and runs her own health and psychology practice, Life Unlimited Psychology, which has provided mental health and resilience training to thousands of Canberrans. Ms Read spearheaded the recent Save Canberra United campaign to keep our women's A-League team from folding and appears regularly on ABC Radio as Canberra’s resident psychologist. She said she was supporting the independent movement because she wanted to see positive change.
“I’m really happy that through the Save Canberra United campaign we were able to successfully raise enough money, and lobby the ACT Government for additional funding, to keep our elite women’s soccer team in the A-League. But it shouldn’t have come to this,” said Ms Read.
“The campaign highlighted the huge inequity in funding between our elite men’s and elite women’s teams in Canberra, and the lack of appropriate pathways for our women athletes.
“Strong role models play such a vital role in keeping young women involved in sport and physical activity throughout their teenage years. We see huge drop-out rates for girls from the ages of 13 years to 20 years, and this can have significant long-term health impacts. On the other hand, we see immense physical and mental health benefits right throughout women’s lives if they continue to participate in sport.
“We need politicians to take a more comprehensive view of how we build mental health and resilience in our young people. Investing in sport, especially for girls and women, has to be part of that conversation.
“I love being part of the Canberra community, which is why it’s frustrating to see us falling behind in key areas like health, education and active travel infrastructure. With the political will to make it happen, Canberra can be a model city in these areas.”
Tenzin Mayne is studying political science at the ANU and said he saw Independents for Canberra as a way for young people to voice their concerns.
“I put my hand up because I believe we need a fresh approach to political representation. I'm excited to be part of a movement pushing for a healthier city and better public and active transport. This group believes in building a Canberra that meets the needs of future generations and I find that inspiring,” said Mr Mayne.
Thomas Emerson, the leader of Independents for Canberra, said he was excited to have a full ticket of compelling candidates running in Kurrajong.
“We’ve been overwhelmed by the willingness of people from diverse backgrounds to support Independents for Canberra,” said Mr Emerson.
“Canberrans want positive change in so many different areas, and they’re seeing independents as changemakers.
“People in Kurrajong can disrupt the status quo by voting one to five Independents for Canberra on October 19.”
Media Contact:
Annie Frisch | 0410 738 610 | [email protected]