Madeleine West is most known for her role in the serial opera Neighbours, but she is switching careers to pursue a career in politics.
On Tuesday night, the 41-year-old went on The Project and explained why she wants to run for a seat in the NSW State Parliament.
‘I believe that politics is for the people, and that being the people’s voice is important.’ To be a lawmaker, you don’t need a degree,’ she explained.
‘On the surface, all you need is accountability, caring for your community, and the desire to make people feel safe.’
After participating in the flood clean-up on NSW’s North Coast, the Byron Bay resident claims she was inspired to take action.
‘I’m standing for the Ballina seat where I live.’ Floods and bushfires have ravaged us, and the epidemic has knocked my town to its knees,’ she continued.
‘I care about sustainability, the future, and opportunity, as well as accountability and being held accountable for your acts, and I care about my community flourishing and feeling safe,’ the actress continued.
‘I’m fortunate to have a national platform, certainly, but I believe that qualifies me to bring a national emphasis to local issues because what we’ve gone through is a microcosm of what the rest of Australia may anticipate to go through.’
West stated this month that she will run for State Parliament in NSW in 2023.
The Byron Bay-based philanthropist disclosed her political ambitions on Studio 10 after spending the previous month assisting flood recovery efforts in Northern NSW.
The mother of six expressed her dissatisfaction with the NSW government’s handling of the devastating floods, saying she wanted to take issues into her own hands.
‘I’m not looking for change any longer; I want to be the change.’ ‘Today, I’m publicly announcing my intention to run for state parliament in the NSW Elections next year,’ she declared, to the delight of Studio 10 hosts Sarah Harris and Tristan MacManus.
‘I want to be my region’s voice.’ On the floor, we need a strong voice, and I want to be that voice. When I first moved to my region [from Melbourne] six years ago, I wanted to learn more about it, and I wanted to understand it better,’ West added.
‘So I dove right in.’ I’m a mother of six children. I want to see the region grow and prosper. I want to see my children flourish, as well as the children of everyone else.’
In recent years, West has offered her time to assist in the distribution of meals to homeless families in her neighbourhood.
She also volunteers for the environmental nonprofit ReForest Now, which strives to restore subtropical rainforests in northern NSW.
The actress also told Studio 10 that she intends to campaign for equal pay for men and women.
Madeleine rose to prominence on Neighbours between 2000 and 2003 as Dee Bliss, and has also been in Underbelly and The Wrong Girl.
