Declaring she’s “ready to go”, new Macquarie MP Susan Templeman is itching to take up the reins in Canberra.
After two attempts to win the seat, Ms Templeman wrested Macquarie from Louise Markus on her third try.
Mrs Markus suffered a 8.98 per cent swing away from her, losing some of her traditional heartland in the process, including the people of Windsor South which recorded a 12 per cent swing to fall to the ALP. (Story page 3.)
Ms Templeman, who celebrated her victory with supporters at the Royal Hotel in Springwood on Saturday night, said she was thrilled at the win.
“It’s dawning on me what an absolute privilege it’s going to be to be able to move about this electorate and when people talk to me I will have some legitimacy in advocating for them,” Ms Templeman told the Gazette on Monday.
“To know that it may carry a bit more weight and that I may be able to get more things happening for people is really gratifying.”
Ms Templeman said the major national issues raised during the eight-week campaign were health, Medicare, the NBN and education.
“Education has been a strong theme and I really wanted to congratulate the teachers for their Gonski campaign. They did a whole lot of work reminding people, even if you don’t have children how important it is that our children get a good education.”
She also praised the “everyday workers from a whole range of unions who got behind the ACTU campaign raising health issues”.
On local issues, in the Mountains part of Macquarie number one was Badgerys Creek airport. She said residents had “legitimate fears for what sort of Blue Mountains we will be leaving the next generation” and she vowed to continue to “fight to ensure our lifestyle is protected, our quality of life is protected and our world heritage area”.
In the Hawkesbury, the key local issues were Thompson Square, Windsor bridge and the need for a third crossing across the river.
Ms Templeman first put up her hand to contest Macquarie in 2009 after Bob Debus retired, believing it was time for a woman to represent the electorate.
Her initial passions were mental health, which had affected her own family, local jobs and education. But as she met more people, she said, “it became very easy to build up a portfolio of things”.
She was invited to join the board of a small aged care provider, which added that to her list of concerns, along with better telecommunications, decent funding for the arts and protection of the environment.
“When I first put my hand up there was talk that someone outside the area might be parachuted in and … I strongly felt we needed someone local to recognise the importance of the environment to this entire community.”
When asked why she believed she succeeded this time, Ms Templeman said: ”I think people have got to know me, and know me as someone who is values-driven and is prepared to speak out.”
She acknowledged her six years as a candidate had left her “much more confident now to speak out against a policy my party has”, which is her position on the western Sydney airport: the ALP supports it, she does not.
“Also, people have seen I’m a hard worker and that I’m really prepared to go that extra mile. Even when I lose an election I stay involved. And I think that means people trust that I’m going to follow through on things that I fight for.”
Ms Templeman is familiar with Canberra, both from early years as a journalist in the press gallery and through her consultancy business.
“That might give me a bit of a head start in understanding how things work and how much work is done in committees,” she said.
Perhaps still coming to terms with her win, she smiled broadly at the thought that her new workplace would be Parliament House.
“I’m just so thrilled to be part of the House of Representatives”, she said, and also to be working closely with “some great women”, including Linda Burney, who won the seat of Barton, and Emma Husar, who grabbed Lindsay from the coalition.
Ms Templeman paid tribute to her family, husband Ron Fuller and children Phoebe and Harry. She also revealed her father, Bob, was a long-term Liberal voter but he and her mother Jan were very supportive.
“Though I don’t know if he voted for me,” she laughed.
