The Voice of A Community: Nicolette Boele on Local Politics, Local Change and the Potential For A Real Shift

Hello earthlings, my name is Nathan Robertson-Ball and welcome to or welcome back to the finding nature show. What a week it's been on planet earth too. Election results, the beginning of the latest COP kicking off in an authoritarian oil state, the abandonment of a peace process in the Middle East, but at least the Joint Committee on Corporations and Financial Services - that is, the astonishing malpractice of big four accounting and consulting firms - final report is in and its 40 recommendations are designed to - and I quote - lead to a comprehensive overhaul of the regulatory framework that defines how auditing and consulting firms are allowed to operate. Maybe some good news.

My point is that it's been pretty bloody difficult over the last week to find and hold onto hope and optimism for where this whole thing is going. One very bright spot though is the community independent movement here in Australia. I absolutely love this model, putting communities back at the heart of campaigning and politics as opposed to divisive and inane bickering that seems to dominate the two party system here and elsewhere. The shift in political representation at the last Federal election was unprecedented, and it's fair to say that with the way the past three years have gone the push from these remarkable individuals and their community operations will hopefully deliver more high quality people to parliament.

Nicolette Boele joins the show today to chat about all of that plus much more - she is irrepressible, vivacious and determined. Nic also fundamentally changed the direction of my life when she employed me back in 2011. Now she is running for the second time in the Sydney electorate of Bradfield in an effort to unseat the incumbent Liberal representative - a seat where only five white men have ever held this electorate. At the 2022 election she delivered the largest electoral swing in the country of more 16%, and for the first time in history Bradfield became a marginal seat.

I have great hope in the community independent movement because it offers a clear and positive alternative to the dominant party system in Australia. Recent weeks again have demonstrated the low trust and distaste many across the country have for the current political dynamic and the ways by which individual politicians seem to be personally benefitting. Here and abroad democratic political systems are malfunctioning, which is painful but transitions and change are. Statis is comfortable, but in a context where we know major changes are required, we should accept and welcome the discomfort as we shift to whatever is hopefully to come that ushers in a more safe, more just and more beautiful future.

On the US election result I've been surprised that people are surprised. Surprised that people think Trump winning is some fatal blow to global climate action when emissions have been increasing under the democrats and always have. Surprised that some people are disappointed or devastated when they aren't actively involved in any version of civic engagement or politicking - from protests to boycotts to attending local government meetings to participation in campaigns to even donating money. It's as if everything we want will just fall into our lap, as if who you think are the opposition are as apathetic and passive in their engagement as we can be. They're not. They're active, they're organising, they're taking part. Regardless of the politics of that group, I respect that they do the work. Power lies with those that show up. The showing up is what matters. And that is why the community independent movement offers me such encouragement. They work - they do real things with real people in real life.

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