NEW Labor Senate candidate Vivien Thomson says the party needs to show rural voters it is a credible alternative to the National Party.
The Riverina farmer has been endorsed for the third spot on Labor's Senate ticket at the next election for the seat vacated by former Foreign Affairs Minister Bob Carr in October.
“Rural Australia needs more voices in Parliament,” said Ms Thomson, who runs three mixed farming enterprises at Muttama in the Riverina with her family.
She said breaking the stranglehold of the Nationals was vital for rural NSW.
“Monopolies never work... I feel I can bring that rural voice to Parliament (and) I really want to be a strong voice for Country Labor.
“I know the election is still a couple of years off, but this will give me time to try and touch base with as many people as possible in rural NSW.”
Ms Thomson is secretary of the Jugiong/Tumut/Gundagai branch of the NSW Labor party but said she was not aligned with any party factions or unions.
She has been a rural firefighter for more than 26 years and was awarded the Australian Fire Service Medal. She also has an Emergency Medal, National Medal and International Women’s Day Award.
While seeing herself initially as a long shot to win the nomination, Ms Thomson said she was excited and looking forward to meeting the challenge.
“There's no point being critical if you're not prepared to put yourself out there and try and make the changes.”
Ms Thomson said bringing more diversity into the Senate would deliver better decision making.
“I think about it like I would a pasture – if it’s a monoculture with a single grass species, it’s going to be more prone to disease and less resilient,” she said.
“But if you have multiple layers of grass in a pasture, not only will it be more resilient but you will turn out a better product in the end.”
The runner-up in this year’s NSW Rural Women’s Award, Ms Thomson is also president of Australian Women in Agriculture.
