1. What’s one thing you would like Casey residents to know about you as a person or as a leader?
I’m running as the Community Independent candidate for Casey because I believe our community deserves a representative who will speak up on the issues our community wants action on. I will always put the community first. I am 100 per cent accountable to the community, and will not just toe the party line.
I believe in the power of community. The power sits with us. Casey is a very marginal seat (1.4 per cent). Your vote is powerful, and we can elect a better choice for Casey. Vote 1 Claire Ferres Miles.
2. Can you tell us about your life outside of work?
I’ve lived in Upwey for 27 years with my husband and five kids. I’m a small business owner and engineer who’s run large organisations and held senior roles in business and government, including as CEO of Sustainability Victoria and CEO of City of Melbourne. I am passionate about representing our community, having been a community organiser and volunteer for over 20 years, including playing a leading role in the campaign to save Sherbrooke Children’s Centre. I know from personal experience that when people come together with a shared purpose remarkable things happen.
3. What do you believe are the three biggest issues facing the electorate?
A lady in Mt Dandenong said to me last week, I want a representative that has a good heart, is honest, listens and respects a diversity of views.
I will stand up to reduce cost-of-living price increases. The supermarkets, big banks, energy and insurance companies are ripping us off.
I will make sure Casey is front and centre in the housing conversation.
Casey residents deserve proper healthcare. I will raise our voice on this critical issue. It is not OK that Casey an electorate of 2,624 square kilometres has no emergency department.
4. What are some of your key policies both locally and nationally that you would like to highlight?
I will work hard to advocate for sensible solutions to our changing climate, solutions that are good for us, good for the economy and good for the environment. I will be an active voice so Casey is better prepared for storms, floods and fires with more support for our emergency services, more resilient power networks, solving our mobile and triple zero blackspots.
I will work towards restoring trust in our federal government with support for truth in political advertising, transparent, real-time reporting and caps on political donations, and fair electoral reforms that sets an equal planning field, with the same rules for all candidates (this is not the case with the Government’s Electoral Reform Bill).
5. What’s your number one policy to reduce cost of living pressures?
The major parties are not acting to ease these pressures because they receive donations from the same corporations reporting exorbitant profits. The cost-of-living crisis is being caused by greedy corporations gouging customers. The major parties watch on, deep in the pockets of the big banks, supermarkets, and multinational gas companies.
If elected as the Independent MP for Casey I pledge to take these policies to Parliament:
I support regulatory reform to increase corporate competition and to prevent monopolies from limiting consumer choice.
I support expanding the Resilient Building Council’s home and business resilience ratings scheme to incentivise adaptation and reduce insurance costs.
I support equitable access to affordable insurance policies, especially in high-risk disaster areas like Casey.
6. Why should people give you their vote on 3 May? What’s your final elevator pitch if someone is undecided?
People are telling me the two-party system is broken. People are disappointed with the government and feel the parties are not working for the people, rather major corporations, vested interests and donors. If we vote the same we get the same.
As a Community Independent I will speak up for our community. My policies are the priority issues people want action. Every vote I make in Parliament is a vote for our community. It may be my face on the poster but it’s the voice of the Casey community in Parliament. Vote 1 Independent.
