Working-class people in Ripon keep our communities running and collectively we hold the key to building a better and fairer society.
Hi I’m Taylah. I’m proud to be running in this year’s state election as a candidate with Victorian Socialists. I believe working-class people in Ripon keep our community running and collectively we hold the key to building a better and fairer society where everyone has the opportunities to live a decent life.
As a young person I have experienced the lack of access to housing and homeless supports, education, healthcare, and transport across Ripon, and I am committed to taking real action on these and other issues that matter to our community.
I’m currently involved in an Ararat community initiative targeted at creating more youth-focused events and opportunities across the region. I also work as a swim teacher and full-time as a job coach trying my best to support people with disabilities in addressing systemic barriers to gaining employment.
I’m often frustrated, in this work, at the reality that there’s only so much I can do to help people within the confines of a profit-driven capitalist system. We need real investment into local public services to ensure our rural and regional communities are vibrant, sustainable and thriving for generations to come.
Regional areas need urgent action to provide necessary services: fully-funded and accessible regional healthcare, public and affordable housing, increasing the number and reach of public transport routes, as well as addressing the higher expenses and fewer opportunities that come with living rurally and regionally.
Politicians at all levels of government benefit from allowing the wealthiest few to stay rich, and they’ve grown increasingly out of touch with the people they’re supposed to represent. In a wealthy society like Australia there is no reason, other than corporate greed, for the economic disparity that we are facing. Today, the people at the top are seeing their wealth grow rapidly, while the rest of us are just barely scraping by.
We are told that our voices matter. We are told that young people are the future. Yet, our politicians are making decisions that will make our futures worse.
If elected in November, I’ll show you that together we have power to win the change we need - if we just stand up and fight back against the elite interests that dominate politics today.