Serena Copley with NSW Opposition Leader Kellie Sloan. Ms Copley will stand for Kiama in next year’s NSW election. Photo: Liberal Party.
The next NSW election is more than a year away but the Liberal Party has already announced Serena Copley will again be its candidate for the seat of Kiama.
Ms Copley was the party’s candidate in last year’s Kiama byelection.
She was one of 13 candidates who ran for the seat vacated by Gareth Ward. Mr Ward resigned after he was found guilty of sexual assault charges and threatened with expulsion from NSW Parliament. In October last year he was sentenced to five years and nine months in jail for sexually abusing two young men.
Labor’s Katelin McInerney easily claimed the seat, picking up 60 per cent of the two-party preferred vote over Ms Copley.
However, Ms Copley said Labor made a lot of promises during the byelection and she would be holding them to account to “ensure Kiama gets more than just broken promises from this government”.
“Families have been doing it really tough under Labor,” she said.
“Household budgets are stretched to breaking point, housing is unaffordable, trains are slower and less reliable, essential services and infrastructure are falling behind, and our region isn’t getting the investment it needs. It’s not good enough – our community deserves better.”
Ms Copley has lived locally for more than 30 years, with four generations of her family calling the region home.
As a former Shoalhaven City Councillor, Ms Copley said she listened to the community and worked hard to fix the finances, deliver better services and secure upgrades to critical infrastructure, including our local roads.
She volunteers with Meals on Wheels and works professionally educating young people and partnering with local businesses to train and upskill employees with traineeships and sector-specific qualifications.
“I want to be a champion for Kiama, and I’ll fight for better outcomes every day,” she said.
“Our community is paying the price under Labor. We need a local who knows the issues and delivers results – and I have a strong track record of delivery.”
At this stage the NSW election is due to be held on 13 March.
It will be the first NSW election under new Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane, who replaced former leader Mark Speakman when he resigned in November last year.
Original Article published by Jen White on Region Illawarra.
