There are 24 candidates standing for the ACT election in the Gungahlin-based electorate of Yerrabi. Click or touch on a photo for more information about that candidate.
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Declan Keating was born and raised in Canberra, and has worked closely with people from all walks of life in the Yaerrabi region. Keating said he was motivated by the desire to see "local business flourish in Yerrabi", and wanted to reduce red tape and regulatory burdens. Keating described himself as a social liberal who did not believe government should "dictate how consenting adults choose to conduct their personal lives, and is particularly opposed to nanny-state and economically harmful policies such as lockout laws". Keating is young and wants to give Canberra's youth a voice in the Legislative Assembly.
Alistair Coe is deputy leader, treasury and transport spokesman for the Canberra Liberals. He is married to Yasmin and together they have two children, Angus and Annabel. Coe and his family live in the Gungahlin suburb of Nicholls. Before his election in 2008, he worked as an adviser at the national headquarters of the Returned and Services League of Australia. He also worked for a consultancy that focused on the domestic aspects of national security. Coe was born in Canberra, went to schools in Tuggeranong and Belconnen and holds a bachelor of commerce from the Australian National University.
James Milligan has lived with his wife and son in Ngunnawal since 2004, running his own home-based publishing and graphic design business, JM Publishing. He is a keen golfer and cricketer. From 2013 to 2015 he was communications director for the Gungahlin Community Council and he was part of the Celebrate Gungahlin committee that ran Gungahlin festivals in 2015 and 2016. He believes his family business background gives him skills that will help get the best outcomes for the vast majority of residents who just want to get on with their lives. Milligan has been active in the Liberals since 2007, including as Gungahlin branch president, and he has run in federal elections. He believes Canberra can be Australia's leading small business hub.
Amanda Lynch is a local businesswoman who was chairwoman of the Council of Small Business and chief executive of the Real Estate Institute. She was also a director at the Australian Local Government Association, where she dealt with issues at the heart of ACT government responsibilities. Lynch has a particular interest in housing affordability and fairer rates to take the pressure off the cost of living. She wants strong and resilient economy where no one is left behind, which means long-term planning and vision and ongoing conversations with people affected. She is committed to improving health services in Gungahlin, including through the Liberals' plan for a hospital there. As a breast cancer survivor, Lynch is a member of Bosom Buddies and has worked for community groups, including as chairperson of M16 Artspace, and as a mentor for aspiring young female chief executives. She spends every day in Yerrabi where her family live and she knows the issues of the electorate such as the chaotic and unplanned roadworks and development pressures on local parks and recreation spaces.
Justin States lives in Forde. He was born in Gippsland and grew up in Perth, where he graduated with a degree in psychology. He moved to Canberra in 1992 to work in Defence. He has also worked in the federal departments of Industry, Science and Tourism and Foreign Affairs and Trade and has completed a masters in business administration and a law degree, including a law exchange to the University of Alabama in 2002. He was senior foreign policy adviser to Julie Bishop and chief adviser to Philip Ruddock before working in the private sector. He is on the Calvary Hospital community advisory council, the Gungahlin Community Council and the Forde residents association. He wants to improve roads and resolve infrastructure.
Vaddakedathu has been a Canberra resident for 18 years. He lives in Nicholls with his wife Beenu and two children Johan and Carol. He has a masters in business administration from the University of Canberra and is a public servant working for the federal Department of Finance and has worked for a bank and run small businesses, experience that has made him very aware of the challenges faced by working families and small business owners. Vaddakedathu is passionate about community engagement and has been a volunteer for the Red Cross and Cancer Council, and is involved in the Gungahlin Community Council and the Gungahlin United Football Club. He believes in fairness and is committed to listen to people about their concerns and needs to support them in whatever way he can.
Tim Bohm is a small business owner who lives in north Watson with his wife, three children and a dog. Born in Canberra, Bohm says Like Canberra has big ideas on how to make the best city in the world even better. With three kids travelling as a family is a nightmare and that's just one of the reasons he wants a 57 minute bullet train to Sydney. He wants his kids to grow up in a city where they can get a cutting edge and rewarding job, buy a house and have clean air and water. Bohm has worked in Sydney and London. While he lives 500 metres outside Yerrabi, Bohm says Gungahlin is the community his family turns to for his children's sports clubs, doctors, shopping and recreation each week.
Paul Gabriel moved to Canberra to study at the ANU, where he studied computer science, and has been working at the university for nine years. Gabriel said he wanted to focus on "short term fixes and long term planning, beyond a single term" to improve Yerrabi and Canberra more broadly. Gabriel wants to see more smarter homes that use less energy, divestment from non-renewables and improvements to housing affordability. Gabriel is an active member of his local community, he is a regular participant in parkrun and was a founding member of the Northside Men's Shed in 2012 where he remains an active member. When not solving IT challenges, Gabriel loves running, bike riding and going on adventures with his wife.
Ngunnawal Elder Violet Sheridan grew up on her mother's country of Yass. Sheridan is a member of the Ngunnawal Elder's Council, and a former member of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission, representing Bogong Ward. Sheridan says she is passionate about creating education opportunities for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal youth alike, and housing affordability for first home buyers and renters. Sheridan wants to pursue education policies like free school buses and lollipop school crossing supervisors.
