Stefan Bradley
Sophie Paterson, a community advocate and political staffer who spends much of her time at her cattle farm in Maffra, is running for the Sustainable Australia Party as an upper house candidate for Eastern Victoria.
“I spend much time in Maffra, running two cattle farms both here and in Benambra. My partner Andrew and our kids are deeply passionate about the region, both in terms of its natural environment as well as the people and businesses that make up Eastern Victoria,” Ms Paterson said.
Ms Paterson also works in Melbourne as Chief of Staff for Clifford Hayes, a Sustainable Australia Party upper house MP.
“Overall I’m running because I don’t feel that regional voters are represented very well in Parliament,” she said.
“I often get complaints from friends and local community members that they’ve contacted their local MP and no-one ever responded to them. Issues that are raised in Parliament are very citycentric and seem to neglect the regional areas. I have never seen regional roads in worse condition, yet this issue seems to get ignored by Government. The unpopular camping on leased crown land bill, which was only opposed by the Sustainable Australia Party and one other independent (Catherine Cumming MP), was largely ignored by the Greens and Labor, despite local community uproar about the environmental damage unregulated access was going to cause.
“I have a unique perspective as I am very environmental and prioritise all things sustainable (and also have four years of city political experience), but also have a farmers perspective which focuses on regional livelihoods, animal welfare and prioritising local issues like the CFA and road safety. I feel that corruption in politics is at an all-time high and there is no public accountability for ill-thought out spending of taxpayer money.”
Ms Paterson said she was saddened by the Saputo closure in Maffra.
“This business is essential for jobs in Maffra, not just direct employees, but for the many dairy farmers who supply the milk to Saputo in the region,” she said.
“And what about the on-site supply business that supports the locals with things like animal nutrition products and other agricultural products? It will have a very large impact and no-one wants to see an abandoned building on this site. There are some incredible neighbouring businesses here too – the Gippsland Vehicle Collection and the soon-to-open Maffra Brewery.
“It’s an exciting time, after so much hardship caused by lockdowns. I know all the milk processing plants are having difficulties with operational costs, such as the high price of power and rising cost of ingredients, which makes it hard when they are not profitable to prioritise local interests, however I’m wondering if other opportunities haven’t been sought out here first.
“There has been a history of mismanagement of this site and many locals feel that there could have been a better way. Particularly had it stayed in management by local owners.”
The Sustainable Australia Party was founded in 2010 as the Sustainable Population Party, and campaigns on a policy of protecting the natural environment, stopping overdevelopment and stopping corruption.
