Apart from the nine candidates running for the Parkes' seat in the lower house of parliament for the May 21 federal election, aspiring senators are also on the ballot paper.
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One such name is Labor senator Deborah O'Neill, who will represent Parkes in the upper house or the senate if Labor gets the majority primary votes.
The senate seats are allocated to preselected bearers of the winning political party.
For the 151 lower house seats, there will be 12 senators for each state and two each from ACT and northern territories.
At the moment, the Liberal and Nationals parties as a Coalition have incumbent NSW senator Perrin Davey representing Parkes at the upper house until 2025.
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When the recent 2022-2023 budget that called for as much as $1500 tax breaks and $320 one-off payments to low income families and 50 per cent cut on fuel excise tax to reduce burden on cost of living was passed by the lower house, that bill is also sent to the upper house where senators ratify it for it to be implemented.
When a majority of sitting senators reject or disapprove by votes a piece of legislation sent from the lower house, nothing happens to it.
That is the vital check and balance role of senators in Canberra.
As an opposition senator for Parkes, if Labor wins Ms O'Neill will advocate for voters in the region.
She has been a familiar face campaigning with candidate, Jack Ayoub.
She was a high school teacher before voted to parliament in 2010 representing Robertson on the Central Coast defeated by current Liberal MP, Lucy Wicks in 2013.
Ms O'Neill has big plans for affordable housing.
"Labor will be investing $10 billion to create 20,000 houses and 10,000 affordable houses because we know that housing is in crisis across the country," Ms O'Neill told the Daily Liberal this week.
"When I come to Dubbo I see decaying infrastructure, failures to support people to access health services and the degradation of the health system.
"They have to pay more or travel further to get access to health services.
"There is nothing more important than your life and the life of your family and children and this government has absolutely broken the GP business model...the terrible standard of training GPs showed why only six per cent of students become GPs."
Elizabeth Frias
I began my news reporting days in western and inner west Sydney before joining the Daily Liberal's Dubbo NSW newsroom. Telling all sorts of stories about people, places and events is my daily preoccupation so email me at elizabeth.frias@austcommunitymedia.com.au and I'll be in touch!
I began my news reporting days in western and inner west Sydney before joining the Daily Liberal's Dubbo NSW newsroom. Telling all sorts of stories about people, places and events is my daily preoccupation so email me at elizabeth.frias@austcommunitymedia.com.au and I'll be in touch!
