By Raquel Mustillo
LABOR has named Blue Lake city lawyer Katherine Davies as its candidate to contest the state seat of Mount Gambier, with party leader Peter Malinauskas praising her values as commitment as “consistent with the community sentiment and culture”.
The 31-year-old Limestone Coast Community Justice Centre solicitor said she was prompted to run for the next election due to a lack of investment in supports for individuals and families in the region.
Ms Davies outlined greater health investment – particularly in mental health – and a focus on affordable housing as her main priorities ahead of the March 2022 election.
“[There needs to be] more mental health support including more mental health beds and better outpatient facilities/supports for those with acute mental health issues,” she said.
“I also believe a great priority is easier access to telehealth appointments, which may include a greater investment in video facilities in the health sector.
“Housing is at crisis point in Mount Gambier and there needs to be affordable housing options as well as a better solution to crisis accommodation.”
Ms Davies – who serves as secretary of the Limestone Coast Family Violence Action Group and the Limestone Coast Community Services Round Table – said the electorate required stronger support for vulnerable and disadvantaged individuals and families.
“I can foresee that our community services will have more and more clients seeking help and therefore become more and more stretched to provide services,” she said.
“I believe this will put our most vulnerable community members at risk of harm, whether that be because they have no bed to sleep in or they do not have ongoing health support because the service provider does not have the funding in place to support that increasing number of people.”
Mr Malinauskas told The Border Watch that he acknowledged the difficulty in challenging sitting Mount Gambier MP Troy Bell, who he described as a “powerful advocate for the community”, but said Labor was intent on providing Mount Gambier with strong representation.
“I’ve been upfront about the fact that I think Labor in government let down the people of the South East and I am determined to be honest and turn it around,” he said.
“I’ve publicly acknowledged that selling the forest was wrong and a mistake and I and my team are going through a period of providing to the people of Mount Gambier that we are committed to this community and want to do better.
“Preselecting someone like Katherine Davies is a big step in that effort.
“Katherine Davies is a committed, passionate resident of Mount Gambier, she has deep community links and her work at the local community justice centre – as well as a Girl Guide leader – speaks to the fact that she’s all about serving the local community.”
