The Greens Party candidate for Farrer, Richard August Hendrie, has lived in the electorate for the past 25 years.
He is an award-winning mental health and disability advocate and has worked at senior levels to build inclusive programs and shape policy.
He is also passionate about advocating for people navigating housing insecurity, healthcare delays and underfunded services — things he has experienced first hand.
Mr Hendrie said his lived experience was the reason he was running for parliament.
“I’m standing for parliament because I believe our communities deserve more than empty promises — they deserve honest, lived experience, and action that reflects real life in regional Australia,” he said.
“I know that in regional communities like ours, the cost of living, access to timely healthcare, and water security are not isolated issues — they’re deeply connected. We need policies that reflect that reality.”
To address the housing crisis, Mr Hendrie will be pushing for greater investment in public housing, with a target of one million publicly owned homes over 20 years.
He will also push for the phasing out of tax handouts that benefit property investors over first-home buyers.
Funding for regional communities is another priority for him as “rural councils like Murray River Council manage massive infrastructure with shrinking revenue”.
According to Mr Hendrie, the Greens have previously advocated for Federal Assistance Grants of one per cent of federal tax revenue for local councils.
He is also backing the Murray-Darling water buybacks but said support for regenerative farming, new industries and planning with communities was needed for the basin plan to work.
Party-wide the greens will be pushing for dental and mental health to be included under Medicare, to ease the financial burdens on everyday people.
Mr Hendrie said if people wanted change, they needed to vote for it.
“You can't keep voting for the same major parties and expecting a different result. If you want change, the first step is to vote for it,” he said.
“I’ll keep doing what I’ve done for decades — listening, co-designing and working constructively to make life fairer for people who live here.”
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