Candidate Profile:
Jenny Fitzgibbon - Greens candidate for Glass House

Contacts: Phone 0400 384803 jennyfitzgibbon@glasshousegreens.com Web: www.glasshousegreens.com

History

I am an industrial design engineer, trained at the National College of Art & Design in Dublin. I emigrated from Ireland 20 years ago to pursue my design career in Sydney but quickly found that I was more drawn to people than the drawing-board. I worked as office manager and fundraising coordinator for Oxfam and as an aged carer here on the Sunshine Coast. As a carer, I spent much of my time with frail and elderly folk as well as healthy retired people and carers. Oxfam showed me the connections between poverty in developing countries, over-consumption in the West and global environmental degradation. We can live simply so that others may simply live. Since moving to Maleny 10 years ago I have been an administrator in my partner's bush revegetation and seed business and a professional musician working in Qld schools as a performer. I love camping, reading and painting. In my 45 years I have been involved in many environmental education projects and campaigns, including one of the first Greenhouse Education campaigns to tour the NT. 

Objectives

In the Qld Parliament I will work constructively with the elected government to represent the interests of the people in this community. They want a healthy environment for the future, social equity and peace and I will make this a priority. Development, jobs and growth need not cost us our environment. There is neither economy nor comfort without a sound environment. Political will is the missing ingredient. My key priorities: Make public transport a priority, fast track the Caloundra Rail & provide better connections for people living west of the highway. More affordable Go!Card to reward use of public transport. Encourage and support local food markets and market gardens, ensuring fairer prices for farmers and the retention of productive farmland. Implement an affordable housing strategy. Opposing the Traveston Dam certainly, but also the Wyaralong Dam and the raising of the Borumba Dam in the Mary River catchment by 25m; plans that are in place in LNP and Government policy. I will support the implementation of water strategies that ensure none of our valleys need flooding.

Three People I'd like to have to Dinner

Marshall Rosenburg who wrote "Non-violent communication: a language of life" (because I have been studying this hard but simple process to deepen my connection with life for over a year and his YouTube stories are fantastic), Kristina Olsen who is my fave singer/songwriter and Ian Lowe because he is inspiring and tells it like it is, but with humour and intelligence. 

The Last Book I Read was...

Revisiting "A Big Fix - solutions for Australia's environmental crisis" by our own Prof. Ian Lowe and Deepak Chopra "A Spiritual Guide for teens"

The Last Music I Bought or 
Listened to was...

David Rovics "The Commons" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blOeXMcapBI I was looking up the words so I can maybe sing it! He was at Woodford.

My Interests
(outside of this election)

Besides reading several books at once and a New Scientist from the library, I walk a bit and enjoy painting days with friends. Cycling in Brisbane around the great bike paths and visiting the art galleries is a great day out for me and my partner. Radio National 792AM keeps me sane, informed and stimulated. I have no television by choice, but ABC internet programming is excellent so I can get a fix when I need it! I love talking to my family in Sydney, Germany and London on Skype.