Hello, I’m Kimberly Smith, your Greens candidate for Mining and Pastoral Region.
I grew up and lived in the Goldfields region for 30 years before moving to Perth to attend university. Since completing a double degree in Science and Behavioural Science, I’ve worked in politics, the mental health sector and tertiary education. Recently I completed a masters degree through research in the mental health field, so I am passionate about peoples’ well being and communities.
Growing up in Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie I have fond memories of taking trips out into the bush with my family. As a child, I climbed trees, caught insects, swam in the King of the West Lake, explored bush tracks and collected firewood. It’s from this experience that I have a deep love and respect for the bush with all its beauty and quiet stillness. I am committed to taking action on climate change so we can protect the country we rely on. My commitment to our environment includes:
- Stopping fracking now; protect our country including the Canning Basin.
- Securing our water supply; protect the Fitzroy River from being irrigated.
- Protecting our coastlines and marine life; from Kalbarri all the way to Kununurra, particularly areas that are being threatened by oil and gas developments
- Ensuring that corporations stop using our region as a place to extract our resources with no accountability – like in the case of the Gorgon gas project.
- Regeneration of our land; including pastoral leases and greater support for pastoralists.
As a young adult I moved to Kambalda with my husband where I had our two kids. In Kambalda, I ran a small business and regularly volunteered at my kids’ school and Playgroup, among other community groups. I loved our tight-knit community. I know our regional communities look out for one another, however we need more support from our State Government. As your representative, I’ll fight for more funding for our schools, health and mental health services, and to ensure everyone has a home and an adequate social safety net if we need it.
My family have almost 40 years of experience in mining and related industries. My husband, father, brother, uncles, cousins and grandfather have all worked across many sites in the Goldfields and Norseman areas. For those of us whose income and community depends on the mining companies, there are personal benefits and challenges. We know that many jobs are winding down as they are becoming automated, which really concerns me and my family. We also know how dependent many of our livelihoods are on the boom and bust cycles of mining. So, we need government action now to help buffer us and build resilience against these impacts.
Our Green New Deal plan will see mining companies pay their fair share of tax as it charts a pathway forward to ensure our families have secure employment. We’ll transition from the polluting industries of coal, oil and gas to a jobs-rich renewable energy export industry that will ensure a future for our planet and our families.
Recently, five health workers in the Kimberley tested positive for the coronavirus, highlighting the vulnerability of our regional health services. We cannot escape the pandemic just because we live remotely. In fact, in many ways it leaves us more vulnerable and highlights that our regional health services need greater resourcing. We need to ensure that regional areas are not forgotten and that we have a strong voice in parliament advocating for a fairer deal for everyone in the regions. I would love to be that voice.
Please get in touch and share what you’d like to see for our region to thrive. You’ve got my commitment that I’ll act with integrity, and say it as it is. I’ll listen and we’ll work together to achieve our goals.
