Limestone Coast Pro Choice committee member Maddy Fry will stand as an independent candidate for Barker in the upcoming Federal Election following a last-minute nomination.
Miss Fry joins eight other candidates competing for the local seat in the May 21 poll, believed to be a first in the seat’s 119 year history.
She is well known for her involvement with the Limestone Coast freedom rallies where she fought COVID-19 restrictions during the pandemic and even travelled to the Canberra to take part in a national freedom rally.
Miss Fry said she had considered running in the past after being asked by freedom protestors and fellow Limestone Coast Pro Choice members.
She is supported by AustraliaOne who contacted supporters at the eleventh hour to say it would support those who wished to run in the Federal election as independents.
“I am a longtime supporter of AustraliaOne, and I spent a lot of time with party leader Riccardo Bosi when I was in Canberra for the freedom rallies,” she said.
“They are not a registered political party, but they share the same views as I do.
“I do not want to be a politician, but this is the best way to get people’s voices heard.
“I am not running to win, or I would have done it six months ago, it is more the fact people outside of our freedom movement are open to discussions from a Federal candidate.
“I think the problem for many years is people are happy to say what needs to be done but are not willing to stand up and do it.
“I want to be the change and have a voice for the people.”
Miss Fry is running alongside Barker independent and fellow freedom fighter Vince Pannell who shares the same AustraliaOne policies.
“We are both running so if you like the policies we stand for, you have two options of who you can vote for,” she said.
“A vote for one of us is a vote for both of us.
“We are sick of trying to force our opinions on people, so we want to give them a choice.”
The AustraliaOne policies Miss Fry aligns herself with include ending mandatory COVID-19 vaccines, making the education system more child focused, making Australia a self-sufficient sovereign country, reintroducing the death penalty and banning full-term abortion nation-wide.
“I know less about politics than most people, but I learnt the communication and problem-solving skills I believe are required in government from my time in the freedom movement and working with traumatised children in my previous job,” she said.
Regarding making Australia a self-sufficient sovereign country Miss Fry said “we have every resource in Australia to be the most self-sufficient country anyone has ever seen”.
“We need to look after ourselves before we can support and work with others,” she said.
“We have been given everything we need but we are not using it how we should.”
