Bateman to run in Franklin

TASMANIA’S newest political party has put up a candidate to run in Franklin in the yet-tobe-announced federal election, and she says it is time to harness the public swing against the major parties.

Anna Bateman is a former Channel 9 researcher and producer of many TV shows and was also a media adviser to Tasmanian independent senator Jacqui Lambie. She is the daughter of an ABC Radio and TV producer who created Home And Away and was always interested in politics and “making a difference”.

Now she is the Local Party’s candidate for Franklin.

“We want to get the public back involved in politics, Ms Bateman said. “And citizen juries – where the community puts a policy on trial and judges its merit – are a great way of doing that.

“Parliament is working for career politicians and vested interests but not for the people of Australia or the planet.

“The major parties are scared, and they should be.

“The last political party that changed the political landscape (the Greens) came out of Tasmania. Tasmania is a bold place with bold ideas. But they too are now an exclusive club.”

Ms Bateman made her personal political debut when Leanne Minshull, her colleague from the Australia Institute and now Fern Tree publican, gave her a call.

“Leanne and I had spent many nights talking about how much better the parliament would be with more independents – our system works much better for the parties than it does for individuals,’’ she said.