Broken Hill, Sussan Ley and the Canberra connection

Politics
Broken Hill at the Federal politics level is part of the Farrer electorate.  A huge area of 247,097 square kilometres.  The electorate was named after William Farrer (1845 - 1906), a noted wheat breeder and experimentalist.  The electorate reaches as far away as the Albury City Council, and includes the shires of Balranald, Berrigan, Congaro, Corowa, Deniliquin, Greater Hume, Hay, Jerilderie, Lockhart, Murray, Wakool, Wentworth, Urana and Central Darling.

This week I visited Canberra to 

• enjoy some of the city's many 100 year anniversary celebrations
• see Parliament in action; and
• visit the fabulous Turner exhibition at the National Gallery of Australia, which had just opened.

Sussan Ley (left) and me
Pro Hart 'Off to the races St Pats'
in Sussan's Canberra Parliament
House office

It was when I was watching Parliament on Monday 3 June that I saw the Federal Member for Farrer, The Hon Sussan Ley MP in action in the House of Representatives.  Sussan is currently the Shadow Minister for Employment Participation, and Shadow Minister for Childcare and Early Childhood Learning.  All of a sudden I realised that this might be a good opportunity to try and catch up with her.

I had tried to meet Sussan on a few of my visits to Broken Hill but, with such a huge electorate to cover, she was 'out on the road'.  In her case, it may be that she was 'out in the sky' as she has a commercial pilot's license and flies around her huge electorate, which is roughly the size as New Zealand.

I chatted with her media adviser Steve Block and I was delighted to find there was the opportunity for a very quick introduction the following day.

After a very quick tour of some of Parliament House
and a very long walk to her office, I met Sussan and we had a very quick chat as she was heavily booked with appointments and commitments.

After she asked me a few questions, I only really had the chance to ask her one very important question "What does she love about Broken Hill?"

Her reply was the "light, landscape, history, number of pubs and clubs and the people".

Unfortunately time didn't permit more reflections or questions from me, but at least we've met and can communicate via phone for another more in depth discussion another time.

Sussan's website is www.sussanley.com.  Sussan was elected as the member of Farrer in 2001 and has held the seat of Farrer since then, being re-elected in 2004, 2007 and 2010.

The www.aph.gov.au website has a lot of information about Sussan (and all the Senators and Members), see link here to her details.

Stand by for another article in the future.

Cheers, Jane D