I am a local business owner, and my retail store, Kate and Abel, has been part of the streetscape in Fremantle for the past 11 years – we might have even chatted there before! I live around the corner from my shop, and I’m a longstanding advocate for building a smarter, more liveable and more vibrant Fremantle.

Along with a team of hundreds of volunteers, I just ran a groundbreaking campaign for state parliament that mobilised the Fremantle community and saw WA’s biggest swing against Labor. We engaged thousands of people who were excited and enlivened by politics for the first time ever. Despite dirty tactics from the two major parties to keep us out of parliament, we still came within just a few hundred votes of winning.

Since then, hundreds of people have asked me to keep going and challenge the major parties in the upcoming federal election. So, that’s what I’m doing.

At this election, we have a real opportunity to put Fremantle’s voice front and centre on a strong crossbench of independents, and to hold the major parties to account on the issues most important to us.

We are all sick to death of ‘politics as usual’. For years the major parties have been completely ineffective on the important issues. They’re in lockstep on a range of bad deals that are ripping off normal people, and they are excluding us from having a say. People feel unheard, disconnected and ignored – but our campaign is showing how we can make the government pay attention to us.

We want better, and if you elect me as your community independent for Fremantle, I will give you better. I am not linked to any political party, and I am not controlled by big business, billionaires, or lobbyists. I represent you. I am accountable only to you.

Fremantle is proudly independent, and we deserve positive and courageous leadership for the good of our future. I am a true community candidate, and the people's choice in Fremantle. Please join me in making our voices heard.

– Kate Hulett