Thank you
I want to start by again thanking all the thousands of people who supported my 2025 election campaign.
You helped deliver a historic result. For three years my team and I have worked incredibly hard to repay the trust the people of the ACT put in me in 2022, and it was overwhelming to see that recognised in the election result.
That almost 40 per cent of people in the ACT gave me their first preference vote is extraordinary and I am so humbled by that.
I am also conscious of all the people who didn’t put a 1 next to my name and I remain just as committed to fairly representing them and their views in the next term of parliament and continuing to be accessible and accountable to people in the ACT.
I would like to again thank my running mate Hannah Vardy who demonstrated just what a huge contribution young people can make and are making, and all the Team Pocock volunteers and supporters - it was tremendous to see so many of you on election night.
You bring the power to this movement that’s all about putting people first.
I know many Team Pocock volunteers also supported Jessie Price and I want to commend her on a truly impressive campaign. Jessie and her team succeeded in putting Bean on the map in a very big way. We saw some incredibly disappointing tactics employed, from deceptive flyers to postal vote data harvesting that I campaigned against over the last term, including introducing a bill that would prohibit the practice. While falling just short of becoming the next Member for Bean, Jessie has made this electorate one of the most marginal in the country. She’s put Labor on notice that they can’t take the south for granted and I really hope to see Jessie run again three years from now and look forward to continuing to engage with her in the meantime.
The Rise and Rise of Independents
Jessie’s story adds to that of independents more generally. We saw a total repudiation of the view pushed in some quarters that 2022 was some kind of aberration or one-off response to Scott Morrison.
Labor may have shocked pundits and pollsters with the scale of its victory, but the size of the swing on first preferences in the lower house was on par with what independents also achieved.
ABC analysis suggests that for the first time since the creation of the Liberal Party more than 60 years ago, “the combined independent and minor party vote looks set to beat a major party.”
I believe this needs to reshape how the Government defines bi-partisanship in the 48th parliament.
And it builds the case for the fundamental structural reforms the community is crying out for more broadly.
Including on integrity.
A time for bold reform
We know that major party postal vote campaigns played a big role not just in the outcome of Bean, but other close contests like Kooyong and Goldstein. And that’s just one example of major party collusion standing in the way of the kind of reform our community wants.
The joint parliamentary committee inquiry into the last election included recommendations from independent Member for Curtin Kate Chaney MP and I to change the way this is managed. To scrap the exemptions from the Privacy Act and Spam Act political parties have given themselves. We introduced bills into the House and Senate that would - among other things - amend the Electoral Act 1918 to ensure the independence of the postal vote process by preventing parties or candidates from achieving an advantage through the process.
But that’s just the beginning. We need big reforms on all the key issues people care about, from health to housing, cost-of-living to climate and nature.
I think voters sent a clear message that the status quo isn’t working and they want better. They want politicians standing up for the communities that elect them and pushing back against vested interests.
I have spent some time reflecting on the election outcome. The missed opportunity that a hung parliament would have presented, the changed numbers in the Senate around balance of power and what that means for leverage.
The conclusion I have come to is that we just need to double down and push harder than ever before. To use the platform you’ve given me to run community-driven campaigns for change.
On housing, to start treating it as a human right everyone should be able to afford, not just a vehicle for wealth creation. Sensible changes to negative gearing and the capital gains tax discount shouldn’t be forever off the table.
On Nature, so that we have the investment that’s needed to protect the people and species we love and environmental laws that actually protect nature.
An ambitious emissions reduction target and increased investment in household and small business electrification so we stand some chance of keeping a liveable planet.
Solutions in health that are actually going to work for the ACT and make it easier and more affordable for Canberrans to get the care they need.
As well as continuing to fight on other local issues, like supporting small businesses impacted by light rail or getting full funding commitments for a new convention centre.
As we saw last parliament, numbers can change fast in the Senate, but my focus is going to be on pushing for change on the root causes of the big challenges we face.
These are just a few examples and you can read my priorities in detail at https://www.davidpocock.com.au/policy
The PM, apparently wary of facing the same Senate from the past three years, is in no hurry to reconvene the Parliament, which appears set not to go back until the end of July or early August. This leaves me with time to get stuck in on the issues that matter to our community.
Upcoming events
Eyes on the ground in Gaza
One of those issues is the ongoing horrors we see out of Gaza, compounded now by the ongoing blockade of humanitarian aid. This is now heading into its third month and pushing some 2 million people to the brink of famine. Dr Mohammed Mustafa has recently returned from his second stint on the ground in Gaza with firsthand experience of the severity of the healthcare crisis. Dr Mo is coming to Canberra as part of his ongoing advocacy work and I will be hosting him for a public lecture at the Parliament House. Our original venue sold out in hours so I have moved this to the Great Hall from 5.30 - 6.30pm on Tuesday 27 May. Attendance is free but even the expanded number of places are going fast so RSVP now to secure your spot. If you can’t make it the event will also be livestreamed at https://www.youtube.com/live/F5YFNMqD8RM
Next mobile office
My commitment to people in the ACT is to be accessible, and a key part of that is the regular mobile offices I hold around Canberra. If you or someone you know has an issue they’d like to raise with me or just wants to have a chat, my next mobile office will be at East Row Cafe on May 29 at 9am - 11am. You can RSVP and book a time slot here.
National Sorry Day Bridge Walk
I will again be taking part in the annual National Sorry Day Bridge walk alongside Winnunga, McLeod’s Angels and the Healing Foundation next Friday 23 May 2025. We will be meeting at 10am at Regatta Point (corner of Albert St and Barrine Dr) for a 10.30am start. This event is about paying respect to Stolen Generations survivors and commemorating the history of forcible removals and its ongoing impacts. All welcome. For further information contact [email protected]
Riversong
For those looking to support a good cause this Saturday night, 17 May 2025, The Australian River Restoration Centre is hosting Riversong featuring the Resonants at the National Museum of Australia. All proceeds go towards river restoration. More information here.
Community campaigns
I also want to take a moment to celebrate some important progress we saw this week across a number of community driven campaigns.
I was proud to stand alongside the Save Burrangirri Action Group during the election campaign calling for a reversal of the decision to close this beloved respite facility that accounts for half of the ACT’s short-term respite beds. I wrote to the Prime Minister and Opposition leader calling for a federal funding commitment, and to the ACT Health Minister urging her to keep Burrangiri open.
Independent MLA Fiona Carrick and Candidate for Bean Jessie Price both advocated strongly in support of Burrangiri, and their support was so important to getting the outcome we did.
We saw Federal Labor come to the table with a $10 million funding commitment and now the ACT Government reverse its previous decision to close the facility in June and instead extend it for a further two years while they work on a longer term respite solution for the ACT.
This was a tremendous outcome for community advocacy and I want to congratulate Peter and all of the people who invested their time in campaigning so hard to save Burrangiri.
We also saw the ACT Government announce a support package for local businesses impacted by light rail works on London Circuit. This is something I also advocated for alongside Independent MLA Thomas Emerson, the Canberra Business Chamber and local business owners.
This is a welcome start from the ACT Government in supporting local businesses that have been badly impacted from the light rail construction on London Circuit. However, based on the feedback I have received from local small business people, the package needs to be bigger if we are to ensure their survival through to the end of the construction period.
This is a joint Federal and ACT-funded project and I will continue to advocate for some of the $100 million earmarked for planning of Stage 2B to go toward supporting businesses through measures like rent and rates relief.
And finally we saw the ACT Government announce plans for a pedestrian crossing on Canberra Avenue following the harrowing incident where St Eddie’s students Aiden Stuart and Aaron Way were struck by a car. Together with the school, broader community, and assembly representatives, we made the case for long overdue intervention in this dangerous section of road impacting two schools on what is a notoriously dangerous stretch of road. I also want to recognise Gill King’s ongoing efforts around road safety. Improved road safety and transparent, needs-based federal road funding is something I negotiated for throughout the last term of parliament and will continue to push in this one.
Some great stats from the election campaign
One of the best parts of the campaign was getting out to talk to so many people across our community alongside the utterly brilliant Team Pocock volunteers and I just wanted to give a quick snapshot of this work.
During the campaign Team Pocock:
- hosted 272 stalls across Canberra
- letterboxed 59 suburbs
- organised corflutes for more than 613 homes
- knocked on 2,854 doors
- hosted and participated in community forums on key policy topics attended by over 2,000 Canberrans
Complementing these efforts, we also expanded our digital reach significantly with content we shared on Instagram receiving over 10 million views. Content on Facebook received a further 7.4 million views, and TikTok content was viewed over 2.9 million times.
Continuing engagement
It’s been really heartening reading through people’s reflections on volunteering during the campaign and what you got out of the experience.
I would also really love for people to stay involved in Team Pocock between elections. As we did following the last election, we are pulling together a short review of the campaign and volunteers have been emailed a survey. If anyone else has feedback or suggestions on the campaign, we’d love to have your views - please email through to [email protected]
We’ll use this review process to look at how we can continuously improve, and also to explore some ideas for ongoing engagement. We look forward to the continuing creativity, enthusiasm and positivity that is so much part of Team Pocock. Community campaigning on key issues will be a huge part of the work this term and our democracy needs all of us.
In terms of final campaign housekeeping, if you have a corflute that you haven’t managed to drop off as yet, please email [email protected] and we can make arrangements for drop off or pick up. The Campaign Office is also now closed. If you have a merch order still to pick up, please email [email protected] as soon as possible.
Thank you so much again for your support and I look forward to another three years working hard for our community.
David