Election 2025: Richmond candidates and what they stand for
Richmond is the seat to watch come election night on May 3, but how well do you know the candidates? We’re here to help as they share insights from political ideals to dreams for the next generation.
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Ten candidates have put up their hands to take the seat of Richmond in the federal election on May 3.
Incumbent Labor MP Justine Elliot has retained the seat since 2004 since she defeated the Nationals’ Larry Anthony.
Elliot emerged victorious in the 2022 poll for the North Coast electorate, securing 28.8 per cent of the primary vote, despite a 2.9 per cent swing against her.
Elliot’s toughest opponent to contest the seat will come from the Greens.
The Greens’ candidate, Mandy Nolan, gained a significant 5.0 per cent swing, capturing 25.3 per cent of the vote in 2022.
After preferences were distributed, Elliot secured a decisive victory with 58.2 per cent of the vote, marking a 4.2 per cent increase, while the Nationals’ Kimberly Hone ended with 41.8 per cent, reflecting a 4.2 per cent decrease that showed the dynamic political landscape of Richmond.
We asked all candidates the same three questions ranging from their “wish list” for the electorate to their inspirations for running.
Sitting Labor MP for Richmond – Justine Elliot
Justine Elliot lives locally with her husband Craig and family. Elliot is passionate about the North Coast and is always fighting for a better deal for locals.
Previously a frontline police officer, she serves as the Assistant Minister for Social Services and Assistant Minister for the Prevention of Family Violence in the Albanese Labor Ministry.
What inspired you to run for the seat?
Before becoming our local federal MP, I was a frontline police officer, working hard to keep our streets safe from crime. Now, I work as part of the Albanese Labor team to build a better future for all.
As your local Labor MP, I’ve already delivered more than $3bn for our region, including all of my previous election commitments, including the new animal pound at Murwillumbah, the new Veterans’ Hub in the Tweed, the social enterprise laundry in Bangalow now employing hundreds of locals and funding for the Lennox Head Village upgrade.
When I make a promise, you know I will deliver.
What do you see as the biggest issues for this election and how do they apply to the region?
Labor is strengthening Medicare, delivering real cost of living relief and building a better future for all Australians.
This is all at risk under Peter Dutton and the Liberals and Nationals. They opposed every single one of Labor’s cost-of-living measures, and they even voted against tax cuts.
When Peter Dutton cuts, we all lose. Now Peter Dutton’s Liberals and Nationals say they will cut public services, which will affect Medicare, bulk billing, cheaper medicines, veterans’ claims and the age pension.
Peter Dutton himself said that there are “too many free Medicare services.
What is your top three wishlist for the electorate?
The cost of living, healthcare improvements and community safety are three key issues for Richmond.
Delivering real cost-of-living relief through various measures such as tax cuts, energy bill relief, cheaper childcare and medicines, free TAFE, more rent assistance, student debt relief, and ensuring fairer deals for farmers and families is what she’ll continue to do.
Kimberly Hone – Nationals
Kimberly Hone is a dedicated mother, small business owner, and volunteer, committed to serving the communities of Tweed, Byron, and Ballina. With experience in the SES, supporting remote areas and aiding children with special needs through the Department of Child Safety and the NDIS, her life centres on community service.
Hone plans to boost tourism and small businesses while advocating for affordable living and housing.
She emphasises the need for common sense in politics, promising to be a representative who listens and fights for the region’s needs and aims to “get Richmond back on track”.
What inspired you to run for the seat?
My three daughters are the reason I am running for the seat.
I believe families are suffering and I fear my children will never be able to find or afford their own home.
I am concerned about rising taxes and the mental health crisis among Aussie children, attributing it to woke ideology in our education system.
Universities are the epicentre of propaganda.
I am determined to fight for the return of commonsense and Australian values.
I hope to inspire my girls to be strong and determined leaders for a better future.
What do you see as the biggest issues for this election and how do they apply to the region?
My focus will be on revitalising the community and addressing key issues.
My first priority is reopening Mt Warning, partnering with Ngarakwal Elders to welcome hikers back.
Local businesses are suffering as we miss out on $12m a year in local revenue from tourists.
I advocate for Indigenous rangers to manage the track and for a cultural centre at the mountain’s base.
We need to cut the spending and cut the crap of the current government.
I plan to tackle government waste, oppose the push for 80 per cent renewables and introduce measures like a fuel excise to ease financial burdens.
On housing, there is a need for affordable homes and reduced migration, a ban on foreign investors and propose to unlock 500,000 new homes.
It’s crucial that people have access to affordable housing they can call their own.
What is your top three wishlist for the electorate?
Better active living facilities, wildlife conservation and improvements in telecommunication.
I want to support sports like cricket, basketball, soccer, and arts such as dance and theatre.
Investing in these facilities is crucial for building healthy, strong, and vibrant communities, and to keep talented youth from leaving the region.
I want to secure regular federal funding for the Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital, the only wildlife hospital on wheels.
It’s vital we secure federal funding to value and protect what we have.
I wants to see in a new telecommunications tower in Pottsville and secure funding for river health and a new SES headquarters for Ballina.
Mandy Nolan – Greens
Mandy Nolan has spent three decades living in and fighting for the Northern Rivers. She has raised her five children here and hosted countless comedy gigs, community fundraisers and local events.
In 2022, Nolan stood as the Greens candidate for Richmond. Her community-led campaign saw a massive 5 per cent swing towards her. This time she only needs a 1.8 per cent swing to win in a seat that could determine whether the Greens hold the balance of power.
Nolan is focused on practical solutions for everyday people, advocating for better healthcare with dental and mental health into Medicare.
She wants an end to unlimited mortgage and rent increases, and delivering more affordable housing and real action on climate change.
What inspired you to run for the seat?
I decided to run again after being challenged to actually do something rather than just talk about it.
A long-time advocate for environmental and social justice in the Northern Rivers, I believe Richmond could help the Greens gain a balance of power with Labor, enabling initiatives like adding dental to Medicare, ending coal and gas and restoring public housing.
Reflecting on the 2022 election, we had a 5 per cent swing and were one of the seats held over for a week. This time, we only need a 1.8 per cent swing.
I love the smell of meaningful change in the morning.
What do you see as the biggest issues for this election and how do they apply to the region?
I blame the current cost of living, housing and climate crisis on successive government policy. It’s no accident and I blame the major parties.
During the cost of living crisis, billionaires have doubled their wealth. One in three corporations pay no tax yet people are forced to sleep in cars and our kids can’t afford to live here, because Richmond has among the highest rents and least affordable housing in Australia.
The region is one of the most climate-vulnerable in the country, experiencing extreme weather events, which the scientists tell us are driven largely by burning fossil fuels.
We’ve had the same Labor MP here for 20 years, in a government which approved over 25 coal and gas projects. You can’t keep adding fuel to the fire.
What is your top three wishlist for the electorate?
The Richmond electorate has some of the most unaffordable housing in the country.
I want real action by delivering government-built housing that’s genuinely affordable for first home buyers, stopping unlimited rent increases and reforming tax incentives that fuel the housing crisis.
Women and children in our region are severely impacted by the housing crisis and lack of services, with many unable to escape violence or get needed support.
I’m committed to fully funding local frontline services, including bringing back the Women’s Resource Centre in Murwillumbah, crucial for women’s safety.
One of the largest cost of living pressures is healthcare where many locals postpone essential care because they can’t afford it.
I want dental and mental health included in Medicare and free GP visits for everyone.
This would ease financial pressure and transform health outcomes for our community.
Ian Mye – One Nation
Newcomer Ian Mye was born in Murwillumbah and raised in Kingscliff.
He was schooled at Tweed Heads and boarded at Woodlawn College in Lismore before playing and coaching rugby league with the South Sydney Rabbitohs.
Returning to the Tweed he has worked in the transport industry, where he has held roles from driver to management.
Despite losing his left hand in a childhood accident, Mye has persevered, achieving success in his sporting and professional endeavours.
“Coming from a hardworking family, I learned the value of dedication early on,’’ he said.
What inspired you to run for the seat?
I was born and bred in the Richmond electorate. I have a great attachment and affinity for the region I grew up in along with my greater extended family.
I feel the region needs some real change and I’m ready to fight hard for that change.
What do you see as the biggest issues for this election and how do they apply to the region?
The cost of living, housing, taxation and youth crime as a major issues for Richmond.
We are seemingly the forgotten region of NSW.
With so many homeless people who are unable to find affordable accommodation … we need massive change.
I am calling for more affordable land and housing, noting that retirees moving in are pricing out young families.
It is important to maintain and floodproof transportation routes while advocating for income combining for tax relief that would enabling retirees to work without pension penalties.
I also seek to strengthen the judicial system to address youth crime and develop preventive strategies.
What is your top three wishlist for the electorate?
Raising the current height of the Tweed Valley Way and floodproofing, and even making it into a dual roadway similar to the recently built Woodburn bypass, is imperative.
I am working to establish a cutting-edge Centre of Excellence and Cultural Centre in the Tweed region. This initiative aims to celebrate the history of the Tweed Pioneers and honour both Indigenous and non-Indigenous sporting legends from the area.
The centre is designed to inspire today’s youth by highlighting these significant achievements and contributions.
We urgently need to better help and accommodate any victims of domestic abuse. We also need to be better at helping our homeless people who are also struggling and give those who have mental issues way better health service options.
Kevin Loughrey – Independent
An independent representative for the upcoming federal election, Loughrey emphasises a commitment to representing constituents’ interests without the influence of party politics or external agendas.
He wants to address the nation’s substantial public debt and advocate for a reduction in electricity and fuel costs.
Loughrey proposes building reservoirs to mitigate flooding and enhance water and food security, particularly by redirecting water from the eastern seaboard to the western side of the Great Dividing Range.
He also wants to protect the doctor-patient relationship from government interference, as seen during Covid-19, and oppose experimental medical treatments.
He wants a proposed referendum to guarantee free speech and equal treatment for all Australians, regardless of race or gender, along with reducing housing costs by increasing supply and controlling immigration to maintain the current population size.
What inspired you to run for the seat?
Covid-19 was a jolt that motivated me to find out what the hell was going on, and remedy what is decidedly broken.
Having served in the British Army for 32 years and 15 years in private enterprise I couldn’t sit by and do nothing so he began my campaign for public office.
What do you see as the biggest issues for this election and how do they apply to the region?
Housing. If we don’t help young people get into a house they won’t feel secure enough to have children and if we don’t have children our society is lost. They’re bringing in masses of migrants who do not share our culture.
I’m very worried the beautiful country that I was born in is rapidly fading. I am really worried for my kids and grandkids’ futures.
We have to fix the housing problem.
What is your top three wishlist for the electorate?
Cheap, inexpensive electricity and fuel is paramount as it's a foundation stone in any prosperous society.
Net zero needs to go and sanity needs to return to the energy grid.
As an engineer with an honours degree, wind and solar cannot provide electricity as cheap as brown coal. The climate change thing is a scam.
Affordable housing and rentals are on the list as well as building dams and reservoirs where I want to invoke the Bradfield Scheme: where surplus water is diverted from the eastern seaboard into the west thereby greatly expanding arable and habitable land.
Vivian Mac McMahon – Legalise Cannabis Australia
Vivian “Mac” McMahon has worked at the HEMP Embassy in Nimbin for 18 years promoting Cannabis law reform. An HIV/AIDS activist since 1985 he is also a member of many HIV support groups. A healer with a diploma in traditional Chinese medicine, he is also an actor, artist, chorister, sportsman, traveller and a keen gardener.
What inspired you to run for the seat?
I am running because cannabis reform is long overdue and it’s time for real, evidence-based change.
Every day, people across Richmond are criminalised for using a plant that’s safer than alcohol. I’ve seen how these outdated laws ruin lives, waste police resources and block access to effective medicine.
The Legalise Cannabis Party is about more than just the plant – it’s about human rights, public health and common sense.
I want to give a voice to those who’ve been ignored for too long: patients, growers, First Nations people disproportionately targeted by drug laws and everyday Australians who just want fair treatment.
Running for this seat is a chance to push for a smarter, kinder approach that puts people before politics.
What do you see as the biggest issues for this election and how do they apply to the region?
In Richmond, housing is at crisis point – rents are soaring and people are being pushed out of the region they love. We urgently need more affordable housing, protections for renters and support for those facing homelessness.
Climate resilience is another major issue, especially after the devastating floods. Our region needs real investment in sustainable infrastructure and local disaster preparedness.
And thirdly, drug law reform is overdue. Criminalising cannabis is costly and ineffective. It’s time for a health-based approach that supports our community, not punishes it. These issues aren’t abstract – they affect our friends, families and future. We deserve policies that work for us, not against us.
What is your top three wishlist for the electorate?
Sustainable social housing – build more public and community housing using hempcrete and other renewable materials. This supports those in need while creating local jobs and reducing emissions.
Cannabis reform – legalise and regulate cannabis to reduce harm, free up police resources and support medicinal access and small-scale growers.
Hemp and farming industry support – Invest in a thriving hemp industry and back local farmers through grants, training and infrastructure to grow sustainable crops and build resilient rural economies.
Phillip Byron Peterkin – Trumpet of Patriots
What inspired you to run for the seat?
I first resonated with Mr Palmer during the Covid fiasco when I learnt he acquired enough non-narrative medicines for every Australian for it only to be destroyed at Customs.
I put my hand up when I learnt of the current government’s plan to lock themselves into a duopoly, a uni-party dictatorship.
This raised red flags with me.
Carl Jung said “one of the penalties for not participating in politics is you end up being governed by your inferiors”. So, this is me making a stand.
I have never seen in my lifetime anything other than the Liberal/Labor making life difficult for regular folk.
What do you see as the biggest issues for this election and how do they apply to the region?
The plan to lock us out of ever participating in politics again is the biggest issue.
I feel this is very dangerous and we will be coerced into digital currency, IDs, passports and social credit.
If any of the major parties or those “sneaky independents funded by big corporations” get in, I fear all hope is lost for the country.
Left wing, right wing, same bird. Lion eats bird. Power to the people.
What is your top three wishlist for the electorate?
If I could rub a magic lamp and be granted three wishes, I would reignite everyone’s dreams and desires. The creative, the genius, the will to be … wholesome and healthy. Purpose and meaning. Elevate to a new frequency, a higher vibration.
Real education. I was so excited to go to school as a four year old but it didn’t take long to realise that it’s far from what I thought it would be. I wasn’t designed to be a factory robot.
That would be my second wish. To make school and the education system an enjoyable experience so people actually want to be there.
My third wish would be within the realms of sustainability and energy. I would love to see community gardens overflowing with abundance and working bees. Many hands make light work.
The future is bright if we make the correct decision. Technology is rapidly advancing in all forms of energy production and storage.
Ian Willis – Libertarian
I have worked in mining and construction here and abroad.
I also contributed as a columnist for the Gold Coast Bulletin and advised the government on strata legislation reforms.
I then pursued permaculture farming, transforming a 30-acre farm in the Tweed Valley, NSW, into a thriving landscape, his profile states.
A staunch advocate for small businesses and personal empowerment, I believe in a government that serves taxpayers, not self-interests.
Richard Curtin – Gerard Rennick People First
I was born into a working class family in the Irish Republic before seeking opportunities abroad then settling in Brisbane.
I built a successful subcontracting business and engaged in rugby, playing and coaching at high levels.
My passion for public speaking and community service led me to work in rehabilitation centres, supported by a Diploma in Drug and Alcohol Studies, and now to run for the seat of Richmond.
I now reside in Bogangar, NSW, with my wife Charlotte where I am committed to community service and a working-class perspective.
If elected I will install constituency surgeries that will allow the people of Richmond to speak directly to their MP and allow ideas and concerns to be discussed at the coalface, so to speak.
Independent James McKenzie did not respond to requests.
*The list of candidates includes only those announced by the major parties and prominent minor parties to date at time of publication.
Originally published as Election 2025: Richmond candidates and what they stand for
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