Neighbours star Madeleine West announces surprise run for NSW state parliament

Former Neighbours star Madeleine West has announced she will run as an independent in the NSW state election on Studio 10 this morning.

Neighbours and Underbelly actress Madeleine West is preparing for a surprise new role — independent candidate in the 2023 NSW state election.

West, who recently began hosting Mamamia podcast Restart, announced her career jump on Studio 10 this morning while condemning the lack of government assistance in flood-affected areas of NSW.

The actress and Lismore local, who revealed the bottom storey of her home has flooded amid the wild wet weather, said her desire to “be change” prompted the move to politics.

“Our region has been cataclysmically failed by the Government, its failure to act in a responsible way and deploy an actual plan to rescue the people that voted for them,” she said.

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Actor Madeleine West is running for state parliament.

“It’s not good enough and a lot of people are talking about it but there’s a point in time where you stop talking and you start doing.

“I’m not agitating to see change anymore, I want to be change, and so today I’m formally announcing that I intend to run for state parliament at the New South Wales elections next year.”

The passionate environmentalist, who has been volunteering with clean-up efforts in Lismore, today expressing her heartache for victims of the floods.

“I can’t see how in the current climate, with the current government system that we have, how people are ever going to be brought back on their feet, because everything is gone. It’s devastating,” she said.

“This area doesn’t have a lot of home insurance, it’s just not financially viable, so they’re starting from scratch,” she said.

West has been busy in the clean-up of flood-affected areas in Lismore.

Discussing her areas of political interest, she said her focus would be on environmental issues as well as providing a voice for vulnerable and underprivileged groups including the homeless and women.

“I’ve been spending three years regenerating the Big Scrub, which was Australia’s most significant rainforest throughout the region,” she said.

“I teach drama, I’m about raising the voices of young women and breaking the bias, closing the pay gap for women in the workforce and now managing these floods.”

The mother-of-six took to Instagram to elaborate on her move into politics.

“My region needs a strong voice on the parliamentary floor,” she wrote.

“Australia needs a guarantee this will never happen again. We’ve talked about it enough and now is the time for action.

“I’ve spent many years agitating for change and now I want to BE the change. We are ready and we deserve it.

“Be the change you want to see. It’s never too late to change everything. Let’s go.”