Ticket to Ryde: Labor's Jerome Laxale campaigns on housing and healthcare in Bennelong

When Jerome Laxale first moved into the Bennelong electorate nearly 20 years ago, then-Prime Minister John Howard was on the cusp of his infamous loss to Labor’s Maxine McKew.

Labor’s hold lasted until 2010, with the Liberal party’s John Alexander snatching it back. In 2022, Laxale was elected in Bennelong with 50.98 percent of the vote on a two candidate preferred basis.

Now, with electoral redistributions bringing in new voters, the seat once again delicately balances between Laxale and Liberal party opponent Scott Yung. The abolition of the North Sydney electorate and rearrangement of Bennelong’s boundaries has seen the electorate become one of the closest in the country.

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So what’s Jerome Laxale’s story?

Laxale said his political career began with a simple motivation: “I like helping people, and there's almost unlimited potential to do that in politics.”

After moving to Marsfield, he joined the local Labor branch and was elected to Ryde Council in 2012, later serving five years as mayor. In 2022, he made the jump to federal politics - but says his local focus hasn’t changed.

“I’ve delivered infrastructure, climate and cost-of-living policies at the council level. Now I’m doing that on a national stage,” Laxale told the North Shore Lorikeet.

Before public life, Laxale worked in the family business manufacturing and importing hairdressing products, later branching into small business consultancy. He also held board roles in workers compensation insurance and procurement. He now lives in North Ryde with his family.

What’s on Bennelong residents’ minds?

With the election looming, Laxale said campaigning is well underway, particularly in newly added parts of the electorate. He highlighted consistent local concerns: “People have been raising cost of living issues, cost of health, cost of housing.

“Most recently they’ve been raising Peter Dutton as an issue: his policies on nuclear, his policies - or non-policies - on work from home. He’s leaning towards importing US-style policies whether it be on healthcare or on sacking public servants. These issues have been raised with me.”

Healthcare

Laxale pointed to a range of Labor initiatives he said would directly benefit Bennelong, including two new Medicare clinics. One is a Medicare Urgent Care Clinic in Top Ryde, which he claimed had already seen over 5,000 patients.

Another clinic, announced yesterday, will be a Medicare Mental Health Centre in Ryde, funded as part of a $1 billion national mental health services package committed to by the Labor government should it be re-elected.

“Anybody can go [to the centre] when they’re in distress,” he said. “Stopping that distress there rather than letting it turn into a crisis.”

Labor previously announced in the federal budget Chatswood would be getting a new Medicare Urgent Care Clinic.

Housing

On housing, Laxale pointed to 380 new social and affordable homes coming to Bennelong, along with 1,000 build-to-rent apartments in the pipeline particularly – in Meadowbank and Macquarie Park.

He highlighted expanded eligibility for Labor’s Help to Buy shared equity scheme, which now allows singles or couples earning up to $160,000 to qualify.

“We want to ensure that people can afford to rent a home and, where we need non-market housing like social and affordable housing, we’ve got a plan,” he said.

The Help To Buy Scheme is not supported by the Coalition, who have previously called the policy “a cruel hoax”.

In the margins

Holding a marginal seat is not new to Laxale, who said he has spent his entire political career in tightly contested areas. “When I first got elected to council I just snuck in with 16% of the vote… then in one term I turned that to 40% of the vote,” he said.

He took aim at his opponents for “parachuting” candidates into the area and expressed confidence that hard work and local connection would be recognised. “I actually live here - I didn’t move here to get this job.

“Yes, it’s a marginal seat and history’s not on our side but if you turn up, explain your decisions and try to help people… people will reward you with their support.”

Outside of politics

When asked how he unwinds outside of politics, Laxale said he enjoys spending time with his partner playing board games like Ticket to Ride and Yahtzee, watching Reacher on Amazon Prime, and following soccer and Formula One.

He also frequently visits Eastwood for family dinners. “We go get Korean barbecue or dumplings at Taste of Shanghai… there’s just so much on offer.”

As the election campaign ramps up, Laxale said he remains focused on delivering for his community. “I do this job to help people,” he said. “I hope I’ve done the work I need to retain it - and it will be only a matter of time before we know where it all ends up.”