Who is Louise McCallum, the Labor candidate for Bradfield?

On Thursday morning the North Shore Lorikeet spoke with Louise McCallum, the Labor candidate facing off against Gisele Kapterian (Liberal) and Nicolette Boele (Independent) for the seat of Bradfield at the forthcoming election.

The once-safe North Shore Liberal seat is now balanced by a fine margin, with Independent Nicolette Boele rallying support during the last election and almost overtaking longstanding MP Paul Fletcher. Paul Fletcher announced his retirement last December.

The Lorikeet is McCallum’s first interview following her announcement as Labor’s Bradfield candidate in late February.

From recruitment to politics

McCallum grew up in Castle Hill and describes her family as “working class” on her candidate profile. Originally, she worked in marketing and advertising before starting a recruitment consultancy business about 20 years ago.

McCallum runs her business from her home in Lindfield, but the entire operation is now Australia-wide. She said she has “always been fascinated with politics and followed it closely,” which came to a head for her in the 2010s during the Coalition government’s leadership.

“I was ranting at the TV constantly,” she told the North Shore Lorikeet, “seeing a lack of action on climate change, the cost of houses slowly creeping up, and scandal after scandal.”

Why McCallum decided to run in Bradfield

As a mother of three boys, one in high school, one at university and one who has just graduated from university, McCallum said she is “really concerned about what their future is going to look like”.

When the Albanese Labor Government was elected in 2022, McCallum saw cause for hope.

“I felt much more reassured about my children’s future.”

With the next federal election looming and Opposition voices growing stronger, McCallum found herself wondering: “are we just gonna go back to Liberal and is everything gonna fall apart again?

“That really got me up off the couch,” she said. “I thought, it’s time to take action and stop ranting at the TV.”

What has McCallum learned from the experience so far?

“It’s a lot more busy than what I expected,” McCallum said.

“But it’s been really interesting … I’ve been surprised to learn how engaged [and informed] most people are with politics.”

McCallum said residents of Bradfield are concerned about affordable housing, health and the energy transition.

“We have so many families and young people living here, and what I’m hearing most is concern for the next generation.

“People want to know: what is the government doing for our children?”

What will Labor do for Bradfield about housing, health and energy?

McCallum said her policies are focused on the areas that are going to make a difference for the next generation.

What Labor is pledging for healthcare in Bradfield

McCallum cited the opening of an urgent care clinic in Chatswood as exemplary of Labor’s investment in Medicare.

“We promised 50 [urgent care clinics], delivered 87, and have another 50 on their way. Everyone we’ve spoken to who lives within driving distance of an urgent care clinic is so grateful because they make the world of difference.

“You don’t have to go and sit for hours in a hospital waiting to be triaged, you can just walk in.”

What Labor is pledging for the environment and energy transition in Bradfield

McCallum said she is “really conscious” that the energy transition is going to be a “hot topic” in this election.

“I think the nuclear policy that’s been proposed is quite laughable - laughable if it wasn’t such a serious matter,” she said.

The Labor candidate went on to detail the many problems with the federal Opposition’s proposed nuclear power plant scheme, from its potentially too-late estimated delivery, its “taxpayer-borne” costs, its waste problem, and its unfeasibility on state and local levels.

“State governments have got legislation that would have to be completely unwound. You’ve got communities that don’t want nuclear plants in their area. The fact that the plants would use so much water and that the sites that have been proposed are in drought stricken areas.

“It just makes zero sense.”

What Labor is pledging for affordable housing in Bradfield

McCallum praised Labor’s continued increase of rental assistance, and said she would like to keep exploring the topic, while committing “everything we can throw” at housing because, she quipped, “I’d like [my kids] to move out one day”.

What do McCallum’s kids think of her running?

“They oscillate between being aghast, to thinking it’s hilarious, to occasionally maybe feeling proud. But mainly it’s horror, particularly with my youngest who’s still at school,” she laughed.

McCallum’s favourites around Bradfield

McCallum’s go-to cafes in Lindfield for coffee are Gelatiamo and Cafe Feoh.

For walks, she suggests the Philip Game Reserve Loop next to Lane Cove national park.

Bush walks in general and access to national parks, she said, are “one of the most beautiful things about Bradfield.”

So why should you vote for her?

“It’s all about looking at the proof,” she answered. For McCallum, it comes back to the key issues of housing, health and energy transition.

“[Labor doesn’t] just talk about things, we actually have delivered.”

Images provided by Louise McCallum