Who I am

I'm Nicolette Boele (pronounced 'Buller') and I'm a long term local resident with a passion for our community and our country.

As a genuine community independent, I aim to represent the views of the residents of Bradfield. I have done no deals with anyone and am committed to transparency in everything I do.

My experience and expertise

Over my career I have built the skills needed to be an effective representative for our community in Federal parliament – policy expertise, good governance, pragmatism, accountability, collaboration and leadership.

I have deep experience in financial markets and sustainable business, having spent my career working in capital markets, clean energy and climate change policy.

For the past decade I’ve led policy, advocacy, and standards-setting agendas as an executive at the Responsible Investment Association Australasia, the Investor Group on Climate Change and the Clean Energy Finance Corporation. During this time, I focused on connecting capital with the investments we need to achieve a healthy, sustainable and competitive economy. I have helped equip superannuation and investment managers to be sound fiduciaries and manage climate and human rights risks in Australians’ investment portfolios.

Read my bio here.

I love australia and our shared values.

I’m a committed and engaged Australian citizen, who regards knowledge, transparency and discussion as key to building trust, respect and a vibrant democracy. I’m a proud mum, wife and daughter. I know that our elected representatives have to model the behaviour and attitudes we want our kids and grandkids to embody. I believe fairness, compassion and doing what is right – even when it’s difficult - are shared Australian values.

Why am I running?

Politics can be done differently.

The new government may have commenced acting on the issues that formed the basis of my campaign in 2022 – bold, urgent, and meaningful action on climate, restoring integrity to our federal Parliament, and getting our economy onto a sustainable footing - but there is still much to do. And Bradfield should have a seat at the table, which it now does not have.

I think Bradfield wants change.
Since 1949 the people of Bradfield have trusted their voice with men from the Liberal Party and for the most recent 12 years, the people of Bradfield have chosen the same person to represent us in Canberra. Yet clearly, many of us are not happy with that history. In 2022 many voters – not quite a majority (unfortunately!) - made it clear just how unhappy.

The community of Bradfield wants and needs to be listened to with respect.

We refuse to be taken for granted.

We refuse to be treated as a stereotype.

Our views – not the views of a political party – need to be represented in Parliament. That’s what democracy is.

The main reason I will be running again to be Bradfield’s community independent is to bring your voice, integrity and accountability to our federal parliament and help to restore respect and advocate for the things we all value.

Independent and transparent

When you vote 1 for Nicolette Boele you know exactly who you are voting for and what I stand for. As a true independent, I am not aligned with any parties or other candidates. I am aligned with a strong, transparent and accountable process of policy making and representation.

I also believe in integrity and transparency in electoral campaign finance; that’s why I publish the names of donors providing contributions over $1,500 on my website and will not accept donations from organisations whose sole purpose is the financial benefit of shareholders. The people of Bradfield will never have to worry about who might be influencing their future representative.

How I will work

I’m a professional collaborator, advocate and change-maker. I have my areas of expertise, but I don’t pretend to know everything. I am committed to making decisions that are evidence-based and that represent the views of our community.

If elected in 2025 (or earlier if there is a by-election), to represent you in our Australian parliament I will:

• Seek out and learn from experts
• Listen to and respect your views and test my draft policy positions with you
• Apply common sense to decisions that are made and act in the best interest of our nation<

I am good at getting people to work together. I know that those with the loudest voice and most visible presence are not necessarily representative of everyone worth listening to. So I will seek out people from all areas of our community – and listen to them.

During my period as Bradfield’s Shadow Representative, I shall be exploring different means by which to engage individuals and groups in Bradfield.

As a community representative, I will offer and deploy different means by which to invite and engage you to input to, create and deliver a more representative and vibrant democracy.

• Participating in one of the themed Bradfield Issues Groups (BIGs) - forums made up of locals who are either experts in their field and/or want to be heard on issues of concern to them. BIGs provide a key role in my national policy work as they are a place where we test how projects, programs and proposed laws may play out in our electorate

• Taking part in my regular online polls ensuring that even the busiest of us have a channel to pre-vote on issues of concern and interest

• Writing letters or making submissions to any number of policy-making institutions, local, state or federal to express views, ask for further information or advocate for different behaviours and outcomes

• Joining me in a ‘townhall meeting’ or in a virtual event to learn from experts, listen to the views of others and voice your own views.

Why vote for a community independent?

Parties aren’t in the Constitution.

Electorates are.

But if you believe much of the hysteria in the traditional press, the results that independent candidates achieved in 2022 were, at worst, a betrayal of the constitution, or, at best, an aberration to be corrected by the inevitable return to the common sense of a system designed for and by the two major parties.

Truth is, though, that Australians have been voting for years and years away from the major parties. The 2022 result just accelerated the trend. We can and will have long and interesting discussions about why that is happening, but the fact that it is happening is beyond doubt.

Figure 1 First Preferences at General Elections since 1910. Source: AEC and Wikipedia

Bradfield is part of this trend. For whatever their individual reasons, nearly 50% of voters in 2022 used their preferences to steer their votes away from the Coalition. That was Bradfield partaking in the national trend. I am convinced that this will continue. 2022, far from being an outlier, is a harbinger of what is to come. So I am excited and proud to be a community independent.

As a community independent, I’m accountable to the people of Bradfield. I can’t be held hostage by the extreme views of those in a political party who happen to have leverage, I can’t be told what to say and when to say it by head office, and I can’t be bought by a corporate donor or entire industry.

I can hold rational, common-sense positions that reflect the views of the people in my electorate. And act on them, by negotiating, by advocating and by voting.

Please consider supporting me to do just that at the next federal election (or by-election!).