Marianne Mackay - South Metropolitan
Marianne Mackay is a Yoorgabilya from the Whadjuk Noongar Nation, a mother of seven beautiful children and lives in Kwinana. She has been involved in many campaigns including those around deaths in custody, refugee rights and uranium mining.
Growing up during the land rights struggle of the 1980s and 1990s, Marianne has always had a passion for justice and is studying law at Murdoch University. She has insights into the issues common people face. She is a passionate and hard-working advocate, not only for her Noongar people, but for anyone who needs support.
Explaining a key focus of the Socialist Alliance campaign Marianne stated,
“Creating a better society for all and living in peace with the planet starts with recognizing that Aboriginal people never ceded sovereignty over this land. Native Title is completely inadequate. We are calling for a treaty with real land rights that can not be overridden by mining companies, and a society where Aboriginal people do not have to give up their land to get access to basic services.”
Marianne grew up in public housing and attended schools in Balga and Girrawheen. Thanks to her hard working father and the state government’s shared equity scheme, the family was able to get some security by purchasing their own home. However Marianne is sharply critical of the complete neglect of public housing under successive Liberal and Labor governments,
“The total number of public housing dwellings has been cut by 1300 or 4% in just three years. This is a complete disgrace and is going to drive more people into desperate poverty and homelessness. Access to dignified and affordable housing is a human right. I will be campaigning to increase the number by 30,000 dwellings in four years.”
Marianne says that some of the difficulties faced by some of the poorest and most vulnerable people in society today are totally unnecessary and unconscionable given WA’s enormous mining wealth,
“No one should live in poverty, homelessness is entirely preventable and all children should be able to fulfill their dreams. We have to end the high rate of forced removal of Indignenous children from their families. Children need to grow up in a supportive environment raised by their families. A wealthy country like ours should provide the support required to those families whose difficulties often lie in the legacy of dispossession and oppression.”
Marianne is passionate about seeing reform of the justice system. She explained, “People should not be incarcerated for minor offences that occur in large part due to systemic poverty. All the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Black Deaths into Custody need to be implemented immediately and there needs to be an independent investigatory body to deal with police misconduct. Black Lives Matter is not just a slogan, it has to mean real change.”
Marianne’s passion for equality and fairness is what drives her. She wants to ensure that her children and all children live in a better, kinder and more rational society. To ensure that this happens we need people in parliament who are grassroots activists, people who truly understand what is needed to create a society that values everyone’s potential.
