A first time candidate, Mrs Roberts said she felt an 'urgency' to put her hand up and run for election.

"What is pushing me particularly to run for council is the urgency I feel to begin broaden consultation processes with the community to help us face the challenges and opportunities of social and environmental challenges relating to climate change and the global pivot away from fossil fuel consumption," Mrs Roberts said.

According to Mrs Roberts, she wanted to help Leeton move towards a more 'inclusive prosperity' within the community.

"Leeton has always been a place of great abundance, our community wellbeing is reliant on clean useable water and healthy soils which is something we need to maintain in an intergenerational fashion," Mrs Roberts said.

"Rather than being a resource, the land and water of our Shire are in fact the source of our current and future prosperity.

"The livability of our towns and villages for our children and grandchildren is dependent upon the viability and sustainable maintenance of the country we rely on."

To achieve this, Mrs Roberts wants to steer Council towards pursuing of projects that investigate ways in which Leeton could become a net energy producer via renewables.

"As well as being interested in exploring ways for our shire to become energy independent, I'm also passionate about the creation of community food gardens moving forward," Mrs Roberts said.

"I think that the sense of agency gained from the learning of food growing skills is important, and the connection to the cycles of the land encourages younger people to consider farming."

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Mrs Roberts told The Irrigator that she had a deep understanding of rural needs and values.

"With 20 years experience in ecology and bush regeneration I feel that I have a deep understanding of rural needs and values," Mrs Roberts said.

"Ecology work isn't that different from being a good farmer, we need to ensure that we leave the land that we are custodians for in better condition than when we found it."

Additionally, Mrs Roberts says she wanted to help Leeton shift towards collective action and localism.

"Leeton has a long history of ordinary people taking successful collective action ordinary people coming together to create change," Mrs Roberts said.

"Not a single person has all the solutions but collectively we do."

A lack of permanent police presence, issues around gender equity and addressing the epidemic of domestic violence in the community are all also at the forefront of Mrs Roberts mind in her campaign.

"I want to look at how we can ensure the wellbeing and safety of people in our community," Mrs Roberts said.

And in reflection of what she has to offer to the community, Mrs Roberts says her experience teaching philosophical ethics to primary school students, her board experience on major arts festival Burning Seed and experience writing and applying for grants made her the candidate that the Leeton Shire needs.

"I have deep listening skills and I understand the importance of listening respectfully even to those I disagree with to build consensus both within council which is a diverse group of people and within the community which has diverse needs and interests," Mrs Roberts said.

"I have a broad empathy for people in the community, I am an approachable person who is willing to engage, I'm a compassionate person who is interested in genuine community consultation and I want to help Leeton create history, not endure it.

"We can thrive, not just survive."

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