Hello Friend

What a gloriously busy weekend with the launch of our campaign strategy on Saturday and the first door knocking session on Sunday.

Read on to learn what we talked about at the weekend and how you can get involved in our community engagement activities.

Remember that we secured the biggest swing in the country on first preferences against a sitting Liberal in the 2022 election. In 2023, our grassroots campaign in support of the Voice referendum made Bradfield the only Liberal-held seat to vote Yes.

Climate 200 surveyed Bradfield recently and found that in March this year:

• 43.7% of residents had heard of me
• 27.7% of those surveyed would give me their first preference

With a likely 11 months until the federal election, those results are a solid base to build on. According to our analysis, we need a minimum of 25% first preferences to win; at the last election, I received 20.89% after a short four-month campaign springboarding off the foundations set by Voices of Bradfield. A big thank you to volunteers and donors who have enabled us to continue in the community during the “winter season” between elections, strengthening our connections and presence in the community.

This June edition of the BOELE-tin focuses on the 2025 Strategy launch weekend and there isn't space here to mention all the other things I've been doing. Follow me on social media to stay up to date. Your likes and re-posts help more people learn about our community-driven campaign.

The AEC releases the draft NSW redistribution proposal on Friday, June 14 around lunchtime. We will take a week or so to analyse what the changes mean for our campaign in Bradfield. I promise BOELE-tin subscribers will be the first to know.

We have developed a strategy to win which, although simple, is data driven and sophisticated. We are confident we can win with your help – we are aiming for 1,000 volunteers by year’s end and to expand the reach of smaller but regular donations from the community. This is a campaign of the community for the community – I hope our end of campaign financial disclosures can tell the same story.

Get onboard now – I promise you it will be a great ride!

Nicolette
BETTER IS POSSIBLE

Launch of campaign strategy

The momentum is building! It was so exciting on Saturday to present alongside the campaign team and share our pathway to win in 2025.

The room was full of people who turned up despite bucketing rain - democracy keeps going in all weathers.

Our strategy focuses on community engagement, using door knocking as a proven tool. We will be having face-to-face conversations with householders to listen and learn from our community about their most pressing issues.

Trust is diminishing in many aspects of our lives. By building broader and deeper links in the community, we are able to counter mis- and disinformation that will likely be rife in the coming election period, especially online. In-person community engagement is the community independent approach; it also helps us identify the issues that matter to individuals and groups in our communities, so we can take those to Canberra.

Detailed policies will come, but later. This year we're focused on community engagement to build better trust and understanding of the issues that matter - because this is a “bottom up” campaign, not “top down”.

Door knocking

Friend, please give us two hours of your time and join us - it's exhilarating!

We have already held our first door knocking event. Volunteers talked with families in South Turramurra on the Sunday after Saturday's launch. The rain cleared and off we set.

We had meaningful conversations where we could drill down to specifics. For example, “cost of living” is at the top of many people's concerns but that means different things to different people. For a mother of three children, it means exorbitant childcare costs that prevent her from working and participating in the economy. Funding for public education was particularly high on the minds of people in South Turramurra as well.

We aim to door knock the 70,000 homes of Bradfield by the end of 2024 and reach 5,000 homes by the end of August. With the information we gather, we can run a data-driven campaign.

Statistics from South Turramurra:

• 18 volunteers knocked 164 doors
• 60% of doors were opened
• 49% awareness of Nicolette

Our support for you:

• Comprehensive training: we provide conversation training and a script
• Buddy system: you'll be paired with an experienced volunteer
• Easy data logging: no need to download an app
• Door knocking kit with a leaflet about Nicolette

The aim is to raise awareness and listen to people's issues, so this is a very gentle way to connect with neighbours and other people in our area.

Check Nicolette's Events page, Friend, and register now for a date and location that suits you.

Volunteering opportunities

Door knocking is the best use of your time at the moment but there are other exciting volunteer opportunities where your involvement can make a significant impact. We’re looking for passionate individuals to help with:

• Phone banking: Call new volunteers, answer their questions, and book them in for training.
• Data input: Enter information from door knocking sessions so that we can follow up on people's interest in our campaign.
• Event assistance: Help us organize and manage upcoming campaign events to ensure everything runs smoothly.
• Social media outreach: Spread our message online and engage with supporters across various platforms.

We can win with your help. Your dedication and hard work are the backbone of our campaign. Together, we can make a real difference.

If you’re interested in any of these opportunities, email Carey at [email protected] or call her on 0493 444 726.

Donations

We will need money! We are so grateful to donors who have kept the office open and the lights on.

We have some major donors and would be very happy to talk to anyone who would like to donate. We also have many community donors who give what they can and cumulatively, those funds are crucial. We value monthly donations because we can be assured of cash flow.

An election could be held between August 3, 2024 and May 24, 2025. If you can afford it, we are asking people to donate $300 each or $30 a month, so we can continue to prepare.

At the launch event, we sold shirts and bumper stickers ($560), and received $1,360 in donations.

Use the Donate button at the end of this BOELE-tin if you can help.

Refreshed website with community survey

We have refreshed the website content and structure. It includes a community survey to gain a better understanding of the issues that are important to constituents.

There are 12 survey questions. It is focused on the current electorates of Sydney’s north shore.

Please feel free to share this survey link with anyone you think might also like to share their views.

Door knocking sessions
Sun June 9, 2:00pm in Pymble with various dates and locations June-Sept

Join Team Nic volunteers as we listen to residents' issues and provide information about Nicolette. All volunteers welcome. No previous experience necessary. A session lasts about two hours.