Back on the 13th of September 2025, the 13th member for Kiama was elected from the 13th and final position on the ballot paper.

Traditionally seen as an unlucky number, it has been anything but for Katelin McInerney, who gave her inaugural speech to the NSW Parliament last Wednesday.

It has been a tumultuous time (politically) for our electorate over the past couple of years, but with her inaugural speech, a new page has literally been turned on our history towards a brighter future.

As a former journalist, McInerney was always going to have a strong endorsement from The Bugle, but her maiden speech gave some key insights as to where she has come from and where she would like to take her most important stakeholders – the community she represents.

First acknowledgements were reserved for significant members of the local Aboriginal community, whom McInerney thanked for their support and guidance.

“I will walk alongside our Aboriginal communities as an ally, always learning, and will represent the traditional owners of my community in good faith in every setting.

“It is a privilege to see the Dharawal and Yuin languages returning to country. I pay tribute to the leaders in our community doing this work,” she said.

The sentiment then turned towards the community and the fact that the Kiama electorate is, like many others, an ageing electorate.

“We are an ageing electorate, with older residents who will need more care and services, and we face the challenge of growing our workforce to provide them with that care.

“This is why it is imperative that we build communities, not just put up more houses.

“Infrastructure must come online alongside growth, ensuring we have the resources, facilities and services in place to support our residents at every stage of life.”

Here, McInerney took a decidedly delicate approach to the issue of growth, focusing on the need and responsibility to grow our working population to care for our elderly as well as the rest of our community.

Ultimately, these carers, teachers and health workers will need places to live, and this can and should only be done by adding to our many towns and villages by creating communities in a responsible way.

The delicate approach took a backseat when McInerney spoke forthrightly about the futures of her son William, and his friends. and whether they would have the same opportunities she enjoyed as a youngster growing up in Kiama.

“Would Will and his mates have those same opportunities: a secure, affordable home; teachers who could stay in the profession they loved; and a well-resourced public health system if he needed it?”

Glaringly, McInerney says “the simple answer back then was no”.

The “back then” was five short years ago in 2020, when her son was born, and gives us a key insight into her mindset.

An enduring optimist, she pointed to investments into renewable energy, social housing and marked improvements in the conditions for public sector workers such as nurses and teachers as key achievements of this NSW Government.

For key beneficiaries of these initiatives have seen remarkable change during the Minns Government.

Whether or not William’s lived experience will mirror his mother’s is probably a moot point. Times (and property prices!) have changed.

But the fact that this is a key driver of McInerney’s is laudable and admirable.

Across the board, our perceptions of liveability, the cost of living and daily stresses are contributing to a decreased quality of life – so why would we not want life to be like “the good old days”.

Within her inaugural speech there is a deep-seated commitment to be part of a solution, and a better tomorrow.

She ended her inaugural remarks by saying “community can count on (her) as a strong local voice fighting for our fair share, building a more equitable community, championing sustainable growth, and ensuring everyone has a secure home and a liveable future”.

Former journalist or not, The Bugle’s View is McInerney is the change in direction that we need, and we cannot wait to see what luck she brings our community.