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Artemis enters the race for council

Artemis enters the race for council

By Sean Car

Southbank resident and renowned leader of the Southbank Sustainability Group (SSG) Artemis Pattichi has thrown her hat into the ring for local council.

Ms Pattichi, who has also served in a number of roles with the Southbank Residents’ Association (SRA) in recent years, will run as an independent candidate in the City of Melbourne postal elections on October 24.

Born and raised in Cyprus and having worked in a number of high-ranking corporate roles in the United States, Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, she said she was seeking to bring greater diversity in decision-making to the City of Melbourne.

And having whole-heartedly embraced the local community since moving to Southbank six-and-a-half years ago, the commitment and tenacity she has demonstrated in achieving positive outcomes shows she’s no stranger to getting things done.

Having helped start the Melbourne Award-winning SSG, which has been responsible for establishing a vegie garden and composting hub at the Boyd Community Hub, she said she hoped to use her experience in business and sustainability to enact positive change.

“I’m very interested in sustainability and the environment but I come from a business and corporate background,” she said. “The council has been dealt a very difficult wildcard with COVID-19 but we have a unique opportunity in the rebuild to do things differently.”

“If COVID has taught us anything, it’s that we can shift habits and do things for the collective good.”

“I do respect the council’s response so far in terms of getting our homeless off the streets and using the opportunity to advance infrastructure, but I’m also very aware that we’re responding to the immediate threat.”

“What’s next is the rebuild and investments and planning are going to be very important in determining the impact and it’s critical that the community is better represented in the decision-making process.”

Her campaign, which she said was based on delivering a “future good for all” through community-driven solutions, has largely manifested off the back of her experience in dealing with the local council at a grassroots level.

While she has experience in achieving positive outcomes at a council level through her work in the local community, she said she wanted to “open communications” at council in an effort to bring a more holistic approach to decision-making.

“There’s definitely space to improve that communication and how people are heard,” she said.

While she is new to politics, she is entering the race with an open mind and said she was excited to learn and talk to as many local residents and businesses as possible ahead of the elections.

Pointing to the example set by current Lord Mayor Sally Capp, she said she also hoped that her story as both a female and migrant leader could inspire future generations.

“If someone said you’d be running for council when I moved to Australia six-and-a-half years ago, I would have thought you’re crazy!” she said. “I’ve learnt to go to where the need is and I hope that my story opens up the way for someone else.”

“For people like me considering their paths to leadership roles, you never know what this kind of story can do. We need that as women. We have less images of representation of where we can contribute.” •

For more information visit: facebook.com/ArtemisPattichi4Council

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