Digby Wilson is running as a Labor candidate for the Mid-Coast Councillor in the upcoming 2024 New South Wales Local Elections.
Competing against 7 other candidate(s), Digby Wilson aims to bring their extensive experience to the role as a candidate for Councillor in the Mid-Coast Council.
Digby Wilson has positioned himself as a Labor Candidate for Lyne in the next Federal Election in 2025. He believes his history, experience and community engagement will help everyone in the electorate should the electorate choose him as their representative.
But who is he and what are those things that will help him be a better representative? Well, we found out.
Digby's career began as a hands-on blue-collar apprentice technician where he learned the value of hard work and capability. His journey has been marked by growth through roles emphasising leadership, community service, and collaboration.
His volunteer work with the Rural Fire Service, St Vincent de Paul, and local sports clubs demonstrates his commitment to community. In the telecommunications sector, Digby has not only excelled but also assumed significant leadership roles.
His most recent position involved managing large teams of technicians across New South Wales, Victoria, and Tasmania, totalling about 1,800 technicians. He also served as the Chair of the Emergency Council for these regions, coordinating Telstra's response during crises to ensure swift restoration of critical communications for affected communities.
"When people are cut off, they feel isolated and vulnerable. My role was to lead a company-wide effort to restore critical communications swiftly for those in need," Digby explains.
Despite his professional achievements, Digby remains deeply engaged in community service, volunteering at Vinnies and now serving as an elected Councillor at MidCoast Council, providing him with a broader perspective on local governance and community needs. He grew up in Moruya, on the far south coast of NSW, spent 30 odd years in the city before returning to country life in Taree.
Digby chose to retire early at 53, based on long term planning resulting in financial independence. He says he plans well ahead and thinks about possibilities, risks and strategies to get him there.
"It took effort; we sacrificed a lot, penny-pinched, and chased cheaper rent to save and grow our savings. We still return our 10c bottles today because you need to respect money, it can do great things but only when you have it.
I hated having live week to week so I was determined to do something about it." he reflects. Digby and his partner bought in Taree in 2016, where they embraced the role of owner-builders, using his practical and pragmatic approach to life.
Digby shares insights from personal adversities, particularly a transformative period in 2002, which taught him about emotional and social competence alongside his technical skills. "I’ve had a fair bit of pain in my life, like others.
In times of adversity, you learn the most about yourself," he reflects. This experience fuelled his curiosity about society, personal behaviour, and how to empower others through independence and resourcefulness.
Digby identifies as a 'Centrist', believing that practical, rational and community-focused solutions often lie between political extremes. "They say Liberal Nationals are Right and Labor is Left, but I don’t think it's that straightforward.
Some policies need a left tilt, some a right one, but I favour practical solutions over ideological ones," he states. He supports Labor for its commitment to progress, nation-building and support for families and communities, especially in areas where market competition isn't viable.
"Our country doesn't have the population to support competition and capitalism in every postcode. Communities and families need support in health, aged care, education and managing living costs," Digby argues.
Motivated by the lack of inspiration and selfishness in the political environment particularly from 2013 and the recent loss of his father, Digby entered politics not for fame or fortune but to serve. "I’m seeking better policy for all of us.
I don’t want to be on my deathbed questioning if I could have made a positive difference." His vision for the Lyne electorate is clear - advocating for better health and aged services, more opportunities and addressing the rising cost of living. "This electorate deserves a stronger advocate who truly understands and values our community," he asserts, aiming to bridge the urban-rural divide using policy.
He stands as the candidate to fight for your community and your future prosperity. Elected to MidCoast council in 2024, Digby Wilson has a strong focus and background in community support, community engagement and business leadership.
He’ll build on Labor’s achievements that benefits you or your community, which includes the following.
· Delivering $7 million worth of cheaper medicines across our communities, cutting the price of your prescription from $42.50 to $30. · Rebuilding Medicare with over 55,000 extra bulked billed GP visits locally.
· Aged care reforms to deliver on 58 of the royal commission’s recommendations.
· Tax cuts to 57,000 residents, boosting the average take-home pay by $1,325. · Cheaper power, with energy bill relief for every household, while building a cheaper renewable electricity supply sooner.
· Securing over 5,000 new fee-free TAFE enrolments across the Mid-North-Coast to train more nurses, healthcare workers, tradies and construction workers. · Slashing HECS Debt by an additional 20%.
· Delivering more subsidised childcare, with three days per week to more families. By funding free TAFE places annually, slashing HECS, and delivering subsidised childcare per week, these aim to take pressure off students and working families.
Digby remains a grassroots candidate, his integrity and dedication to community service evident through his past roles and charitable involvements. His approach to politics is about bringing people together for a stronger, more equitable community.
Authorised by Digby Wilson, Taree, NSW.
The Australian Labor Party (ALP) aligns itself with democratic socialist principles, aiming for the socialisation of key industries to mitigate exploitation and promote fairness, a goal enshrined in its constitution since 1921. However, its approach has evolved to accommodate a competitive private sector and the right to private ownership, with notable shifts from nationalisation efforts in the 1940s to privatising industries like aviation and banking in recent years.
The ALP is divided into two main factions, the Labor Left, advocating for democratic socialism, and the Labor Right, supporting social democracy. These factions, further fragmented into state-based groups, reflect the party's broad spectrum of socio-economic ideologies.
Additionally, the ALP maintains strong ties with trade unions, which align with either faction, influencing the party's policies and directions towards championing social justice and equitable economic management.
The ALP is committed to an emissions reduction target of 43% below 2005 levels by 2030. The party endorses the Paris Agreement to keep global warming well below two degrees Celsius.
They aim to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. The ALP’s approach to climate change is more ambitious and in line with COP26.
The ALP has outlined a new housing agenda with the ‘National Housing Accord’, ‘the Housing Australia Future Fund’ (HAFF), and the 'National Housing and Homelessness Plan'. They have pledged a $10 billion housing fund to build 30,000 affordable homes.
The Housing Australia Future Fund will invest the $10 billion and then spend the earnings, up to $500 million a year, on affordable and social housing projects. Over the first five years, the fund aims to build 20,000 social housing properties, with 4,000 of those to be allocated for women and children fleeing domestic violence, and for older women on low incomes at risk of homelessness.
Another 10,000 affordable housing properties would be made available for frontline workers.
The Australian Labor Party (ALP) focuses on defence with three core aspects. The US alliance, active UN participation, and regional engagement.
They've pledged to maintain defence spending at 2% of GDP, back the bolstering of Australia's defence industry, though they've critiqued the goal of being a top-10 defence exporter as exaggerated. The ALP also supports the AUKUS agreement, marking a major change by endorsing plans for Australia to obtain nuclear-powered submarines.
The ALP’s immigration policy is designed to respond to falling workplace participation due to an aging population and the demand for higher skill levels and mobility. They plan to use Australia’s skilled migration program to meet these challenges.
The ALP’s immigration planning framework will take into account net overseas migration and its impact on employment and training for Australian residents. In 2022, the ALP government announced an increase in the permanent Migration Program to 195,000 places for 2022–23, up from 160,000 places set in the March 2022–23 Budget.
The ALP’s approach to inflation is to help Australians with the cost of living, without adding pressure to inflation. They are working to support Australians with the cost of living with cheaper childcare, cheaper medicines, extended paid parental leave, energy bill relief, and fee-free TAFE.
They are also investing record amounts into Medicare and bulk billing, building new homes, investing in affordable housing, making renting fairer, tackling climate change by legislating to reduce emissions, and managing the economy and creating jobs in challenging times.