The Riverina Greens have preselected Pheonix Valxori as their candidate for the upcoming federal election. Photo: Supplied.
Twenty-year-old Wagga student Pheonix Valxori has been preselected as the Greens candidate for the seat of Riverina in the upcoming federal election.
Pheonix, who uses the pronouns they/them, has lived in Wagga Wagga since 2017 and was drawn to the Riverina Greens after living through what they saw as failings from current and former Liberal and Labor governments.
“The Greens are the only ones actually invested in helping the people and also actually helping the environment, in particular,” they said.
“As someone who grew up in Queensland and then moved to Wagga, where it gets quite hot as well, seeing the repercussions of the government’s actions tangibly affect the land and environment raises concerns.
“Having a group that actually cares about making sure we have a place to live in the future, and also making sure people are taken care of is paramount.
“Being selected as the candidate to represent the Greens in the Riverina is an incredible honour. I am thankful my fellow members have such trust in me and I am excited to represent my party moving forward.”
Pheonix will run against longstanding incumbent and former deputy prime minister Michael McCormack, who won the seat with 46 per cent of the primary vote in 2022. At that election, the then Greens candidate Michael Organ received just over six per cent of support.
Growing up as a person with a disability and queer, Pheonix said it was important people received appropriate care and they weren’t ignored by the two-party system.
“‘Being queer and disabled, I’ve seen the failings of the federal government,” they said.
“[It] has done little to build faith in it and has held policy back as an ‘election promise’ when they’ve previously demonstrated they do not stick to their promises. And Dutton’s Liberals have actively decided to target Australia’s working class and Indigenous communities,” they said.
“Neither has done anything to prevent the growing problem of climate change. The Greens are the only party that aims to help improve Australia’s quality of life, protect the environment and commit to climate action.
“Our current members have left the regional hubs to fend for themselves; it is thanks to this we’ve seen a decline in the amount of support for those with financial hardship or a lack of housing.
“It is only through a member committed to helping those in need that the Riverina will thrive.”
Pheonix said following the 2022 election, which saw a record number of independent and Greens members elected to the House of Representatives, they believe they had a very high chance of being competitive this year.
“The Wagga Wagga Council election had Jenny (McKinnon) get on for a second time, which is a very big deal,” they said.
“We’ve seen more independent members and we’ve also seen that the margins for Labor and Liberal have been much, much lower than normal. Last we checked, even the Nationals were at a margin of eight per cent or so – I think there’s a bigger chance than ever for us to secure a seat here.”
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