The ”Voices of Wagga Residents” election ticket includes Satinderpal Singh Sidhu, Birin Patel, Dr Saba Nabi and Manjinder Singh. Photo: Chris Roe.
Dr Saba Nabi is something of an overachiever, occupying positions on numerous boards and committees across the Riverina and the country, and she’s now set her sights on winning a place on the Wagga City Council at the upcoming local government elections.
“I really love advocacy roles and supporting everyone, so I thought, this is the best platform that, if you really want to make a change in the community, you have to be at the table,” she said.
The ticket is called ”Voices of Wagga Residents” and includes fellow Indian migrants Manjinder Singh and Birin Patel.
Dr Nabi arrived in Wagga from Delhi more than a decade ago and has become deeply embedded in the community she calls home.
As well as completing a PhD, working in health and raising a young family, Dr Nabi continues to volunteer as an AFL multicultural ambassador, serves on the Multicultural NSW Advisory Board and is the publicity officer for the NSW CWA.
“Wagga has given a lot to me, so I think this is a great opportunity to give back to the entire community,” she said.
“The level of connection which I have with the entire community, that’s really going to be my asset because I’m very vocal, I don’t play with my words and I am very clear in my approach.”
Dr Nabi explained that the focus would be on representing grassroots voices within the community.
“I always feel satisfaction and content when I advocate on behalf of vulnerable people, or maybe somebody who does not have a voice,” she said.
“If I get elected, I’ll make sure that I engage with everyone, even if somebody is disadvantaged in the society, who’s got a disability, the vulnerable ones who have never been heard, because I feel that you really need to engage with the community, not always with the stakeholders, because sometimes you don’t get the real picture.
“I would definitely advocate for a youth council in Wagga because this is the thing which I think is always missing.”
Dr Nabi is a prolific volunteer and will seek to establish a volunteering hub to connect not-for-profit organisations in the region. Photo: Chris Roe.
Among her list of objectives is increased access to childcare and health facilities and the establishment of a volunteer hub.
“When I started my journey in Australia, I really volunteered heavily, but I was always looking for opportunities and it was very hard to find the opportunities nearby,” she explained.
“For all the organisations which are really struggling with volunteers, instead of going in solo, that one hub will be like a one-stop shop for everyone.
“I think the entire community will get a great opportunity to give back.”
Mr Patel said he decided to run for council to support Dr Nabi and to advocate for his fellow Northern Suburbs residents across the Gobbagombalin Bridge, while Mr Singh said he would like to see more training and support for local business in Wagga.
The candidates are also members of three different religious communities and Dr Nabi reflected on the importance of supporting migrants and faith communities.
“Everybody needs a safe place to prosper, to grow,” she said.
“We always associate the faith councils or maybe the places of worship as religious places, but they are not just that because they are like a point of contact, a multicultural hub.”
While Dr Nabi has a full ticket of five candidates lined up, she will wait to announce the names of the final two in the next week.
The 2024 NSW local government elections are on Saturday, 14 September.
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