NSW Liberal candidate for Parramatta Katie Mullens will use her experience as a local lawyer to fight to keep the seat blue this March.
The upcoming State Election will see newcomer and self-described “underdog” Mullens contest the seat of Parramatta in hopes of maintaining it for the Liberal Party.
Originally from the small country town of Bellbrook, Mullens moved to Parramatta to study law at Western Sydney University. After graduating, she made Parramatta her home and has now worked as a lawyer for the past 15 years.
“In my job as a lawyer, I’m helping local families, residents, businesses on a daily basis,” she said.
“People come in with an issue, I listen to their problem and then work out a solution, the best way to help them.
“In a lot of ways, what you do as a lawyer really isn’t that dissimilar to what you’re doing as a local Member.”
A big focus for Mullens, if elected, would be on improving the cost-of-living and helping small businesses.
“Cost-of-living issues and trying to ease the pressure on family budgets, there’s housing affordability… I personally know how hard it can be to purchase a home, especially as a young person in Sydney,” she said.
“The small businesses are the lifeblood of our community, it’s one of the fantastic things about Parramatta – we’ve got so many areas where there’s just lots of small businesses,”
Mullens was endorsed as the Liberal candidate after it was announced last year that current State Member for Parramatta Geoff Lee wouldn’t recontest the seat in the State Election. Having held the seat for the Liberal Party since 2011, Mullens said she plans to build on the work Lee has already done for the electorate.
“I want to continue [Lee’s] work and ensure that works in the pipeline are delivered in budget, so things like Parramatta Light Rail Stage 2, Powerhouse Museum, important investment into Westmead Hospital, are all things I’m excited about,” she said.
Mullens will go up against Parramatta Lord Mayor and Labor candidate Donna Davis, who has served as a Councillor since 2017.
“I am the underdog, I have been asked how I’m going to compete against the sitting Lord Mayor, all I can say is I have a real grassroots experience in Parramatta [and] I think that can translate to good representation,” she said.
“I’m really committed to fight hard.”
Ellie Busby is a news reporter for Western Sydney Publishing Group. A graduate of the University of Hertfordshire and Western Sydney University, she is a journalism Major. Ellie has worked with Universal Media, The Cova Project and for a range of other organisations. In 2024, Ellie was named Young Writer of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.