Goldstein is a federal electorate in Melbourne that had been held by a conservative party since its creation in 1984. But frustration was growing - many constituents felt their MP was prioritising party politics over community concerns, particularly on climate action, refugee rights, and energy policy.

I volunteered with Voices of Goldstein, a non-partisan grassroots group working to better reflect local views. I facilitated community conversations to surface key issues and managed the group’s social media to build engagement and reach.

Many in the community felt their voices were ignored, particularly on issues like climate action and equality. The challenge was twofold:

1. Determine whether this frustration was widespread enough to drive real change, and
2.Understand what issues really mattered to people.

This required building trust through direct, personal conversations and uncovering the issues that resonated most with the electorate.

We adopted a community-first approach, using Kitchen Table Conversations as a tool to spark discussion and gather insights. Hosts brought together small groups of neighbours and friends to talk openly to structured questions about political representation, community values, and key issues.

• As a group, we facilitated over 30 kitchen table conversations to understand community concerns and priorities
• Personally facilitated 2 kitchen table conversations and contributed to the synthesis of insights
• Insights helped create a public-facing report that laid out the key issues the community sought better representation
• Helped lay the foundation for the successful campaign of an independent candidate - unseating the incumbent for the first time in Goldstein’s history

• Good facilitation requires listening more than talking.