By Sean Carroll
A relatively new community organisation seeking to influence political representation across the federal seat of Macquarie is becoming increasingly visible, but questions remain over how broadly its leadership reflects the Hawkesbury as well as the Blue Mountains.
Voices of Macquarie describes itself as a non-partisan community organisation established to give residents across the Macquarie electorate a stronger say in the issues that should shape federal political representation.
The organisation says it was formed to create a practical way for people across both the Blue Mountains and Hawkesbury to be heard, with community feedback gathered and ultimately put to candidates standing for election.
Its public launch was held at the Belong Blue Mountains Mid Mountains Neighbourhood Centre at Lawson on March 28, 2026.
The launch featured former Calare community independent candidate Kate Hook, the Mudlarks Community Choir and what the organisation calls “Kitchen Table Conversations”, in which small groups discuss the issues they believe matter most to their community.
Voices of Macquarie said at the launch that it intended to continue holding events, gathering ideas and collating community feedback before putting the major issues directly to election candidates.
A strong Blue Mountains presence
The composition of the organisation’s committee demonstrates a substantial Blue Mountains connection.
Chairperson Elke Taylor says she returned to Australia to contribute to grassroots democracy in what she describes as her home community of the Blue Mountains.
Taylor also says she had been inspired by the political success of independent Warringah MP Zali Steggall and later Mackellar independent Sophie Scamps.
Vice-chair Katya Zheluk says she has lived in the Upper Blue Mountains since 2014 and attended Katoomba High School.
Other members also have connections to the Mountains and to community-independent politics.
There is, however, at least one clear Hawkesbury connection.
Committee member Matt Rowan says he has called the Hawkesbury home for 15 years and has raised his family here. His professional background is in financial services and technology, with an interest in financial literacy and personal budgeting.
That means it would not be accurate to characterise Voices of Macquarie as having no Hawkesbury connection.
The more legitimate question is whether the Hawkesbury has sufficient representation within an organisation seeking to speak for an electorate divided between two large and very different communities.
Voices comes to Richmond
Voices of Macquarie has also held at least one substantial public event in the Hawkesbury.
On May 1 it hosted Floods, Fires and Fuels: From Fuel Crisis to Community Resilience at the Richmond School of Arts.
The two-hour evening forum featured Warringah independent MP Zali Steggall, Western Sydney University environmental scientist Associate Professor Ian Wright and Bushfire Survivors for Climate Action chief executive Serena Joyner.
The event focused on floods, bushfire, fuel management, climate and community resilience and was explicitly promoted as a Hawkesbury community event.
Steggall’s participation was particularly notable.
She represents Warringah on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, rather than Macquarie, and is one of the most prominent members of Australia’s community-independent movement.
Her appearance in Richmond subsequently became more politically interesting following the establishment of Community Strong Australia.
The Gazette has previously asked whether Voices of Macquarie might eventually be associated with that organisation.
Steggall did not confirm such a relationship, instead describing Voices of Macquarie as an independent community-led organisation and saying it was for the group to decide whether it remained independent, worked alongside Community Strong as an ally or pursued another course.
Other events
Before the Richmond forum, Voices of Macquarie also organised a Sunday afternoon music trivia event at Faulconbridge Community Hall on April 19.
The event was promoted as a family-friendly fundraiser and community gathering, with adult and concession tickets and free entry for children.
Combined with its Lawson launch, community events and Richmond forum, the organisation appears to be following a deliberate strategy of establishing a presence across Macquarie while conducting conversations with residents about political priorities.
The organisation says it intends to be “out on the streets” and at local events listening to residents, gathering ideas and encouraging participation.
The community-independent model
Voices of Macquarie’s approach closely resembles the community-independent model that has developed in a number of federal electorates around Australia.
Its use of Kitchen Table Conversations, focus on community-selected priorities and emphasis on political representation rather than traditional party structures are all features associated with that movement.
The organisation’s own leadership biographies reinforce that connection.
Taylor identifies the election victories of Steggall and Scamps as inspirations, while members of the organisation have publicly expressed support for bottom-up community representation.
The group nevertheless describes itself as proudly non-partisan and says its role is not to promote political parties or personalities but to improve democratic representation.
Its stated intention is to collect the concerns of residents and put those issues to all candidates standing for election.
Is a candidate coming?
That remains one of the unanswered questions.
Voices of Macquarie has not publicly announced a candidate for the next federal election.
Nor has Community Strong Australia confirmed that it intends to contest Macquarie.
However, Community Strong has said its model allows local communities to organise around candidates who share its values and meet its endorsement requirements.
Steggall has specifically left open the possibility of Voices of Macquarie choosing to work alongside Community Strong.
The Gazette’s earlier examination found that neither organisation had confirmed an intention to contest Macquarie.
Where is the Hawkesbury voice?
Macquarie is unusual because it brings together two communities with substantially different priorities.
The Blue Mountains includes major centres such as Katoomba, Springwood, Lawson and Blackheath.
The Hawkesbury includes Windsor, Richmond, North Richmond, Pitt Town, Wilberforce, Kurrajong, Bilpin and extensive rural districts.
Issues frequently dominating Hawkesbury debate include flooding and evacuation, agriculture, road infrastructure, Western Sydney Airport, development pressure, bushfire preparedness and access to health and community services.
Voices of Macquarie has demonstrated that it is prepared to hold events in the Hawkesbury, most notably its Richmond floods and bushfire forum.
It also has at least one committee member, Matt Rowan, who publicly identifies himself as a long-term Hawkesbury resident.
But the organisation’s publicly identified leadership still appears weighted towards the Blue Mountains.
That becomes particularly important if Voices of Macquarie eventually moves beyond community consultation and becomes involved in identifying, endorsing or supporting a candidate.
For an organisation seeking to represent the collective voice of Macquarie, the test will not simply be how many events it holds.
The test will be whether people in Windsor, Richmond, Bilpin, Kurrajong and the rural Hawkesbury have a meaningful role in deciding what that “voice” actually says.
