An Indian-origin motor mechanic Navdeep Singh is hoping to unseat Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk in state elections next week.
A married father-of-two, Mr Singh, has been chosen as the Greens candidate for the seat of Inala, Queensland which has been held by Ms Palaszczuk since 2006.
A mechanical engineer from India, Mr Singh migrated to Australia in 2007.
He graduated in Environmental Engineering from Griffith University in 2009 and did a few projects.
“But it was the time of recession and there were not many jobs. Most of the corporates needed an environmental engineer to ‘deal with’ the environmental concerns rather than make a difference. So I did not pursue that further and launched my own small mobile mechanic business,” Singh told SBS Hindi.
Today, Singh runs a car workshop in Moorooka, Brisbane and considers himself a common man who identifies with concerns and issues people have.
“That was my calling and so I joined The Greens. Their policies are made for the people and it is a bottom to top approach rather than the other way around,” Mr Singh says.
He has also actively campaigned for the Long Stay Visa for Parents and says he will continue his work to bring about change, if elected.
“My parents live in India and I have met several migrants, not just Indians but Vietnamese, Europeans who have settled in Australia and wish to bring their old parents here. So far all the policies have failed the migrants and I hope to bring a change,” he says.
With less than ten days to go before polling, Singh and his small team of volunteers are spending most of their time knocking on doors and meeting people in the constituency.
“I have been welcomed into houses and I feel I stand a chance,” he says.
Besides visa for parents, the other issues close to Singh’s heart are the rising cost of electricity and the improving public transport in Brisbane.
“The cost of electricity is affecting everyone and someone needs to address it immediately,” he says.
Mr Singh says people feel he is ‘someone of their own’ when he raises these issues.
The Inala electorate - which covers south-west parts of Brisbane including Durack, Richlands, Camira and parts of Darra, Forest Lake and Springfield - is considered safe for Labor.
At the 2015 election, Greens candidate Silke Volkmann received 2272 votes to Ms Palaszczuk's 18,915.
The LNP's Adam Hannant received 6442 votes.
Queensland elections are scheduled to be held on November 24th.
