She had been in politics for barely six months when the Victorian Liberals nominated Pallavee Joshi for the electorate of Williamstown for the November state election. That’s a set Liberals last won at the beginning of the last century.
But the feisty lawyer says she doesn't throw in the towel in the face of insurmountable odds.
“It’s time for change. People of the Williamstown electorate want change because they feel having been taken for granted,” Ms Joshi tells SBS Punjabi.
Ms Joshi is campaigning primarily on the issue of infrastructure and crime in the western metropolitan region of Melbourne.
“People of the electorate tell me they are fed up with the fact that we are so behind when it comes to infrastructure. Look at cities like London and Singapore and population wise, we are heading there but our infrastructure is at least twenty years behind,” she says.
“Crime, congestion and cost of living are the three things we are focusing on.”
Having moved to Australia 11 years ago with her husband and son, ran a law firm along with her husband Dinesh, and is now having to take a break to concentrate on electioneering.
Pallavee Joshi (left) with Victorian Liberal leader Mathew Guy (middle). Source: Facebook
As a lawyer, she has worked on several cases of domestic violence and she says, if elected, she would like to be the voice of the violence victims.
“Though I am taking a break from my work as a lawyer but I will be doing the same work- that is public service.
“At our law firm, both myself and my husband, are very passionate about his work and I would like to be the voice, do the best I can to alleviate the suffering and strengthening the support services for the victims,” she says.
But it’s big ‘if’. Williamstown is a safe Labor seat and has been electing the ALP candidates for 114 years on the trot. During the 2014 election, the Liberal candidate polled 33.4 per cent votes after the distribution of preferences, while the winning Labor candidate got 66 per cent votes.
Ms Joshi says she isn't daunted by the electoral history of her electorate and she is aware of the enormity of the task at hand.
“I know that it may not be a quick, one or two months or even a year thing. It might take long but I am here for the long haul. Failures and setbacks might come along, but I’m not afraid of all of that. I will keep going,” she says.
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