Candidate Expression of Interest

Community Independent Candidate for the Federal Electorate of Cook

Inspire Change. Represent Your Community

Here are just a few examples of many results delivered by Community Independents across Australia.

About Voices of Cook​

Voices of Cook is a community group in the federal electorate of Cook, New South Wales. The electorate of Cook comprises parts of coastal southern Sydney and lies just north of the Royal National Park. Voices of Cook is one of many grassroots community groups across Australia made up of individuals hoping to improve our parliamentary representation.

The group is disillusioned and disappointed with how we are represented in federal parliament. We believe major party politics no longer represents the communities they are meant to serve, and Australians deserve better.

It is time for our community to step up and change our ‘safe seat’ status -  our electorate deserves a candidate that understands our needs and is prepared to fight for us in parliament.

Since its inception in 2024, Voices of Cook has been consulting with the community to understand their issues of concern and advocate for them without allegiance to any political party or other organisation.

VoC has done this via social media, handing out flyers, kitchen table conversations, conducting straw polls, and community surveys to determine the pressing issues of Cook’s constituents.

It is time for a community candidate to emerge – someone who shares our values, can headline a campaign for the next election and help make a difference.​

Our Values​

Voices of Cook believes that any community candidate needs to live and breathe our values – there are many values that matter to us, but the most important values for our group are distilled below:

  • Respect: we respect the rights and privacy of our participants and volunteers.We actively listen to all voices and value each person’s perspective and input.

  • Inclusion: we encourage all our community members to fully participate in democracy and ensure our voices are heard by our political representatives.We value and listen to the unique perspectives of everyone, regardless of their backgrounds, identities or differences.

  • Integrity: we uphold honesty and transparency within our group and in how we interact with our community. We ensure that our behaviour is ethical and accountable.

  • Reliability: we advocate for the use of reason and science in public policy. We use reputable sources of information as the basis for action and all our communications with our community.

Candidate Selection Criteria

The endorsed Community Independent Candidate for Cook will:

  • Live within the boundaries of the electoral district of Cook and have ties to the community https://www.aec.gov.au/elections/federal_elections/2010/profiles/nsw/cook.htm

  • Be committed to represent the electorate with policy platforms/positions based on feedback from the Cook community and supported by peer reviewed science and other reputable sources.

  • Support climate action based on community feedback and evidence-based research.

  • Share our values - committed to the values of Voices of Cook - respect,inclusion, integrity and reliability.

  • Have professional work experience and/or personal background that demonstrates leadership abilities and capabilities required to stand as a candidate and Member of Parliament.

  • Have proven ability to influence outcomes and communicate effectively and empathetically with a diverse range of people.

  • Respect and understand the democratic process and how government works in Australia - the division of power between local, state and federal jurisdictions;the election system; how parliament develops policy and law.

  • If you do not fulfil all the criteria, but are passionate about community representation and believe you have what it takes, please apply!

Additional Criteria

The endorsed community independent candidate for Cook will:

For the information of Applicants:

Voices of Cook is a grassroots community organisation administered by volunteers, and the process to choose a candidate is determined by the Steering Committee and will be voted on by members of the VoC community. Once a candidate is endorsed, we respectfully ask unsuccessful applicants to support the endorsed candidate and not nominate as an independent for the upcoming election.

By submitting an EOI, the applicant consents to the Voices of Cook Steering Committee conducting research into their background and previous activities. Should they be selected by us to stand as our candidate, they implicitly agree there is no reason to believe any action in their background could adversely affect the standing of Voices of Cook or their own coming election campaign.​

Do you want to be our candidate?

Information for applicants on how to apply:​

Expressions of Interest are invited.

An expression of interest (EOI) should include a cover letter plus a two-page resume. The cover letter should address the candidate selection criteria and additional criteria, and respond to the following questions:

  • What is your connection to Cook?​

  • Why do you want to represent Cook?​

  • What are your burning federal issues?​

  • How will you go about campaigning for an election?​

  • How will you go about representing Cook if elected?

Candidates are encouraged to include a short video (up to 2 mins) addressing the criteria or demonstrating how you would go about communicating with the electorate in a campaign or any other relevant issues.

Please submit your expressions of interest asap as we are starting the selection process in May 2026.  Our expectation is to hold public forums with potential candidates no later than October 2026.   All EOIs should be submitted to voicesofcook@gmail.com

If you would like more information before submitting an expression of interest, please email voicesofcook@gmail.com and one of our team will be in contact.