Dr Sarah Mansfield

Prior to entering Parliament, Sarah worked as a general practitioner. She has experience working with people experiencing homelessness and in aged care, and she served as a councillor at the City of Greater Geelong from 2017 until she was elected to state parliament.

As a GP, she could see that the things that have the biggest impact on people's health and wellbeing are our social and physical environment. They aren't things that can be addressed in a clinic, they require systemic change by government. She sought to do this through her role as a councillor, but over the years she became increasingly frustrated, seeing her region being left behind by state governments. There was only so much that could be achieved at local government level on issues critical for our health and wellbeing, like improved public transport, affordable housing, access to healthcare and essential services, and action on the climate crisis. These issues are what prompted her to run for Parliament.

Sarah will work to address systemic inequity, which is a major driver of poor health. Regardless of income or postcode, everyone should have access to safe and secure housing, basic healthcare, education, nutritious food, public transport, clean air and water, and freedom from discrimination. She wants to promote integrity in politics and protect our democratic institutions.

Sarah also wants to see strong action on the climate crisis, which is the greatest threat to our health and wellbeing. We must rapidly transition to 100% renewables and ensure the transition is fair for the communities who will be generating renewable energy; we must cease all gas projects, including near the 12 Apostles and floating gas terminals in Corio Bay; and we need to urgently invest in infrastructure, support and planning measures to prepare communities for the impacts of climate change like heat waves, fire, drought and flooding.