A few weeks back, with many technological challenges, Mikaela and I hopped onto a Zoom call with the amazing Celeste Ackerly, candidate for Senate for the Sustainable Australia Party (SAP). We talked policy, raised some of our concerns and asked some questions about sustainability. Celeste did not disappoint. She is everything we need in a leader; sharp, solutions-focused and driven by community. By the end we were determined to promote Celeste as the next PM of Australia.
With the Australian election a mere week away, we thought it was probably time to share our main takeaways and tid-bits from out chat with Celeste. The questions we asked were based on our personal interests so if you’re a teacher, live in a remote community or are into biodynamics, we asked questions and Celeste gave us answers!
Universal Basic Income – Not a Free-For-All
When we read about universal basic income (UBI) on the SAP website we were not sold. We questioned whether it would just drive overconsumption and give people who don’t need it, extra money to waste. Celeste explained to us that UBI would even the playing field, ensuring every Australian has access to basic human resources like housing and food.
When we raised concerns about people using their UBI to fuel a shopping spree, Celeste responded clearly:
“Our implementation of the UBI comes with aligning policies that would aim to reduce overconsumption – for example, policies in environment and education where we would call for the curriculum to include money management and sustainability education.”
BIG WIN FOR TEACHERS!!!!
SO how would UBI work? It won’t replace your income, rather sit on top of your current wage and be taxed at your marginal rate. That means for higher earners it would taper off. UBI isn’t about encouraging laziness. It’s about supporting dignity and choice, with education and environmental safeguards built in.
Read: SAP’s UBI policy
Fixing the Education Crisis Starts with Teachers
As teachers ourselves, Mikaela and I are always invested in what political parties have in mind for teachers. Often, we’re left disappointed. With teacher burnout rifer than ever, behaviour on a downward trajectory and the teacher shortage affecting schools all around the country, there is a dire need for policy and initiatives to support new and veteran teachers.
Celeste was quick to highlight that schools are being adversely impacted by teacher burnout and underfunding. SAP have some fantastic ideas to combat these: smaller class sizes, equitable funding and teacher and principal training to effect quality teaching and leadership practices. These are great ideas, and any teacher would be quick to tell you WE NEED MORE FUNDING! We do have some qualms, as people who work in industry, we question how making class sizes smaller would work with a teacher shortage. We think while this is a fantastic idea, better incentives, more supportive leadership, consistency in expectation and better planning in schools would be more actionable and realistic changes. SAP is on the right path with their policy ideas about education and we look forward to seeing what comes up in the future.
Read: SAP’s Education policy
Indigenous-Led Change, Not Top-Down Policy
We asked Celeste how SAP would address generational trauma and shame in First Nations communities. Her response was personal and powerful:
“This one is extremely important to me… I believe that mob have the answers, strategies and passions that can help the Government see them reach their desired level of self-determination.”
She made it clear: this isn’t about more punitive systems or prescriptive rules. It’s about trust, respect, and voice.
“Think of this as Indigenous-led with a culturally safe set of protocols developed and harnessed by Indigenous communities — so they can help us understand their needs through an Indigenous lens.”
This isn’t tokenistic. It’s structural.
Read: SAP’s Policies for Indigenous/ Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians
Regenerative Farming with a Cultural Lens
When we brought up biodynamic farming, Celeste explained that SAP is pushing for scientifically backed regenerative agriculture. A common attitude in communities like ours with more environmentally focused parties is they ‘don’t care about the farmers.” Being scientifically driven with a vested interest in the future of the planet, SAP understands that we need farmers on board!
“We want to assist farmers to transition to these scientifically proven regenerative agricultural practices… and include Indigenous thinking in this space too.”
She explained the benefits of native plants – like native grasses that require less water and have lower environmental impact than introduced wheat.
“We have an opportunity to reduce the amount of produce we’re growing, eating, and wasting.”
In a typical Emilyesque segue from the point at hand I brought up food waste and Celeste had A LOT to say. We shared some rage and learnt a lot from her experience.
Read: Voting for Climate Action in the Australian Election
Waste Solutions That Actually Reach Rural Communities
If you’ve looked at our blog, you’ll know waste is something we’re really trying to tackle in our own sustainability journey – whether it be food waste, waste free shopping or waste free consumption. SAP’s waste policy is calling for national consistency across councils, improved product design standards and recycling access for all, not just city centres. This one really hit home for us with the lack of recycling infrastructure in our community. It was heartening to hear that SAP is more focused on the planet than potential economic gain. Waste reduction SHOULD NOT be an economic issue.
We spoke about how excited we were to see the recycling infrastructure in the Nordic countries and how on board everyone was about tackling food waste. She had the following to say:
“Food waste is a major concern of mine and fundamentally, the issue here is in Australia we don’t have the capacity or any of the facilities that we need [to tackle the issue]… we haven’t got there yet.”
Celeste spoke about her experience working on the soft plastics initiative with Coles and with Narelle Andersen (the founder and managing director of Envirobank Recycling). Their mission was to get container recycling in states (NT, QLD) where it wasn’t being funded by bigger corporations. We couldn’t agree more that huge missions like state wide container recycling should be funded and facilitated by the government rather than individuals who are “not in any position to fund a huge recycling facility”.
On the topic of plastics recycling, Celeste explained how mammoth of a task the soft plastics initiative was – over a million pieces of plastic a day was getting dropped off over COVID. We asked, “what do you even do with that much plastic?” to which Celeste responded:
“What do you do with it? So, it was being stored because no one knew what to do with it and that’s where that disaster happened… The main issue is that Australia hasn’t got the facilities [to manage the waste].”
SAP are keen to let the science do the talking and to learn from people like Narelle Anderson who have experience in these fields. Let the professionals profession, right?
Did you know: SAP’s founder Cr William Bourke was the first councillor to open a repair café in Sydney! Part of SAP’s waste management policy is to open a repair café in every suburb. It’s so exciting to see personal values being enacted in policy and to see EVIDENCE from our leaders of a genuine care for the environment.
Read: SAP’s Waste policy
Celeste’s words of wisdom
When we asked for advice on our own sustainability journey, Celeste left us with this very valuable advice:
“Learn, learn, learn about systems thinking [and] incorporate a holistic thinkings approach to everything that you do. Because at the end of the day, everything about sustainability is interconnected.”
She referenced systems thinker Donella Meadows and an Indigenous lens wherein everything is connected, encouraging us to consider the connection between people, geography, spirituality and health in every sustainability effort we make.
“If all of the connections are made, it’s easy for people to see where sustainability fits within their worldview.”
We can’t force people to care but we can make the path easier to walk.
Celeste Ackerly is the kind of candidate we wish we saw more of: informed, grounded, and committed to doing things differently with the community at the centre. Whether it’s UBI, education reform, rural recycling or Indigenous self-determination, SAP’s policies are compassionate and clear-headed, while leaving enough space for adaption when needed.
One of our take aways from our chat with Celeste was that to her, politics is not about flashy slogans or fear tactics, it’s about sustainable, scientifically informed community-first solutions for a better future.
The election is one week away. If you care about long-term change, vote for someone who actually gets it.
