My name is Alma. I came here in 1996 as a refugee from Bosnia, and I’m from a Muslim background. I lost loved ones in the war, lived in a refugee camp, and experienced the worst elements of racism and capitalism. That’s why I’m a trade union activist and a socialist, and why I’ve dedicated my life to the fight for a better world.

I have loved growing up in Western Sydney, but I’ve also seen how the major parties take us for granted.

Our working class communities are treated as second class citizens, with major infrastructure projects dumped on us without consultation, like the explosion of energy-hungry data centres, and the 24/7 Badgerys Creek airport that has no curfew. Both will destroy the surrounding environment, bring noise and pollution, and make living out west even harder. The beneficiaries will be developers and tech billionaires.

I’m a full time admin worker and renter. I have been a leader of my trade union, the NTEU, for fifteen years and have led strikes to increase our pay and conditions, fought to save people’s jobs and supported campaigns for social justice issues.

As a socialist, I’ve been active in campaigns to Save Medicare, to free the refugees, and against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Over the years, I’ve helped organise protesters for justice in Palestine, and against the ongoing genocide and massacres of the Gazan people.

All these struggles have taught me that capitalism is a ruthless system, its rulers are willing to grind ordinary people into the dust to turn a profit. But it’s also taught me that when we unite and stand up together, we can fight back and win.

Pauline Hanson, the tool of billionaires like Gina Rinehart and Rupert Murdoch, hates our multicultural working class communities and people like me. The feeling is mutual. She wants to bring the toxic politics of Donald Trump to Australia, whip up racist hatred and take away our rights at work, to make those billionaires even richer. Western Sydney needs to stand up and tell her to get stuffed.

But it is Labor who have presided over the current situation we’re in. Millions are suffering with the housing and cost of living crisis - healthcare workers, cleaners, construction workers, teachers, nurses and so many others are either struggling to find rentals or keep up with mortgage repayments. Even full time workers are skipping meals to try to keep up with bills, and the situation is even more dire for those on welfare or pensions.

In this election, help us organise and fight for the socialist solutions we need.