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Elouise Massa has achieved sweeping policy changes that few seasoned politicians could manage.
Deep in the fog of unimaginable grief after losing her two-year-old son Joe to catastrophic medical errors at the privately run Northern Beaches Hospital, Massa started fighting and she has not stopped.
Massa, with her husband Danny, fought to have the state government take over the troubled hospital after Joe’s death in 2024, and they fought for landmark legislation to ban new public-private partnership arrangements for healthcare.
Now Massa, who gave birth to her fourth baby, Annie, three months ago, has embarked on a new fight. Massa will run as an independent in the seat of Manly in the March state election.
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Massa said Joe’s death had changed her: “I am not the same person. I have a new sense of energy and determination.”
After Massa’s relentless campaigning, the Minns government in April officially took control of Northern Beaches Hospital after a $190 million deal with its former private operator Healthscope ended one of the most significant public policy failures in the state’s recent history.
Massa also lobbied for new legislation dubbed Joe’s Law, which prohibits future public hospital emergency, surgical and inpatient services being privatised.
However, that was only the beginning for Massa.
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“The next logical step was to channel my energy into something else. I want to see more change in our community and more broadly across NSW,” she said.
“I have been so grateful for the community for the support they have given my family, and I am so grateful to Health Minister Ryan Park and the premier, and now I want to give back to my community and say thank you for getting behind us.”
She said that despite the heartbreak of losing Joe, she discovered that “hope and joy is still possible”.
Her campaign will be run on a platform of “love, joy and freedom”.
“By freedom, I mean the freedom to be an independent. I am not Liberal, I am not Labor and I would look at each piece of legislation with a strictly independent lens attached to it.”
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Manly is no stranger to independent MPs. Between 1991 and 2007, it was held by independents before Mike Baird seized it back for the Liberals. His successor James Griffin last week confirmed he would quit politics at the March election.
While Manly has been blue for 20 years, the federal seat of Warringah is held by independent Zali Steggall and with the NSW Coalition’s primary vote woefully low on 23 per cent, the Liberals face an uphill battle to hold the northern beaches seat.
Massa said Manly was not a Labor seat, and it could be much better served by an independent than a Liberal MP. She is not, however, linked to the teals and their new party, Community Strong Australia.
“Voters want action. If we have another Liberal MP, when the Liberals are not the party of the day, it will be a backwards step. We need an independent in Manly and I don’t believe a Liberal MP would take us forward,” Massa said.
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She said cost of living and difficulties facing small businesses were among the most pressing issues for the northern beaches, along with a lack of public transport and connectivity.
“I’m also very pro-housing and I want more people living in and enjoying the northern beaches but not at the expense of infrastructure, like schools,” Massa said.
Massa said she would continue to be relentless in her pursuit of seeking change for her community. “Relentless with grace,” she said.
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Alexandra Smith is a senior writer and former state political editor of The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via X or email.AdvertisementAdvertisement