By Ethan Benedicto
Correa Ward has a new contender who has moved their piece on the board for this October’s Casey Council elections.
Independent candidate Kanu Aggarwal has recently announced her candidacy, with a strong focus on a collaborative approach to tackling crime in the suburbs of Cranbourne, Cranbourne North and East, and Clyde North.
Positioning herself as a candidate who listens, acts and is deeply committed to the safety and well-being of her constituents, Aggarwal said that for her, “it’s pretty much working for people and working with people”.
“Book an appointment, come see me, my job is to listen to their problems and their issues you know, and I will be there to solve those issues, to solve those problems.
“People aren’t foolish, they understand how things work and that there is a process for everything, the only thing is that they need a leader who will listen to them at the very least.
“So I want to be their voice, at least so they have someone who they can talk to, share their issues and problems, their concerns,” she said.
Aggarwal’s campaign has a sharp focus on the issue of rising crime in Casey, a concern that she said resonates with many residents in Correa Ward; for her, the recent figures are not just numbers but a call to action.
“Crime prevention is not one person’s job. It’s a collaboration between different stakeholders such as police, local communities, parents, teachers, neighbourhood watch groups, local businesses – everyone,” she said.
“My idea is to involve everyone for the safety of everyone, rather than just police, just me, just the parents.
“No, it’s everyone’s job to protect themselves and to look after each other as well in their neighbourhood, in schools, in shopping centres.”
With children of her own, Aggarwal knows well and shares the concern that many residents have with children coming and going to school, or even just moving around from one place to another.
For her, it’s to bring that current awareness of crime and provide people with concerns the proper platform to voice themselves and be heard, to put everyone “on the same ground”.
“There can be community forums, community discussions from the council, so that the general public, laymen can be made aware of what’s happening.
“We’re talking about data, but a lot of these neighbourhoods do not know this data, so organising these forums, those discussions into the community so that said community can input their ideas,” she said.
However, her focus isn’t just on crime, with her sights set on the many concerns that local residents have had over the years; from the lack of proper infrastructure to road congestion and poor mobile connectivity.
While she acknowledged that these topics are often seen as State Government issues, she believes that the local government and councillors have a crucial role in continuing to advocate for their communities and that her approach to these topics will have the same cadence as her approach to crime.
“Because it’s a State Government issue, does not mean that me as a councillor, if I were to win the election, won’t have the right to speak,” she said.
“Definitely I need to advocate for those issues, and it’s better to take input from the local community, local leaders as well, their suggestions and so on.
“That’s my idea, listening to those issues and implementing those strategies and talking to State Government or Federal Government and just advocating for traffic, congestion [issues],” she said.
Better planning, and better management – those are the key things Aggarwal promised for Correa Ward, ensuring that the right voices are heard in crucial and transparent decision-making processes.
In the meantime, while she may have only announced her candidacy now, the plan to run for council has been in the works for a number of years.
Named the City of Casey’s Citizen of the Year in 2022, Aggarwal said she has a strong record of being a community advocate, with her involvement dating back to the Covid pandemic.
As a humanitarian, she has long been vocal about issues related to child rights, borders and migrant rights, and has successfully created a platform to assist Australian parents advocate for children stranded overseas.
“This was not just a one-day or a one-minute decision, it took me one year, I prepared myself, slowly, steadily,” Aggarwal said.
“I’ve had those skills since childhood because of my parents, that discipline, transparency, leadership, knowledge and common sense.
“When everything worked together, that’s when I decided that, okay, this is the right time for me to go for the council election if I want to do something more for the community from a better perspective or a better position.”
With the election date fast approaching, her message to the community is clear, it’s to listen, act and lead with transparency and genuine commitment.
