By Violet Li
Several moments prompted Quarters Ward candidate Kuljeet Kaur Robinson to stand up for the change in the coming election.
The first is when her husband and she took their three little kids to a park in Cranbourne West. The inconvenience ensued when they realised there was no toilet in the surroundings.
The second is when one of her little kids told her he wanted to play in the potholes on the road.
The last moment came when she walked home alone after work in Cranbourne. It was after six o’clock and she encountered a couple of young kids on dirt bikes. She was scared, feeling unsafe as they kept staring at her.
Originally a teacher and a poet in India, Kuljeet came to Australia in 2007 as an international student and started all over again with the English alphabet and $1.
It was a bittersweet journey where she started a new round of academic progression to fit into the new environment. She first studied hospitality but didn’t like it too much. She then earned a bachelor’s nursing degree, worked in aged care for a few years, moved on to study postgrad in mental health, and now doing a master’s degree in mental health nursing and working as a psychiatric nurse.
She started a not-for-profit organisation in 2019 called Punjabi Sath Melbourne, spreading messages about family violence and mental health.
It occurred to Kuljeet that one day she would run for council. She used to believe she had a poetic mind instead of a political one.
“When I was here in 2007, I was very much homesick. But with the community, because people are so nice here, slowly I just felt loved by people. Now, Australia is my home,” Kuljeet said.
“I feel like, here in Australia, this country gives a chance to everyone, every normal, common person like me, a mother and a woman.
“I really feel glad I’m here. If I was back home in India, I couldn’t have done it. I need a lot of money there. Here, if you talk to people, you can really engage some people.
“The other thing was I was in a community leadership program run by Casey Council. They encouraged us a lot to run for elections. I thought, okay, I should try that. It’s a lot of learning in it when you talk to the community.”
Reflecting on the decisive moments that pushed her to run, Kuljeet said her top three priorities for Quarters Ward would be safety and security, park infrastructure improvement and appropriate and responsible spending of rates.
“I will make sure Quarters Ward’s rates are not going somewhere else if I am elected,” she said.
“As a mental health nurse, I know many young people in Cranbourne have drug and alcohol issues. When I see these issues, I think it’s not the community’s fault. It’s not the parent’s fault. Parents are just so busy and have no time for their kids.
“I wish I could engage those kids and talk to them. We need more programs in council to focus on their issues.”
Ever since she started her campaign a few months ago, Kuljeet noticed some heartbreaking trends in the community.
“When I was letterbox dropping, many aged people just didn’t want to talk about council,” she said.
“These people worked hard in their life. Now they are isolated in their homes.
“In the community, some people are also dumping rubbish wherever they want to.
“If we are not doing our responsibilities, how can we get our rights? How can we fight for rights? Responsibilities come before rights.”
Kuljeet is a mother of three and a member of Labor. She will be running independently.
She resides in Cranbourne. She has been living in the Cranbourne area for the past decade.
