Ahead of the 2025 Federal Election, the Illawarra Flame is giving all local candidates a chance to share their vision for Australia.

Amanda Ivaneza is the Liberal Party candidate for Cunningham, the Commonwealth Electoral Division covering most of the Wollongong LGA, from Helensburgh to Windang and Unanderra. Amanda works as an HR Manager at US coal miner Peabody, owner of Helensburgh's Metropolitan Mine.

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Please tell us a bit about yourself.

I live in the northern suburbs of Wollongong with my husband and our 11-year-old daughter. Like many families, our lives are a whirlwind of school, work, and extracurricular activities. Soccer and dancing are big in our household, and we spend a lot of time cheering on our daughter and her teammates with other parents on the sidelines. I absolutely love the strong sense of community we have here.

Professionally, I’ve spent more than 15 years working across the mining industry, the public service, and disability services; focusing on work, health, and safety, as well as human resources. My career has allowed me to work closely with people from all walks of life, helping to create safer workplaces, supporting people to navigate complex workforce challenges. I’ve seen firsthand how bad and good policy decisions can impact people’s everyday lives. 

I’ve been deeply involved in the Illawarra community, for example as an active member of the local school P&C for the past five years, including serving as its President. In this role I’ve been a strong advocate for our school community, securing vital funding through grants, community and business support.

What inspired you to enter politics?

The previous answer helps to explain why I decided to run for politics – having seen the impact that bad and good policies can have on people’s lives - and I believe our community deserves better. As households and small businesses across Cunningham struggle to keep their heads above water, our representatives have not been standing up for us. We need a strong voice, someone who has business experience, to fight for the funding, infrastructure, and support we need to grow and thrive.

As a working mum, I know how families are struggling with skyrocketing food, petrol, energy and insurance bills – with constant rate increases that are leaving people with most of their paycheque going into mortgages or rents. I’m passionate about fighting for policies that provide real relief, support homeownership, and help small businesses not just survive but thrive. Our community deserves strong representation – someone who will stand up, push back when needed, and put local families first.

We need someone who will fight for this region and help to protect our industries and small businesses – creating local jobs, instead of destroying them.

The proposed offshore wind farm has also raised serious concerns. The lack of genuine community consultation, combined with the potential risks to local jobs and the environment, is something we cannot ignore. The people of this region deserve a voice in decisions that will shape their future.

What would be your top 3 priorities if elected?

Cunningham is a region with incredible potential, but years of poor representation and the Albanese Labor Government have left us worse off. My focus is on ensuring our community gets the investment, support, and leadership it deserves. My top three priorities are:

1. Easing the Cost-of-Living Pressures

Rising costs are hitting households and small business owners hard, making it increasingly difficult to afford housing, pay bills, and keep businesses afloat. We need policies that support home ownership, reduce financial pressure, and create a stronger local economy where businesses can grow and workers can earn a good wage. People in Cunningham deserve to feel secure about their future, not constantly worried about making ends meet.

2. Securing Better Infrastructure Investment

We need real investment in our roads, public transport, healthcare, and essential services to match the needs of our growing population. Stronger advocacy is needed to ensure our region gets its fair share of government support, creating opportunities for local businesses and residents.

3. Protecting Local Jobs

Wollongong has a strong industrial foundation, with thousands of jobs on the line, and we need a plan that supports workers and strengthens our economy. We also need to ensure that our small businesses get the support they need; by cutting red tape, reducing their tax burden, and ensuring we train our next generation with the skills required for the workforce of the future.

The proposed offshore wind farm has also raised valid concerns around environmental impact and job security, highlighting the need for proper consultation before decisions are made.

Peter Dutton has stated very clearly that a Liberal government will not proceed with the offshore turbines as proposed by the Albanese Labor Government. After working with the local community to get this important outcome, we need to get a Peter Dutton government elected so that it can be delivered.

If you could deliver one key local project in your term, what would it be?

Our community has been telling me that the top priority for the Government should be easing the cost-of-living pressures faced by local families, so that will be number one focus. In terms of local facilities, I am advocating for improvements to our community centres and upgrading local sporting facilities, particularly essential amenities like toilets and change rooms. Better facilities will mean more people can get involved in local activities, helping to grow our sense of community.

Why are you the best person for the job?

I believe I am the best person for this role because I bring real-world experience, a deep understanding of our region, and a genuine passion for standing up for our community.

 With a diverse background spanning both the corporate and public sectors in work, health, and safety and human resources, I’ve spent my career advocating for people, whether it’s improving workplace conditions, supporting employees through complex challenges, or navigating government systems to get better outcomes. I understand the pressures faced by workers, families, and businesses in Cunningham because I’ve lived them myself.

 Labor has not delivered for our region, and I will fight to secure the investment we need, push back against policies that don’t serve our community, and ensure that people here have a real voice in the decisions that shape our future. Whether it’s protecting local jobs, easing the cost-of-living burden, or advocating for critical local projects, infrastructure and facilities, my focus will always be on what benefits the people of Cunningham.

I am a local, a parent, and someone who is deeply invested in the future of our region. I will work tirelessly to make sure our community gets the representation it deserves and together we get Cunningham and Australia back on track.

Read more

The Illawarra Flame puts the same questions to all candidates, giving everyone a chance to share their vision for Australia.

• Q&A with Amanda Ivaneza, Liberal Candidate for Cunningham 
• Q&A with Jess Whittaker, Greens candidate for Cunningham 
• Q&A with Carol Berry, Labor candidate for Whitlam