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Editor’s Note: The Daily Declaration is running a series from candidates for the upcoming South Australian election who are committed to standing for Christian values. Here is the second of the series.

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As a Christian woman and immigrant in conservative politics, I’ve learned that faith without action is incomplete and that standing for truth means fighting battles I never expected.

Faith as Our Compass

Nearly 20 years ago, my husband and I stepped off a plane in Australia with our four-month-old daughter and a single, unshakable conviction: faith would guide everything we did. My father rose for 6 a.m. Mass; our family gathered for 6 p.m. prayer without fail. Christianity is not just what I believe — it is who I am.

The move to Australia was a culture shock, not least because I expected a nation shaped by the same truths that guided my upbringing.

Watching debates over the very meaning of marriage and witnessing the erosion of long-held values was painful. Questions I never thought I’d face here forced me to confront a choice: remain silent, or let my faith move me to act.

From Service to Political Action

Service has always been my compass. Before politics, I served in community organisations and church, working quietly to help families, support vulnerable women, and strengthen the institutions that hold communities together.

Those years taught me that faith without action is incomplete, and that love for neighbour calls us to practical, often uncomfortable work.

When someone suggested I step into politics — thinking perhaps I would be a convenient token — I surprised them. I was not there to fit a mould; I was there because conviction had called me.

My Christian faith presented a clear mandate: protect life, defend the family, and stand for truth. But living those values into the public square meant fighting in places I had never expected to battle.

I am a woman of colour and a conservative Christian, and that combination has confounded many.

To some, it does not fit their storylines about identity or ideology.

To me, it makes perfect sense: many migrants arrive with faith intact, with family at the centre of life, and with a desire to contribute to the common good.

Upholding Truth in a Challenging Public Square

Politics has tested me. I have watched the language of truth be softened into “my truth” and “your truth”, while God’s truth is pushed to the margins.

I have been troubled by policies that contradict the dignity of women, the safety of children, and the sanctity of life.

I have seen Christian schools challenged, parents sidelined in decisions about their own children, and the basic rights of the vulnerable contested in ways that should alarm every conscience.

I found my way to Family First, the only party I found willing to stand for God’s truth; while God’s people serve in many political parties, Family First maintains strong Judeo-Christian foundations that do not compromise on truth.

This path has not been easy. Politics is not for the faint-hearted. It takes resilience, grit, and a community that will stand together. I have learned that conservative Christian women are too few in our parliaments, and that absence creates a vacuum where values are decided without the voices of those who most live them.

My faith led me into politics and continues to lead me every day. It calls me to defend life, strengthen families, and protect freedoms that make a flourishing society possible. It is not about imposing belief but about serving our neighbours with compassion and conviction.

For me, politics is simply another field of service — a place to put my faith into practice for the sake of our children, our communities, and the generations to come.

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Image courtesy of Family First/Facebook.