President of the NSW Council for Civil Liberties, Cameron Murphy strives to take on the Lord Mayor seat and restore faith in the Labor party.
In an interview with City News, Mr Murphy said there are a lot of things wrong with the party at the moment, but he believes there is a place in politics for Labor values.
His campaign aims to restore fairness and protecting the equality of individuals.
Born in Sydney, Mr Murphy moved to Canberra when he was very young.
When he was 13, his father fell very ill and passed away, leaving his mother to raise him as a single parent.
The challenge saw him enter boarding school for a few years, in Canberra then Scots College in Sydney.
His mother, a refugee of German and Polish decent, emigrated to Australia after the Second World War, not speaking a word of English.
“She was teased at school, kids called her a Nazi. It was incredibly tough.”
Growing up, he was taught about the struggles that people go through.
A serial academic, Mr Murphy has dabbled in a number of university degrees first studying Commerce Law, later completing Ancient History and an LLB.
It was through his upbringing that he was drawn towards the path of helping others, ensuring everyone in the world has an equal opportunity.
“My father drummed into me about being open minded. Every human being is important, and everybody is entitled to be treated as an individual with dignity.”
“I felt like I wanted to contribute something to society. I’ve tried to take paid work where I can that’s actually going to have a positive impact on other people’s lives.”
His broad career includes being an Energy Union Organiser with the Construction Forestry and working with young people aspiring to be activists.
Then a researcher at an Electoral Officer for Senator George Campbell.
Leaning on his legal training he moved into Legal Aid policy work for “the most vulnerable people of society”.
He was Consumer Trader and Tenancy Tribunal member to the Anti Discrimination Board of NSW, focusing on issues surrounding transgender people.
He has made his mark through his ongoing voluntary role as President of the NSW Council for Civil Liberties.
Though he cites his work around September 11 as a career highlight.
Now Mr Murphy works for insurance company Coverforce, providing income protection for blue collar workers.
He lives in Kings Cross where he resides with his partner Agatha.
The opportunity to run for Mayor within the Labor party comes at a time when many people are disappointed with the dreadful state the party is in.
“I had to think about it a few weeks ago and figure out whether I was going to put my hand up and engage.”
“There has been a narrowing of the type of people who are public representatives of the Labor party. They seem to be people who are out of touch.”
He feels confident that he is a strong contender based on his record of standing up for issues for principal.
“You can have no doubt of the type of approach that I’m going to take to any issue that’s out there.”
Mr Murphy wants to introduce Wards where Councillors are directly responsible for a particular area.
This aim is born from a reaction to residents saying there hasn’t been true consultation.
“People complain they don’t know who actually represents them other than the public face Clover Moore.”
“Councillors live north of Cleveland St so people in the Southern areas feel they’ve living in forgotten suburbs.”
Green living is also hot on the agenda, where he feels Carbon Tax is a good thing.
“We have an opportunity to be at the forefront of the world.”
He highlights that any green solution for the City needs to be financially viable.
“Bike paths are great, the problem is it has been badly managed where it has become a distraction. It is an issue of implementation”, he said.
For Mr Murphy this is an opportunity to rebuild some faith in the Labor party.
He admits it’s going to be a tough election against Clover Moore.
But he said: “I love a tough fight.”
