Maureen Brohman has always been passionate about animals. As a child, she says she was always worrying about them and was even banned from watching movies like Lassie as they made her too emotional.

Ms Brohman says animal welfare is who she is, and she has now taken her passion to the next level by running as the Animal Justice Party (AJP) candidate in Dickson.

“My passions have always related to animals and environment, it’s always been,” she says. ”I was that child that was always worried about the animals. I used to fight with my mother about eating animals, so I think it’s part of who I am, it’s where I’ve come from.”

Ms Brohman, a retired teacher and a long-time member of the AJP, has lived in the Pine Rivers region for 30 years and says it’s time for change in Dickson, which has been held by Peter Dutton since 2001.

“I’m seeing people who are very disengaged with the politicians, particularly with climate change, deforestation, live export and those sorts of issues that affect the whole planet,” she says. “For me it was like a conscious call. We [the AJP] have policies on everything and we’re not going away, we’re here for the long haul to make change and I think a lot of people are looking for that.”

Ms Brohman, an active member in the local environmental community, says the koala population in Dickson is a major election issue for her. “The university [campus at Petrie] has had an absolutely devastating effect on the koala population so that is one big issue in that area,” she says.

She says just from the construction of the Kallangur railway station, statistics showed 281 dead koalas were found with another 50 injured. She fears the statistics will be mirrored at the university site.

“I do see the value of having the university, however, the AJP works on four core principles of kindness, equality, non-violence and rationality,” she says. “How we would approach it, and go about it, would look very different.” Ms Brohman says currently the major parties do not align with the AJP’s policies on “saving the planet and making a better life for all”.

She says she knows change is long overdue.  “We need active change,” she says. “We need somebody who wants to be active … basically if we leave it the way it’s going the future is looking very grim and we want to change that. We want to work with the people.”

Speaking from her Strathpine home with her daughter, baby granddaughter and beloved dog, Ms Brohman says she is just a regular person who hopes to get the word out about the Animal Justice Party and increase its voice in Parliament. “We are the only party that stands for animals and nature, we are the only party that stands on a platform for animals,” she says. “It’s not just about the beauty, it’s the right of nature to do its job.”