Lisa Toomey of Port Macquarie is voting today for the first time as an Australian citizen.
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And for the former US-born resident, Australian politics is surprisingly played out more maturely than in her homeland.
Lisa moved to Australia from Chicago in 2003 and has been a Hastings resident for the past five years.
She had dual citizenship so will also cast a vote in the US election later this year.
Lisa, who believes Donald Trump has not made any real or significant change in swaying voter opinion, says Aussie politics is ‘less extreme’.
“It’s less volatile here and more focused on policies. I think it’s extremely important to be able to have a say on who makes the decisions for us,” Lisa said.
“For me education is the most important. I’ve got three kids in school and am studying myself. Funding for education is paramount fo the future of our community.”
Lisa is studying social work at Port Macquarie’s new Charles Sturt University campus.