Janine Haskins is realistic about her chances of being elected as a member for Ginninderra as an ungrouped candidate in the upcoming ACT election.
But for her, it's all part of the journey to get her message out there.
"I can use this opportunity and this time to raise the issues that I'm concerned about within the ACT particularly around social justice issues impacting on marginalised groups of people," Ms Haskins said.
Ms Haskins has spent the better part of the past five years knocking on politicians' doors advocating for improved systems following the tragic death of her daughter Bronte, 23. She died by suicide in February 2020.
"I've got nothing to lose because I've lost it. I've lost my daughter and I know it sounds very cliche but if I can be a component in saving someone's life in the future then my job on the planet is done," she said.
"In the last four-and-a-half years since losing Bronte I've met with a lot of politicians, I've banged on a lot of doors and I found it to be a very frustrating and challenging experience to try and get answers to the questions."
Bronte battled mental health and addiction issues before her death. The ACT Coroner found there had been a series of "lost opportunities" which had contributed to her death.
Ms Haskins has recently been involved in an 18-month process to identify concerns within the coronial jurisdiction. This resulted in the release of a report in July which made recommendations for change.
But Ms Haskins has also been spurred into action through her long and varied career in the community services sector. Through that, she has worked as an advocate for marginalised people.
She is also an advocate for changes in prison, justice and mental health systems.
Ms Haskins, who previously worked in corrections, has criticised the state of the Alexander Maconochie Centre and is an advocate for detainees.
She pointed to the lack of programs and activities for detainees meaning they were bored most of the time. She said detainees were often released without support and this had contributed to the high recidivism rates in Canberra.
"There seems to be a bit of a blanket attitude of some people that 'do the crime, do the time' and I get that but I also know that losing liberty is punishment and do we want people to come out rehabilitated or do we want them to come out the same way they went in?" she said.
"It's really hard if you've got someone in prison for eight years and they're just let out the front door with no support."
Ms Haskins said she wanted to fight for the underdogs and this is why she wanted to run as an independent and not for a political party.
"I guess I am an independent person ... I'm not a 'yes' person and I am going to stand up for the underdogs and I'm not going to stand on someone's feet to get up that corporate ladder," she said.
She said Canberra was often painted as being a "restorative" and "progressive" city but this was often not the case. She said she wanted Canberra to realise this vision.
And Ms Haskins is a very persistent person.
One example of her tireless campaigning efforts can be seen at the Shepherds Lookout in Holt.
The lookout was one of Bronte's favourite places and Ms Haskins tirelessly lobbied to have a bench installed. The bench is not your standard bench - it includes red and purple poppies ("Poppy" was Bronte's nickname) and engravings of animals and Bronte's favourite lyric.
"This is not just a bench, it's a piece of art as far as I am concerned and it's also a nice message for people around mental health. If they know Poppy's story it's a really good way to open up the discussion about mental health," she said.
