Mohit Kumar, a local actively working in his community for over 14 years

Tell us a bit about yourself 

Mohit Kumar: I arrived in Australia by myself as a young 17-year-old international student in 1994. Fast forward several years, and I was enjoying a successful corporate career, but something was missing. I had an undeniable urge to give back to my fellow Australians from whom I had gained so much – my education, career opportunities and most importantly the love of my life, my wife Jennifer. So I handed in my resignation and joined the NSW Police Force. And in almost 20 years, I’ve advanced in the force and am currently serving the Sgt Prosecutor – Head of Court at Blacktown, managing the Prosecutors and fighting for justice for crime victims at one of the busiest courts in NSW. In my policing career, I’ve been recognised and awarded 4 medals including the NSW Police Service Medal for Ethical and Diligent Service and the National Police Medal. 

What would you say are the three main issues concerning the voters this election?  

Mohit Kumar: Having a government with a long-term plan to reduce pressure on household budgets, build the infrastructure for the future and invest in frontline services. 

Tell us about your electorate. Three issues of importance in your electorate? What are the three main changes you wish to make if you are to be elected? 

Mohit Kumar: Riverstone is amongst the fastest growing electorate in NSW. It has the highest percentage of children aged between 5-14 years of age, and number two in the state for couples owning a home with a mortgage. Therefore, it would come as no surprise that if elected, reducing the pressure on household budgets through strong economic management to ease the cost of living will be a top priority for me. Secondly, I’m a strong advocate to keep on delivering the infrastructure to match the pace of the rapid growth in the area. It is about not just building for our communities now but having the foresight for future generations. My third biggest issue is continuing to invest in essential services, including local schools, and especially with such a young population. As part of my campaign, every day I’ve made a point to tirelessly meet and listen to Riverstone Electorate locals, so if I get elected from day one I can hit the ground running.  

Why politics? What convinced you to join the party of your choice? 

Mohit Kumar: Many people ask me – why go into politics? Firstly, after meeting our retiring member Kevin Conolly MP 12 years ago, I learned of the Liberal Party’s values and history. I found it rang true to me and aligned with my thinking and beliefs. I’ve been involved with Kevin in his campaigns, and I have been our local branch President for many years. Fast forward to now, and to be selected and to run as a candidate is a huge three-month undertaking – physically, mentally and financially for both myself, my devoted family, and my wonderful volunteers and supporters. 

There’s been much discussion about better representation in politics: more women, more people of colour, more migrants. And yet high-profile mainstream politicians continue to be parachuted in, even in migrant-heavy seats. What are your thoughts here? 

Mohit Kumar: I am very proud of my heritage and consider myself a modern Australian and a next generation Liberal. I agree that we need to continue to increase the number of women, diversity, and multiculturalism in our politics. And one of the reasons I won the Liberal preselection for Riverstone was because I’ve been a local actively working in many platforms for my community for over 14 years. We also need to attract and support the right people to be our leaders, and our party is working to find diverse individuals with that potential. I’m doing my part to use my heritage to motivate the community, to be an example and show that migrants have an important part to play in politics and shaping our society, and I appreciated how much the Liberal party has supported me. I hope we are all chipping away at breaking down barriers to have a more diverse representation for the future. 

What do you think are the pressing needs of the Indian Australian / South Asian community? 

Mohit Kumar: Looking at statistics, our Riverstone electorate is 19% Hindi speaking, so you can imagine there is a very large Indian/South Asian Australian population. Some have come to me with family visa problems, although this is a federal matter, but if elected, I can support and escalate their issues. Like many other families in our electorate, they are feeling the community mortgage squeeze, and want more open spaces for their children to play, and more schools to be built or expanded. And I’m always happy to advise them of the positive announcements that the Liberal State Government has made and how they have allocated funding to help with these issues. 

Who inspires you? 

Mohit Kumar: I am inspired by my mother, Reena. As a young mum with my dad working overseas, she raised my brother and I, instilling in us values of integrity, hard work, selflessness, humility and altruism. Despite many hardships whilst raising us, she started her own childcare business which flourished, and had a distinguished career. For over a decade now she works tirelessly as the Post Mistress in a country town south of Sydney, where she is adored by all the locals and is an integral member of their society. 

What are you reading atm? Watching? Listening to? 

Mohit Kumar: You can imagine that I’m busy reading and watching a lot of media to keep abreast on the election, current issues and announcements. My family and friends get a thrill seeing me in the media with the Premier too. When I have the chance, I’ve been enjoying and reminiscing with Yash Chopra’s great films in the Netflix documentary series The Romantics. 

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