Manny Poularas came to Australia in 1955 after working for the British Government overseas. He has served as a high school teacher and administrator with the NSW Government for 31 years. He is a graduate from both Sydney Teachers’ College (1962) and Macquarie University (1991). His extensive teaching service in NSW saw him posted to rural Australia and the Western suburbs.

Manny taught at the local Holroyd High for 19 years, where he participated in running after-school programs for young Australians such as Army Cadets and School in the Bush.

Manny is concerned about education and blames both Labor and Liberals for the decline in our schools. He says that “young Australians have been badly let down and need a lot of help”. He also believes that schools need parental help and parents need a supportive government in these difficult times. “Working together is fundamental in helping young people”. As a multilingual teacher, Manny welcomes people of all backgrounds who have made Australia home.

Manny has also been a long-standing Teacher Representative for most of his teaching career and is a skilled negotiator who believes that “genuine negotiation overcomes conflict”.

Manny is a long-standing resident of Greystanes (37 years) which is situated in the State seat of Smithfield. As a dedicated parent, Manny believes in basic values and the traditional family as essentials for a healthy social environment. “Many of the social problems we have today are a direct result of the family breakdown. The traditional family needs all the support it can get. ”Manny is a pro-family, pro-Australia, and pro-Christian ethics candidate who has always fought for the underprivileged strugglers of Smithfield. He says that “much work needs to be done on a bipartisan basis to upgrade our social , educational and health system to meet the challenges of the 21st century and that both Labor and Liberals have much to answer for the neglect in these areas.

As a concerned Australian, Manny believes that privatizing government assets is ominous. “Reducing the tax base by selling-off the water, electricity, hospitals, roads and transport is the quick fix of economic rationalists, of burning your bridges behind you. If this practice of selling off the farm and the family silver is not stopped and reversed now, the burden of taxation for our children in years to come will be unbearable.” Manny is also committed to the AusBuy idea and to Australian ownership.

Manny supports many worthy organizations that do valuable community work and urges supporters to do likewise. “Concerned people should support community organizations. Volunteerism is an Aussie feature”.

Manny is concerned at the poor Government attention given to the elderly and particularly the mentally ill. “Government help for the mentally ill has been disgraceful”.

From the beginning, Manny has been very active in opposing Badgerys Creek Airport proposed by the ALP.

Manny joined the Christian Democratic Party in 2001. “The CDP is the party where genuine concern and caring for others is eminent”.

Manny has stood for previous State and Federal elections:

• 1988 State seat of Wentworthville
• 1995 State seat of Smithfield
• 1996 Federal seat of Prospect
• 1998 Federal seat of Prospect
• 1999 State seat of Smithfield
• 2001 Federal seat of Fowler