Meet Your Team

The AWP is an all inclusive and cohesive political party. If you are interested in joining the team and represent your community at a higher level then please contact us here.

MARK PTOLEMY

National Secretary & Registered Officer

Mark Ptolemy lives in the Blue Mountains, N.S.W. with his wife May and their three children, Madeleine, Josephine and Robert.

Mark is a life-long Trade Union member. For 15 years Mark was a Union Official.

Prior to this Mark had a long career in the Disability sector as advocating for people with intellectual disability. In 2016 Mark returned to working in the disability sector.

In his local community Mark is active as chairman of a not-for-profit organisation which provides meals for the less fortunate on Christmas Day.

Politically, Mark was active in the Australian Labor Party for many years. He held numerous Branch positions as well as a number of campaign posts. He was also a member of the NSW ALP Administrative Committee. In 2004, Mark was a Federal candidate for the Labor Party. Mark was also active with the Australian Republican Movement during the 1999 Referendum, coordinating the Yes campaign in the Blue Mountains, Macarthur and Hawkesbury districts.

Disaffected by Labor’s weakness on many issues relating to human right and workers’ rights and disillusioned by the abandonment of their traditional values, Mark resigned from the ALP in 2015.

In 2016 Mark became a co-founder of the Australian Workers Party.

“My belief in the democratic process was restored when we started the AWP. To be among people who share my values of social justice, workers’ right and ethics in politics has shown me there is another pathway to improve the lot of working people and their families”.
 

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CARL KIRWIN

Assistant National Secretary,
​Hunter Regional Organiser

Carl Kirwin comes from several generations of ALP supporting trade unionists including being a union delegate in Sydney & Newcastle and his current membership of AMWU Newcastle DC. He is still a financial & active trade unionist with the ASU.
 
Carl is a First Class Sheetmetal Worker by trade, with a Body Maker’s license & experience in boilermaking & welding, sales, hospitality, saw milling, cotton chipping, Drug & Alcohol Counsellor & truck driving and is an occasional drummer. He now works in Community Services.
 
He is also a member of Hunter Homeless Connect, having previously served 2 terms as a Director & WHS Officer and has volunteered for other NFPs assisting the homeless with food vouchers & hot meals and is a supporter of The Glen Aboriginal Men’s AOD Rehab.

Carl feels very strongly about the working conditions, rights & financial reward of blue collar & low paid white collar workers as well as those struggling to find stable full time employment through his own working experiences, as well as those struggling in other ways, particularly but not exclusive to The Hunter region.
 
Carl also supports equal opportunity & equity for all Australians regardless of their background, ethnicity, religious affiliation, sexuality, age or social status; An independent Australia including one of our peers as Head of State, independent foreign policy not tied to defence treaties or FTAs, a Treaty & reconciliation with the First Australians including land rights and representation in Parliament; Honouring our international treaties including an end to offshore imprisonment of refugees & asylum seekers and our involvement in overseas military ventures of questionable legitimacy; stronger union representation in the workplace including the right to strike & an end to 457 Visas; Industrial Manslaughter Legislation & stiff penalties for wage & superannuation theft; An end to the ABCC permanently; Australian procurement for all levels of Government where available; a better deal for regional & rural Australians including small family farmers; Federal control of our waterways & severe penalties for their damage or destruction; Stronger corporate oversight including the mining, banking & overseas corporate sectors; stronger funding of health, education, nation building infrastructure  and an end to privatisation of utilities & resources; fair trade agreements rather than free trade agreements leaving Australian workers at disadvantage & exposing our Government to litigation from corporations; protection of the environment over mining & fracking; support for the Arts.
 
Carl is in favour of a progressive & inclusive Australia over the neo- Liberal, narrow minded policies of the major parties and their fellow travelers,  and the unrealistic Greens.

GAYLE WHATLEY

Treasurer

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Gayle Whatley was born and educated in Tasmania. She became a secretary after leaving school. Following this, she expanded her main hobby and worked as a wedding photographer. An opportunity to work for Repco in the machine shop saw Gayle making Ford and Holden components on a lathe for many years, which she loved. Gayle then worked in the Restaurant and Convention industry for 20 years.

​Now retired, Gayle have lived on Flinders Island the past wonderful 28 years. Gayle is divorced and with two grown up children, one Granddaughter and a 2 year old Great Granddaughter.

"My family had always voted ALP, today they are ashamed with the right-wing direction the ALP has taken.

"The AWP has given me the opportunity to work with genuine people who care about their fellow Australians. That is why I joined the fight with AWP!"

DAVID RENN

Northern NSW Organiser

Originally apprenticed as an Instrument and Tool maker by the UK Admiralty David Renn emigrated to Australia in 1980. First working for Australian Paper Manufacturers at Botany Bay, he subsequently joined Wang Computer as a Field Technician repairing computers and the associated electro-mechanical peripherals. As conditions for the working Australian have deteriorated, David has taken whatever work has been available, at present that is in the Aged Care sector.

Having experienced a time in Australia when it was reasonably easy to find well paying work and expect a decent standard of living, David have seen this unrelentingly eroded mainly by the monetarist Liberal policies that place money above humanity, caring and altruism but also the swing to neo-liberal policies by the ALP.

“Things have to change! It is time for a new attitude within politics and for me part of this is membership of the AWP  where we place people and equality, first!”

KEVIN GAYNOR

National Vice President
​Victorian Organiser

Kevin Gaynor lives in Moorabbin, Victoria. He works as a handyman, occasionally lighting bands after working for 30 years as an audio-visual technician in the events industry. He has also worked as a bank clerk, labourer, motorcycle courier, rock’n’roll roadie, accounts manager, communications cabler and has run his own business. He is the father of two adult children.
 
Kevin was member of the MEAA for 30 years and joined Labor during the Howard years. He campaigned in his local community for the ALP during that period and Kevin realised the compromises in policy that the ALP need to adopt in order to win broad support from the electorate. The Australian Workers Party presented more progressive dialogue in addressing ways to improve the standard of living for ordinary working Australians.
 
The AWP’s understanding of currency, taxation and how it affects the economy was a revelation to Kevin. By focusing attention on how to support workers, rather than ways to prop up the wealthy, the AWP provides progressive policy solutions to reverse the failed experiment of trickle down economics. When the majority of the population, ordinary workers, are supported and made to feel included by the government that is supposed to represent them, the economy thrives far more effectively, equitably and the standard of living rises. We have no reason or excuse to live in a society that has working poor and homelessness.
 
Kevin joined the AWP to support a progressive alternative to the neo-liberal main stream parties stuck in the mediocrity of ineffective, crowd pleasing policies.
 
“The AWP provides an alternative for socially minded progressives to steer conversation and policy back towards the people it is supposed to represent, ordinary working Australians.”

PETER BELL

National President

Peter Bell lives near Ballarat in Victoria with Stephanie, his partner of 30 years. They have four grown children and 9 grandchildren.
 
Peter had been a Labor supporter since he registered to vote and where available has been an active union member.
 
He started working for the Post Master Generals department (PMG) in 1966, firstly as a technician in training until be resigned nearly 20 years later.
 
He then went into private industry where he worked as the Quality Manager until he was retrenched.
 
In 1999, after several different jobs he joined the Country Fire Authority, as a brigade administration officer. He was then appointed as an Instructor. He retired in 2012.
 
He has been a member of his local fire brigade for over 20 years and is still an active member.
 
Peter joined AWP in 2015 after watching the ALP change into a party that supported the conservatives rather than a true opposition.
 
“AWP shares my beliefs of a fair go for all, where Australia supports its own people and industries ahead of profit for multinationals that use people, destroy the environment and then just walk away when they’re finished”.

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STEPHANIE BELL

Stephanie Bell emigrated from Germany with her parents as a small child in 1960.

She has lived in Victoria all her life and has been living near Ballarat with her husband Peter for almost thirty years.

Stephanie has two children of her own and she also helped raise her husband's son, who lived with her from a very young age.

Stephanie and her husband have 9 grandchildren together! She started her working life in the field of Electronic drafting and she has worked in a number of different jobs including student housing and aged care. ​

Since 1995, Stephanie's main interest has been painting and of course, now Australian Politics is taking up a big part of her life.

"I have joined The Fight to try and secure a better future for myself and my grandchildren".

GARETH LECKIE

Gareth Leckie was born in Sale Victoria & lives in Melton Victoria with his wife and three beautiful children.
 
After completing VCE he studied for his certificate 3 in hospitality while working at a local motel/restaurant for 2 years.
 
He moved to Brisbane and completed his carpentry
apprenticeship and also studied to become a personal trainer.
 
Finding it hard to choose between the two, he decided to work in both jobs for 5 years.
 
At the end of 2014 he moved back to Victoria and got into
commercial construction where he worked casually for a labour hire company and is an active member of his union, the CFMMEU.
 
Since transitioning into commercial construction he has
completed his Health Safety Rep course and has learned a lot about our rights at work.
 
After moving back to Victoria he took an interest in politics and found the AWP shared his beliefs for a fairer Australia for all Australian workers, so he joined. He believes with hard work and determination we can turn the tides and create that Australia.
 
He would like to see more full time jobs created and less casual/contract work, as he believes that casual/contract work is one of the main reasons we as workers have lost a lot of bargaining power.