Know your candidate: Dr Ziad Basyouny
AMUST meets Dr Ziad Basyouny, the independent candidate for the Federal seat of Watson in southwestern Sydney which includes Greenacre, Bankstown and Lakemba, suburbs with a significant Muslim population. Watson is currently held by Tony Burke, a member of the Australian Labor Party and current Minister for Immigration.
AMUST: Assalaamu alaikum, Dr Basyouny, please tell us a bit about your background.
Dr Basyouny: Walaikum assalaam. My name is Dr Ziad Basyouny, I’m an emergency doctor and a General Practitioner. Born and bred in Egypt, I moved to Brisbane when I was 22 years of age, working as a computer salesperson and at McDonald’s (as a cleaner). A lot of struggles at that point of time. My first job as a doctor in Australia was at Harvey Bay Hospital, which is three and a half hours north of Brisbane with a small ethnic community. I was probably one of maybe ten brown people that you can see on the street – there were not too many.
I then moved to Sydney, worked in emergency for many years. I was part of the team that led the Western Sydney Local Health District response to COVID. I also practice as a General Practitioner, with a couple of clinics in Greenacre and Lakemba. I’m married with four kids, three girls and a young boy aged, 18, 14, 13 and three and a half.
What motivated you to become a candidate?
The fact that Watson, which is my seat, was a safe seat, had always been a thorn in my back. In my view, the safer the seat the less you get from your representatives. I feel as if Labor is failing us at home and abroad on all levels.
I started working at Bankstown Hospital and I’ve been hearing about the new Bankstown Hospital. That’s 20 years ago and we haven’t got a new hospital. We’ve got waiting times for procedures in the hospital of eight months, where you can just drive 20 to 30 min and have that same operation with a waiting time of three months.
Nearly every hospital around us has been refurbished. The only two hospitals that were not refurbished or rebuilt were Bankstown and Canterbury – guess what they are in the Watson electorate.
So that was the main reason why I felt change needs to happen moreover when it came to Gaza and the deplorable actions of Labor towards the Palestinian issue and the ongoing genocide. That’s what pushed me over.
It’s not pleasant to know that your representative in the area, is the minister that refused 70% of the visas from Gaza. The Palestinian visas take three months but it takes two days if they’re from Israel.
Plus obviously Labor’s failure on the cost of living, housing affordability, the rent in my area, in Watson, since Labor was elected in May 2022, has increased by somewhere between 45 and 60%.
So I mean this is an area that’s been underserviced, been ignored and on top of all of that, we’ve got family members that are being slaughtered overseas and a minister who’s supposed to be a representative of our area who never condemned the genocide inside Parliament, never spoke about the Israeli atrocities and never spoken about Islamophobia attacks.
We’ve had leaders who were threatened and allegedly a lady tried to run over an Imam and Tony Burke said nothing. It’s clear that our current representative doesn’t represent us. He is Labor’s ambassador to us, not our ambassador to Labor – it’s the other way around.
As a medical practitioner, I want to ensure that bulk billing remains. I bulk bill in my clinics and will continue to do so. I want to protect that right and that service.
Have you faced personal attacks or negativity?
A lot. Significantly from the Australian Jewish Association. The Sydney Morning Herald came after me for being pro Palestinian, for being pro resistance and I’m very clear on that support the inherent right of Palestinians to defend their land, and obtain justice with peace and democracy.
That’s something I will not shy away from. The Palestinian resistance predates the existence of Hamas and others. I support the Palestinian resistance and their right to resist the occupation and oppression. So they came after me.
They have put complaints against me to my work at the clinics (which I own!). They raised complaints through the registration authorities regarding my social media posts and authorities came back saying no, there’s nothing wrong with his opinion, there’s nothing wrong in there.
I had the leader of the opposition, Mr Dutton, speak about me personally and say I shouldn’t be in Parliament because I was changing the status quo, so I would expect both parties have vested interests to be against me.
They all come after me personally, and for me I’ve got enough of a thick skin to withstand those attacks
Why as an independent?
Our Westminster system was built for individual seats and representation. The current Labor rules stipulate that you will vote with the Labor majority regardless.
We’ve had Sister Fatima Payman, who was ostracised from Labor once she crossed the floor and voted with what is a Labor platform position on Palestine but because it went against what the Cabinet wanted, for government solidarity, she was excluded. This is similar to other parties.
That’s why I decided to go as an independent, I want to be only beholden to the constituents in my electorate. I want only to be controlled by them.
How well do you know the electorate of Watson?
I’ve been living and working there for the past 17 years, I own medical clinics in Watson, I’ve worked at the two hospitals in Watson, I eat in Watson and I walk in Watson.
Quite often I may be eating out and someone will come with their child to tell me how difficult it is for the local residents. I am always available to the community and I will remain available if I am elected.
How much support do you think you have in Watson?
I think I do have a lot of support and the independents generally will have a lot of support.
From the surveys that we’ve done, from the surveys that other institutions have done, we know there is a massive groundswell, we know there are waves to move away from the major parties. People are very, very disappointed how Labor is performing.
Independents are a real alternative because these are people who are there, approachable, that you can talk to. This does not mean that all the independents win. There are specific, local and national issues that will make differences within specific seats.
I have garnished a lot of support. Some of the large community organisations in the area have moved away from supporting Labor completely to being neutral by saying they will not tell their community to vote Labor any more, which is in itself a success because they sincerely should look after their members interests. The political atmosphere has changed.
They know I am going to do what’s best for them, but I’m not a candidate for organisations and leaders. I am a grassroot candidate.
If elected, how do you expect to make a difference?
We’re already seeing the fruits of having an independent in the area and for the first time ever, the current member had to send some flyers to the homes around the area, so we have been credited with the change of mood, the community and I have been credited with the new Palestinian visa that was, you know, done by the government to try to help with the refugees from Palestine.
Community members have said to me that our pressure on Labor and the senior Labor minister representing our area has given them hope of a better future.
Some leaders have said to me privately that I should run every time as they have noticed an increased interest in the community by the government since I announced my intention.
From all the polls that we can see we will likely have a hung parliament and if so the major parties will need the smaller parties or independents at that point of Watson having an independent will be able to make the case for more funding for the hospitals and the schools as well as address the major issues the community here want addressed.
What message do you have for your electorate?
We want everyone in all walks from every nationality, every ethnicity, every religion, every aspect of life in Watson to consider me for, as to vote for me as number one if they don’t they should think of having an independent as a positive as it will raise your voice.
We have an opportunity to create history by electing an independent, who has lived, worked and plans to continue to do that for the rest of their life, to represent the area.
Alhamdulillah, Allah has given me a lot. I am well-known, financially stable, there’s nothing in benefit for me there other than to be the true representation the area needs and to support the ummah!
We have a chance to get Watson on the national map and make sure that both parties are interested in investing in Watson’s infrastructure and housing. We have an opportunity to influence Australia’s position on a lot of things. Palestine, Burma, Lebanon, Bangladesh, Pakistan, even India and China.
We have the leverage currently, so instead of voting the for the same guy to get the same result , let’s use this as an opportunity to make a lasting change
InshaAllah, for the people of Watson, we will celebrate it, we will be on the national news in the night of the election. I’ll make you all proud and I will make sure that if and when I’m elected, I’ll use all the political levers available to me to advance the requests and the needs and the wants of the people.
I greatly enjoyed reading your article on Dr. Ziad Basyouny and hope that he he is elected as the member of Watson as the seat urgently requires his representation.
Dr. Ziad Basyouny is a terrible person with no respect for women, repeatedly insulting them without any decency or delicacy. He is the last person who should be considered for any leadership or elected role.