About Ross
Dr Ross Kerridge is running for Lord Mayor of the City of Newcastle. He is born and bred in Newcastle.
He grew up here, he has worked as a doctor in the public health system here, he helps train young medical students at the University of Newcastle and NOW he wants to give back to the city he loves.
Ross is a Novocastrian by birth, growing up and attending school here. When he finished school he worked at BHP as a labourer for three months before going to university, as did many of his school mates.
Ross currently works at the John Hunter Hospital as a Senior Staff Specialist Anaesthetist. You can find more about his medical background below. Ross is planning to finish up clinical practice later this year.
Ross believes politics is at its best when it is dynamic and has a range of views and personalities. We should engage together in discussion, debate, and nurture talent for the future. If this doesn't happen we risk becoming narrow minded and set in our ways. Ross knows the community is central to the development of ideas. They are a sounding board and a warning to our representatives if there are problems or concerns in the community.
Politics and community involvement have always been a passion of Ross’, joining the Labor party at 18. Ross was in the audience at Blacktown when Gough Whitlam launched the 1974 election campaign. He was at the Opera House in 1987 to hear Bob Hawke commit that no child should live in poverty. Ross still believes strongly in the traditional Labor values enunciated by Ben Chifley in his 'Light on the Hill' speech. He continues to support the current state and federal Labor politicians in Newcastle.
“I am saddened to have resigned from the Labor party on Friday 19th July 2024. However, I feel that by standing for Lord Mayor as an independent candidate I offer the Newcastle community the opportunity to vote for much needed change and return honesty, transparency, integrity, and trust to the City of Newcastle.”
Please take some time to explore this website to learn more about Ross, and please volunteer or donate if you would like to offer support. Together, we can work towards rebuilding our Newcastle.
Personal Positions on Various
Political Issues
Medical Biography
Ross Kerridge is Senior Staff Specialist Anaesthesiologist at the John Hunter Hospital, Newcastle, Australia and Associate Professor at the University of Newcastle. Dr Kerridge has had a long-standing interest in the clinical, organisational and system issues of perioperative patient management. From 1989, Dr Kerridge led the establishment of the “Perioperative System” model of care for elective surgery, which is now the generally accepted model of elective surgical patient care in Australia, and has been adapted internationally. He has been described as the ‘Father’ (or even ‘Grandfather’!) of Perioperative Medicine. He has spoken at numerous conferences and meetings, but feels there is no substitute for seeing what really happens ‘on the ground’. He has clinically visited and advised over 150 hospitals and health services in twenty countries. Dr Kerridge has had wide involvement in a variety of other projects involving re-organisation and re-engineering of health service delivery, including establishment of the first hospital ‘Medical Emergency Team’ (Rapid Response Team) in 1990. This has also been emulated internationally. Early in his specialist career, he worked with the ‘Careflight’ Helicopter Medical Retrieval Service. After an accident during this work he sustained multiple life-threatening injuries, and spent six months in hospital. This experience gave him unique insights into the patient’s experience of hospitals and health services, and increased his commitment to improving the health system. He is a proud Novocastrian (citizen of Newcastle), and enjoys history of all types, biographies, golf (with no talent), the natural environment, and colourful ties. Ross was recently the keynote speaker at a major medical conference in London. If you have an hour to spare, the YouTube link is to the side.
I have been asked my views on a variety of issues that are of great importance in world affairs.
I do not wish discussion of these issues to be a distraction from the important matters of Local Government.
I also believe that there is room for a variety of opinions and perspectives on Local Councils. We live in a democracy and these positions should be respectfully debated.
Therefore to be clear….
• I am a doctor and a scientist. The science supporting human-induced climate change is clear. The world needs to move away from fossil-fuel consumption. This requires a planned and socially just transition both nationally and internationally.
• I think the rapid advances and reducing cost of renewable energy technology mean there is no need for nuclear power in Australia.
• I support Newcastle Council’s long-standing ‘non-Nuclear City’ Policy.
• I am a strong supporter of Gun control.
• I am proud of Australia’s achievements during the Covid pandemic. I support vaccination.
• I think all Council financial assets should be invested ethically (as this term is understood in the superannuation industry).
• I broadly support a ‘two-state solution’ in Israel/Palestine.
• I am in favour of Australia’s current practices with regard to reproductive rights.
• I believe in religious freedom - A person’s faith is a private matter for them alone and is to be respected.
• There is no place for discrimination, intolerance or insensitivity with regard to race, gender, sexuality, disability, appearance, politics, faith or any other similar concerns.
• All people make occasional comments or take inadvertent actions that may be interpreted to cause offence. These occasions should not be weaponised against the person, but should be dealt with by tolerance, explanation and apologies as appropriate.
• Interpersonal respect and tolerance is the basis for our society and always should be.
All political beliefs should be respected and debated with respect. These are the foundations upon which our democracy is based.