One Wagga woman is not afraid to use her voice for issues that she is passionate about.
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Saba Nabi has been revealed as one of the Australian Financial Review’s 100 Women of Influence.
Dr Nabi was nominated for the Local and Regional category.
“Five or six people nominated me,” she said. “I didn’t realise I had made the list because the email was in my spam, but I make sure to never blindly delete my spam. I was really pleased.”
Dr Nabi said people are often surprised by the amount of volunteer work she signs up for.
“I was doing my PhD and I had a young family so people were amazed that I did a lot of volunteering work,” she said.
“It keeps me engaged, especially when I first arrived and I was feeling homesick.”
Dr Nabi holds many titles in the community from the president of Sturt Public School P&C to a member of the Riverina Regional Advisory Council.
“I moved here six years ago from Delhi to finish my PhD at Charles Sturt University,” she said.
“I graduated last year and became an Australian citizen a few weeks ago.
“The best part of that is I can vote and be even more vocal.”
Dr Nabi said speaking passionately about the issues she sees are important is second nature to her.
“My mum is a school teacher and she is really vocal,” she said.
“I didn’t face any racism but I found it's better to engage in the community and have your own voice.”
Dr Nabi said she wants to see the new arrivals become more engaged in the Wagga community.
“This can lead to mental health issues and social isolation,” she said.
“There is an obligation on both the government and the local community to engage and make it more interactive.”
Dr Nabi is also hoping to help make the health system more accessible for everyone.
“People find it hard to understand and navigate,” she said.
“I am a health professional so I can understand all the terminologies, but this is not the case for everyone especially with things like MyHealth records and NDIS.”
Dr Nabi said she is also vocal about the government’s plans to force migrants to stay regional for five years.
“I am a highly-skilled migrant and for me, it was hard to find a job here in Wagga,” she said.
“The government needs to make sure it has the infrastructure in place because one size does not fit all.
“It should be optional, not mandatory when you don’t have the proper infrastructure.”