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Guest Character Profiles > Jacinta Hay Maurial Spearim

When Kyle Canning decided to enter The 82 tram into the Erinsborough's Best Dish competition, he planned to use a sausage recipe created by his late father, Gary. On the day of the judging, Councillor Jacinta Hay arrived to sample 'Gary's Aussie Sausage' with a mixed mushroom gravy, with Kyle unaware that his girlfriend, Roxy Willis, had picked some poisonous death cap mushrooms, that were growing at the back of the tram, to make the gravy. Though Jacinta was impressed with the tram and the food, she became very unwell later that day, finding herself in hospital and, when Bea Nilsson was also poisoned, eventually Kyle had to come clean about what had happened, almost losing the tram in the process.

A few weeks after the poisoning, Jacinta visited Lassiters hotel in her role as a local councillor, where hotel manager Terese Willis had announced that they would not be celebrating Australia Day that year. Though many people were delighted with the decision of the hotel to get behind the 'change the date' movement, Tim Collins decided to cause trouble by publishing an article in the newspaper, which showed an interview with Terese from five years earlier, when she'd told an action group that the hotel would still be celebrating Australia Day on January 26th. Terese insisted that she'd since changed her views on the matter, but was confronted by Jacinta when she arrived for a meeting later that day. The original purpose of the meeting had been to improve representation at the hotel, particularly in senior positions, but Terese apologised as Jacinta pointed out that January 26th was a date that represented invasion, mass genocide and enslavement to First Nations people. Terese insisted that she now understood that, again apologising before releasing a video statement later that day. The statement explained that it was not Terese's place to speak to Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islanders, and that anyone interested in the 'change the date' movement should seek out their voices and perspectives. She added that she would also do her part to make Australia fair and inclusive for everyone. Jacinta was impressed with the statement, joking that, when she became Prime Minister, she'd consider having Terese in her cabinet, and saying that she'd look forward to working with Terese as she became a better ally.

Episodes Featured
8532, 8544

Biography by Steve

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