Fairfax Digital Media Central West has given Calare’s Federal Election candidates the opportunity to answer the questions our readers posed to them via our social media sites.
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In the lead up to the election we will run a question each day, with the responses we received from candidates.
Each candidate was contacted via phone and email. Their responses are below.
What are the top five things you stand for?
* John Cobb (Nationals)
No response
* Billie Kirkland (Katter’s Australian Party)
1. Higher tax on imported goods with the focus on food items so Australian farmers are less disadvantaged. In line with this promote and lobby for fairer prices for Australian food commodities and stop the duopoly of the two supermarkets who dictate these prices, and supermarket chains to pay farmers in an agreed turnaround time to benefit farmers out of pocket expenses.
2. Give unemployed people a hand up not a hand out and encourage volunteering while on benefits to give back to the community that supports them.
3. Lobby for adequate funding for small business to encourage employment opportunities in this sector.
4. I believe we should be assisting the elderly more who are struggling to live on the pension. I would like Government’s to work with the suppliers of on a joint programme that assists with the provision and affordability of Gas and electricity. The final price of electricity includes generation costs, network costs, retail costs, and the cost of the Commonwealth carbon tax and other green schemes, a review of competition in the NSW retail energy markets is needed as costs rise for the users. Assist in the provision of heating for example that is affordable and does not drive their bill through the roof.
5. Housing where is is needed, work with key stake holders such as Housing NSW to find where we need to fill gaps for the people on waiting lists. Asking why houses are empty yet people still wait.
* Ian Lyons (Christian Democratic Party – Fred Nile Group)
1. Christian Values: Marriage is the foundation of society. It can only be between a man and a woman. That is how we are designed by God.
2. Marriage: We value all human life and therefore wish to protect human life from conception. We believe a foetus is a human from conception, and all available evidence supports that. Therefore we are against abortion. Between 70,000 and 100,000 babies are killed every year, paid for by the tax payer. We are importing a huge number of overseas people, when if we stopped abortion, we wouldn’t need to. We are killing babies as an act of convenience. We think it more convenient to kill babies, rather than interrupt our selfish way of life.
3. Sanctity of Human Life: Protect the Elderly. We are against euthanasia. Old people must be allowed to die in peace, and not killed off just because it is convenient. There must be a more rigorous supervision of Nursing Homes and closer screening of staff.
4. Promotion of a good economy: We must make our borders secure .Take all steps possible to see that we take only those migrants we want to. Give priority to Christian migrants as they are the ones being persecuted and murdered by Muslims etc.
5. One law for all, no sharia law: One law for all. No Sharia law as is happening in Britain. The thin edge of the wedge.
* Jess Jennings (Labor)
1. Calare Food Security: Develop our first Regional Food & Fibre Plan for Calare. (Why haven't Nationals done this in six years?)
2. Calare Water Security: Ensure "Water Trigger" legislation is practiced so that no unsafe Coal Seam Gas (CSG) is permissible (The Nationals will scrap the Water Trigger legislation as 'green tape' and would allow CSG under every farm if possible).
3. Calare Tourism Growth: Develop and implement a Central West Tourism Strategy for our region. (Why have the Nationals ignored tourism for six years?)
4. Calare Energy Security Audit: Develop a Calare Energy Audit that assesses our regional strengths and weaknesses regarding energy supplies and sources of energy including renewables and our regional energy use budget. Better understanding these issues will enable our region to plan and prepare our future energy needs and affordable supply.
5. I fully support Labor's national policy agenda for National Disability Care Australia, the National Better Schools Plan, the real National Broadband Network, Reductions in Smoking Related illness, Income Tax Relief for Low Paid (already delivered) and Strong and Responsible Economic Management.
Under Labor the Global Financial Crisis was avoided and now we have low unemployment, low inflation, low interest rates, manageable government debt that supports our human and physical infrastructure and Australia is AAA credit rated by all three international rating agencies.
* Macgregor Ross (Independent)
Regional development, road safety, education, employment and media reform, more compassionate treatment of asylum seekers, manufacturing and innovation and the arts.
* Brian Cain (Palmer United Party)
1. The Palmer United Party will introduce legislation requiring former politicians or senior government officials to have left public office for 10 years before they could work as lobbyists.
2. Abolition of the carbon tax from when it was initiated.
3. Onshore processing of arrivals giving free passage to airports, it costs $800 for plane fair, arrivals via illegal boats pay over $20,000 this would kill off the illegal trafficking of arrivals and free up six billion currently wasted buying votes that can be spent of domestic expansion. Persons without cause for asylum would be sent home on the next available flight, this is done in the US, UK and Europe. Those with valid evidence requiring asylum can be repatriated.
4. Downstream processing of Australian resources, establishing manufacturing power in NSW and expanding the mining industry.
5.The Palmer United Party government will ensure regions generating wealth for the nation will have a significant portion of that wealth flow back to their community.
* David Mallard (The Greens)
1. Keeping our land, water and natural environment healthy and protecting them from impacts of climate change and mining.
2. Standing up for education, training and jobs in the region, with investment in regional universities and TAFEs, and in clean energy and technology.
3. A caring society and healthy regional communities, with good access to health care, dentistry and mental health services, no matter where you live or how much you earn.
4. Giving small businesses and farmers a fairer go, with support to help them innovate, protection against the supermarket duopoly and a level playing field.
5. Treating people with compassion and caring, including asylum seekers and Australians who are struggling to make ends meet.
* Anthony Craig (Democratic Labour Party)
Bells line expressway, Decentralisation of services to regional areas, Local control of essential services, small business summit stop wasting foreign aid and spend it at home (Indonesia is using it to commit genocide in West Papua).
* Peter Schultze (Australia First Party)
I will stand up for the views values, principles of Calare electorate fearlessly and independently the same way that Peter Andren did.
I will comply with the Australian Constitution which says that the parliament (no one else) is to determine how many ministers there will be and to ‘choose’ who are to be the ministers. This can be done by secret ballot.
I oppose overseas holidays, and unnecessary costs and Commonwealth waste. Members should be able to attend Parliament electronically from their electorates, saving millions of dollars, and help reduce the Budget deficit.
TOMORROW: What is the first thing you would do if you were elected?