Noosa Today asked our 10 candidates vying for the seat of Wide Bay:
1. What do you identify to be the top three issues affecting the people of Noosa?
2. If you were elected to represent the seat of Wide Bay what would you do to fix these three issues?
These are the answers supplied by the candidates, arranged here in alphabetical order.
Craig Armstrong- Australian Greens
1. The top 3 issues for the Noosa area in the Greens view are – tackling climate change and protecting the environment, fixing Aged Care and having an affordable and secure choice in the housing market.
2. Greens policies are community focused and bold enough to fully address the scale of each challenge.
On climate change and protecting the environment.
Not allow new coal or gas and phase out existing.
Prepare for climate impacts.
100 per cent clean energy.
Restore land and carbon drawdown.
Aged Care
Move to “not for profit” providers.
Provide affordable accommodation options.
Improve working conditions for Aged Care workers.
Provide a guaranteed liveable income for older people
Ensure independent accountability mechanisms to monitor services.
Housing.
Create a “Federal Housing Trust” to build over 20 years: 750,000 homes for low income earners to slash waiting lists and end homelessness and 125,000 for shared ownership homes. These 125,000 will be for public universal access rental homes.
Tracy Bennett – United Australia Party
Accessing long term rental accommodation has become a problem in Noosa. The rise of short term rental opportunities through the likes of AirBnB have made it difficult for residents to find affordable long term accommodation which has a knock on effect into staff shortages. Whilst the accommodation crisis has contributed to this issue of staff shortages, particularly in the hospitality industry, the other factor is mandates. Under a United Australia Party government led by Craig Kelly we would see a positive impact on these issues within Noosa, by capping home loan interest rates to a maximum of 3% for the next five years we protect the rental accommodation market and help to keep it affordable. Introducing a tax deduction on the first $30,000 of a home loan, which would mean a saving of around $10,000 per year net for our constituents. Removing all mandates and enacting a bill of rights, outlawing lockdowns and protecting the rights of all Australians would restore trust which, in turn would see hospitality staff return to the region, stimulating and re-invigorating the local economy, along with the extra spending generated by the increase to the retiree pension of $180 per fortnight.
Nathan Buckley – One Nation
1. Ending vaccine mandates, ending vaccine discrimination and getting people back to work.
Cost of living pressures.
Continue to support and grow the tourism industry and tourism operators.
2. Pass legislation ending all vaccine mandates and discrimination. One Nation will ban any State Government from ever reintroducing vaccine mandates ever again.
Support Australian farmers by subsidising their operations. Consider import tariffs on foreign imported food and goods. This will bring down the costs for food and goods in Australian shops.
Lower the excise tax payable on fuel even further and permanently.
Pass legislation banning any State Government from ever closing the Queensland border ever again with respect to covid.
End all covid restrictions and allow overseas backpackers and tourists back to Noosa to work for tourism operators who are struggling to find workers.
Kelli Jacobi – Independent
1. Financial crisis due to small business collapse, job losses, rising living costs etc.
Health crisis within aged care/hospitals, staffing shortages, declining mental health
Lack of affordable housing and homelessness
2. Serious systemic problems at federal level have led to these issues. To resolve local challenges, we must first address their federal causes such as corruption, incompetence, mismanagement and unlawful directives that have sent Australia into a tailspin.
There are many potential solutions within my policy (www.kellijacobi.com/about) but our most urgent need is to end corruption in government through national conflicts of interest and deals with private, globalist organisations, that are not in Australia’s best interest and were made without our knowledge or consent. Restoration of our true constitution (1901) and repeal of subsequent unlawful acts that enable our so-called ‘leaders’ to ruin us, will further help to repair our nation.
Reclaiming our rightful ownership of the Australian Dollar and encouraging new industries and manufacturing within Australia again will further stabilise our economy. We must also reclaim Australian assets and strategic infrastructure sold to foreign powers that compromise our national security.
Practical solutions for local challenges could include:
Tax incentives to encourage home ownership and rural migration, reducing pressure on coastal infrastructure and stimulating rural economies
Encourage secondary dwellings and multi-occupant living to alleviate housing shortages
Allow healthy staff who were unlawfully dismissed to resume their rightful occupations
I’ll happily collaborate with any within government offering wise, effective strategies to help make Australia beautiful again.
Tim Jerome – Independent
1. Cost of Living, affordable housing, the rental and public housing crisis.
2. The only way to fix these problems is by a change of government, but not just a different government. There needs to be a total overhaul of our political system. The current system is not working. We cannot afford to be paying politicians the high wages which include paying for ex-politicians for the rest of their lives. We cannot afford to have the middle to lower income workers bearing the tax load while the wealthy pay little to no tax. We cannot afford to have our Prime Minister giving money to the big corporation bosses that is happening during this pandemic. This has caused hyper-inflation which has halved the value of the dollar, and therefore we have to pay twice as much for everything. I offer myself as the solution to fix the problem. Only true Independents who are not part of the faulty system can be a true mouthpiece in parliament. I have no ties or have done no deals with any party or corporation. I owe no one anything. I have a fully costed plan to fix the rental and public housing crisis outlaid on my website www.timjerome.com.au It involves diverting twenty billion from the futures funds. The federal government already manages $247.8 billion in assets across six future funds. The federal government could easily divert $20 billion which would deliver thirty thousand extra housing dwellings a year. Each year the money raised from future funds could be topped up to eventually provide fifty thousand new housing dwellings a year. After this election it is more than likely going to be a minority government in power. Independents like myself are going to have more sway to be the voice for common sense and deliver better money management solutions for our nation.
Andrea Newland – Informed Medical Options Party
Llew O’Brien – LNP
1. Creating jobs, delivering the infrastructure and services that Noosa families and businesses need, and keeping our economy strong to help address cost of living pressures, are top priorities for me.
2. If re-elected, I will continue to work to secure infrastructure to help Wide Bay grow, building on the investments I’ve secured, including $6.9 million to replace six bridges throughout Noosa.
I’ve worked with businesses to create jobs, including at the Peregian Beach Digital Hub and the Sunshine Beach Surf Lifesaving Club, and to grow Noosa’s reputation for tech innovation through investments in Helitak and FireTech – and I will continue to work to boost employment.
I’ve worked to improve Noosa’s community, palliative care, disability and sporting services, with $2.5 million for a new Peregian Beach Community House, $1.5 million to extend Katie Rose Cottage Hospice, $135,000 for an accessible playground and café at Sunshine Butterflies, and $1.25 million for a health and wellbeing centre at Noosa AFL.
I am working to build a stronger economy to reduce taxes; support our farmers; and deliver record funding for schools and hospitals.
The Liberal and Nationals Government has a strong focus on defence and national security and we will continue to keep Australians safe and secure.
We are also making PBS medicines more affordable and increasing the eligibility for the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card so more self-funded retirees can access concessions.
We must maintain our momentum and build on our achievements, and with your support, we will continue to build a better Wide Bay.
Daniel Williams – Australian Values Party
1. The top three issues currently affecting the people of Noosa are the shortage of affordable housing, rent affordability for our essential services living in Noosa and land availability to build affordable houses for those affected.
2. If I was elected I would be looking to work with the current State Member Sandy Bolton and Noosa Mayor Clare Stewart, to work on releasing some land, this land with tiny houses or demountable style housing could help fix some of the housing affordability and availability currently in our town. With essential services like Teachers, Police, Nurses, Fireman etc, I would look at rental subsidies so we attract these important people to our region that currently we can not attract due to this current crisis.
Geoff Williams – Labor Party
John Woodward – Australian Federation Party
1. The debt based monetary system whereby over 98% of our money supply is issued by foreign controlled banks as debt to the government and the people. The government can issue 100% of our money supply debt free as recently proved when the Reserve Bank of Australia (Owned by We the People) typed into a computer $130 billion, thus creating money out of thin air, and made it available for JobSaver. No Josh We don’t have to pay it back to Ourselves and yes Josh, there is a “Money Tree”. God planted one right here in Our Country.
The People are heavily taxed when there is no need for it. A government owned People’s Bank could issue money debt free and end the need for taxation. Sir Dennison Miller the Governor of the then government owned Commonwealth Bank of Australia, the “Peoples Bank” said in 1921: “Whatever the Australian people can intelligently conceive in their minds and will loyally support, that can be done”. In other words, that which is physically possible can be made financially possible by a government owned People’s Bank. After all We don’t need digits on a computer in the City of London to build a road, We only need workers, materials and machinery. Any digits on computers (Money) to facilitate the construction can be made available by our Peoples Bank.
Government debt. What do these three issues have to do with Noosa.? Everything and that goes for every community in Australia and in fact the World. The Rothschild controlled London Times predicted in 1865 when Abraham Lincoln proposed this financial policy. “that Government will furnish its own money without cost. It will pay off debts and be without debt. It will have all the money necessary to carry on its commerce. It will become prosperous without precedent in the history of the world.” The Rothschild bankers were not happy: “That country must be destroyed.”
2. When elected I will:
End the debt based monetary system by re-establishing the “Peoples Bank”
End taxation of the People
Prohibit the government from borrowing money. Naturally, this will need the support of other members of the House and Senate. We need the people to hear this message and vote for candidates with these policies.
