Warwick Today and Stanthorpe Today have reached out once again to our seven Maranoa candidates running in the election on 21 May.
We have asked each candidate to answer three questions each.
Here are their responses:
David Littleproud, Liberal National Party
1. What are your policies regarding health services and accessibility in the Southern Downs?
The Liberal National Government has invested at record levels making Australia one of the top three health systems in the world. Our $132 billion health portfolio investment in 2022-23 growing to $140 billion in 2025-26 guarantees Medicare and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), record hospital funding and delivers more mental health services, more support through your doctor and more medical research. Over the next decade, we will continue to improve the health care of all Australians – from telehealth to onshore pandemic vaccine manufacturing.
2. How will you support the Southern Downs’ economy?
My track record speaks for itself whether it be the $168m for the Emu Swamp Dam or the $12m for horticulture netting in Stanthorpe. The partnership with John Dee to protect the over 400 jobs and create over 140 new jobs there with a $4.9m grant for Cold Storage. The road infrastructure being the $20m to fix the Eight Mile or the over $200m that will be required to fix Cunningham Gap. The federal government’s job is to help build the infrastructure to support our economy grow and that’s what I’ve delivered.
3. How will you tackle the housing crisis in the Southern Downs?
We have already provided $2.9 billion of low-cost loans to community housing providers to support 15,000 social and affordable dwellings, saving $470 million in interest payments to be reinvested in more affordable housing and we have unlocked 6,900 social, affordable and market dwellings through the Coalition’s $1 billion Infrastructure Facility making housing supply more responsive to demand. If re-elected, we will increase the supply of new homes in regional areas by incentivising the purchase of new-build homes – providing 10,000 low deposit guarantees each financial year for those moving to, or within, regional areas. This includes non-first home buyers and permanent residents.
Mike Kelly, Pauline Hanson’s One Nation
1. What are your policies regarding health services and accessibility in the Southern Downs?
The health sector is in crisis, mainly due to understaffing. Firstly we need to force the state government to drop all mandates on health care workers so the abundance of sacked qualified, experienced workers can return to work and provide their much needed services. To encourage better regional health services, One Nation will introduce three-year contracts for newly qualified medical professionals and in return pay their HECS-HELP loans in full.
2. How will you support the Southern Downs’ economy?
Small businesses are suffering tremendously due to the grossly disproportionate government response to the pandemic. ALL mandates need to end immediately. Federal government needs to use its influence on the state to facilitate this. Multiple approaches are needed depending on the industry sector. Primary producers are well supported generally (and this should continue), however small business owners have been neglected. Staffing issues are a huge problem. We need to engage community forums to resolve this.
3. How will you tackle the housing crisis in the Southern Downs?
I personally (my business) trademarked two easy qualifying home ownership programs (The Deposit Layby® and The Live-In Layby®) that gave home buyers a genuine advantage buying a home sooner. I’d propose similar programs if elected. One Nation believes foreign ownership of residential real estate is putting unreasonable pressure on house prices. One Nation opposes foreign ownership of our residential properties so that Aussies get first crack at buying their own home in their own country.
Ellisa Parker, The Greens
1. What are your policies regarding health services and accessibility in the Southern Downs?
Our hospitals are still experiencing staff and resource shortages despite some recent upgrades to Kingaroy, Blackall and Roma hospitals. The Greens would reinvest the annual $7b handouts for private health insurance companies into the public system where everyone can use it. We’ll invest an extra $8 billion into public hospitals, bring dental and mental health under Medicare, hire more doctors and nurses and scrap out of pocket fees for things like x-rays and MRIs.
2. How will you support the Southern Downs’ economy?
We must protect and strengthen our agricultural and natural resource sector. The Greens will invest in greater farming resilience and regenerative agriculture, and reinstate the $25M Carbon Farming Futures grants. We’ll fund new jobs and services by properly taxing billionaires and big corporations. The fact that 1 in 3 big corporations pay no tax in Australia is highway robbery. Unlike both the major parties, I don’t take corporate donations, so I only work for you.
3. How will you tackle the housing crisis in the Southern Downs?
I founded the Darling Downs Affordable Housing Association in 2021 and have been actively campaigning for more affordable and sustainable housing. Both major parties have failed to adequately invest in public housing, while their policies only pump money into the private market, driving up prices and debt. The Greens’ fully-costed housing plan would deliver 5,776 quality, affordable homes in the Darling Downs over 20 years, cap rent increases and ban no-grounds evictions for renters.
Nathan McDonald, United Australia Party
1. What are your policies regarding health services and accessibility in the Southern Downs?
While Health is the responsibility of the states, implementing its sound economic policies will enable the United Australia Party, if elected, to provide $40 billion additional funding for health across Australia and will make such funding available directly to hospitals. This will allow these funds to go to where they are needed most, directly benefiting health services in the Southern Downs.
2. How will you support the Southern Downs’ economy?
I will support the Southern Downs’ economy through zonal taxation, whereby every individual and business 200 kms or more from Brisbane will receive a 20 per cent tax concession. Rather than this being a hard border, I will nominate Local Government Areas to be included in this zone, benefitting the Southern Downs. This tax concession will encourage growth and investment in the Southern Downs by putting more money back into the pockets of those living in the region.
3. How will you tackle the housing crisis in the Southern Downs?
Most importantly, we need to save people’s homes from rising interest rates, otherwise they will lose their homes and the wealth that has been accumulated in them. The United Australia Party will do this by capping home loan interest rates below 3 per cent. This will flow through with rents, as landlords will not have to pass on the costs associated with rising rates onto tenants, thus keeping rent lower and more affordable than what it otherwise would have been.
*Brett Tunbridge, Australian Federation Party
Bio:
I love my little town of Pratten, on the Condamine river just out of Warwick. I’m a 56 yo father of four and a local business owner, I’ve worked as a mechanic, panelbeater, shopkeeper and builder. My kids have grown up here, I’ve seen hard times and good, the life we live here is special and I plan to grow old here. I’m involved because I care about the future of my people, my home and my country, without proper representation, we simply have no say in the running of our country and it’s left to those with global agenda’s to dictate our lives, the last few years has demonstrated this more clearly than I’d ever wished for. I chose the Federation Party because of their six pacts that each candidate makes in order to uphold our constitutional law.
1. hold an open forum public meeting every month
2. hold a democracy training session every month.
3. to vote independently from party if in the electorates interest
4, no rushed legislation (except immediate defence)
5. set up a people’s legislative review committee
6. use technology for the people, not against them
Put simply “we serve you”
1. What are your policies regarding health services and accessibility in the Southern Downs?
The past two years have been a disaster in more ways than one. The Federation Party will ensure that this never happens again by removing all mandates and reinstating all sacked health workers and professionals, a total review of the health system from the top down will be conducted in the interests of people, of fairness and of the nation. All Maranoa will benefit by improved services and placing health where it belongs. First!
2. How will you support the Southern Downs’ economy?
Globalist policies from the “Big Four” parties have decimated many local and rural businesses and farms to the point of unviability. The Federation Party will review all foreign agreements that conflict with Australian national interests. Fully sustainable and environmentally responsible livestock and food production procedures must be promoted as an urgent matter to simply give us a future that we’d want to live in. Not just throwing money at bloated foreign corporations.
3. How will you tackle the housing crisis in the Southern Downs?
Any housing crisis that exists in the region can be solely traced to the government and the finance industry. Affordable land and housing must be made available by improving basic infrastructure, improved land use in rural towns and incentivising small communities to invest in housing as a priority. By allowing people to actually have hope of a better future one will be created. Shelter is after all, a basic human right!
*Malcolm J Richardson, Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party
Bio:
I am the State Leader of the Shooters Fishers and Farmers Party. I live on our family farm between Millmerran and Goondiwindi with my wife Shelley and our youngest son Cody (15). We have 10 children, all grown, and 10 Grandchildren and counting. I have a Ph.D in Food Science and a Bach. of Business. & have sent the last 25+ years in the Food Industry.
We have seen the best and worst of life, and across a broad section of Government. These life experiences have taught me what normal everyday people go through, not by watching them go through it, but unfortunately by living it with them. It gives me personal experience in what people want changed, and the ability to understand why people feel the Government is failing them. Because we ourselves have been failed by our Government.
I have solutions to the problems faced in the Maranoa, however, I believe to address the problems in Maranoa, we need to address the problems in Parliament first. Honesty, Transparency and Accountability have been lost to our Government. Our Government has forgotten the Maranoa, and will continue to Lie to us, Hide from us and Ignore us until we send a strong message by taking away their power, by having strong non-major representation in the Maranoa.
1. What are your policies regarding health services and accessibility in the Southern Downs?
I will bring a Members Bill before Parliament that addresses the lack of access to modern healthcare facilities in the Maranoa. To encourage better health professionals to Rural and Regional Australia, we need better hospitals, better facilities and better equipment. By directing more Federal funding to Rural health facilities, and focusing State funding on personnel, we can lift the overall quality of health services, and health of the region.
2. How will you support the Southern Downs’ economy?
There is no single solution to the economic problems we face. Smarter people than me have tried and failed. What I believe will help is having Federal restrictions on the quantity of goods imported into Australia. When I was younger, a majority of our goods were produced here and sold here, or exported around the world as market leading products. Now we see an increasing number of inferior goods imported, which lowers the need for our homegrown products, impacting on both the workforce and wages. We need to see more Government support for Aussie manufacturing, Australian Foods back on the shelves and more Made in Australia logos!
3. How will you tackle the housing crisis in the Southern Downs?
Our Government is concerned with looking good on the world stage by supplying aide all around the globe, and hiding our own poverty. I will fight to see our Foreign aid budget being redirected into public and affordable housing, which will make an enormous difference to our housing crisis. We have real poverty right here at home to address before we address poverty in other countries. Our Australian dollars must be spent on Australian problems FIRST!
*Dave Kerrigan, Australian Labor Party, did not respond to our request for comment.
*Malcolm J Richardson and Brett Tunbridge have both provided a bio for this week’s paper after missing out last week.
