By Jeremy Sollars
With this weekend’s Queensland election poised to be a cliff-hanger, the local candidates representing the major parties have outlined their party’s priorities for our local seat of Southern Downs in the event their side forms government.
James Lister of the LNP and Joel Richters of the ALP will vie with Independents Rob Mackenzie and Jay Nauss, One Nation’s Josh Coyne and Antonia van Geuns of The Greens in the election this Saturday 25 November.
Mr Lister said electricity prices were “number one”, adding families and pensioners were “struggling to pay their power bills these days, and that left people with less money to spend in town”.
“And if you’re working hard in small business, say a butcher a retailer, or a cafe, or you’re a farmer pumping water for irrigation, high electricity prices makes it harder to make ends meet,” he said.
He said an LNP government “will show genuine leadership on electricity prices” through major reforms including a new low-emission coal-fired power station, scrapping Labor’s 50 per cent renewable energy target and restructuring the government-owned power companies from two into three for greater competition.
Mr Lister said LNP priorities for employment would include a $5000 per business ‘Queensland Apprenticeship Boost’, a $500 ‘Tools for Tradies’ voucher for apprentices, $4000 ‘Job Start Incentive’ packages for small business and a WorkCover ‘premium exemption bonus’.
He also nominated roads and highways – including the Cunningham, New England, Gore and Barwon Highways – as priorities for an LNP government, along with tackling ice addiction in regional Queensland, and water security.
“Even as a candidate, over the past year I have been advocating for the water needs of our irrigators, and I support the local industry’s moves to finish the job of designing and costing Emu Swamp Dam as an irrigation project,” Mr Lister said.
Joel Richters of the ALP nominated road and health improvements – including up to 25 new nurses and midwives for Southern Downs – delivering local jobs through encouraging new industries to come to the region, ensuring South West TAFE stays open and more police as Labor’s priorities for our region.
