Key Challenges

& other issues

combining strong economic growth with environmental stewardship and sustainability principles

Key Challenges

  • Health & Mental Health Care

    current wait list times in the public health care system are unacceptably long.

    I will work towards accessible and affordable health care including dental care and mental health care for everyone so that everyone can live a healthier life.

    I want to make sure that no-one falls through the cracks of our system.

  • Public Transportation Infrastructure

    We need a roads and public transport systems that anticipates future population growth and will cope with increasing demands.

    I am a supporter of light rail, state of the art bike/ebike infrastructure and expansion of the Derwent Valley ferry services.

  • Education System

    We need to strengthen and future proof our public education system so that every student from child care to university can thrive and will be able to access tailored educational support based on individual needs and not statistics.

    A ‘Needs based’ school system that works closely together with health and mental health services to provide individualised support, including early intervention from child care to high school and beyond.

    Free tertiary education at VET and University level - following the European system including supporting for people forced into mid and late career transition.

  • Affordable Housing

    Providing affordable housing is a complex supply and demand problem.
    It is also a cultural and change management problem balancing modern apartment based city life style and more conservative single story family home.
    It also links with solving public transport and infrastructure problems as well as planning provisions that favour large commercial projects over innovative home owners

    Successfully addressing theses problems requires involvement of multitude of stakeholders.

    so for example increasing foreign student enrolment at UTAS is increasing demand, while red tape in the planning scheme and at council level make it difficult for owners and owner builders to increase supply through for example tiny housing projects, building a second development on their property or parking requirements that are disadvantaging small non-commercial owner financed building projects.

  • Future Proofing Job Market

    The world continues the transition from predominant industrial production to a service industrial system. Both of which we need.

    Tasmania has unique assets such as agricultural and natural resources that requires increased future proofing. Both to address climate and environmental changes, changes in global and local demand as well as application of sustainability principles and cultural change.

    Both Forestry and Aqua-culture are two industries that are both hailed and condemned.
    Small changes in best practice such as changing clear felling forestry practice in favour of a selective harvesting practice can satisfy future older growth timber production through multi-generational growth on the same land. Such small shift will not only enhance sustainability, it also will reduce conflict between industry stakeholders and our defenders of the environment by eliminating the need to harvest timber from our world heritage reserves. It also would make redundant draconian laws that stifle reasonable protest.

  • Small Business and Rural Development

    Small Business development and rural development are two areas where local, federal and state government can work together to create optimal conditions for small businesses to thrive and to enhance attractiveness of rural areas that simultaneously can solve a variety of other problems such as housing affordability, transport, staffing shortage in health care services as well future proofing through diversification.

Other Issues

Light Rail and Train Service

I am very much a proponent of rail transport, whether this is short or long distance, light rail or passenger trains between cities.

I would work hard to return light rail to southern Tasmania with a vision for an efficient passenger service connecting southern and northern Tasmania with the mainland via the Spirit of Tasmania.

I do not understand the decision to isolate the Hobart, Glenorchy and south western Tasmania from the rest of Tasmania in respect to rail transport. Adding a rail to the bridge construction is an urgent task as the cost for such a project would increase significantly if this would be added past the current construction phase as a future addition would incur the full set up cost of the construction site, equipment etc..

Ferry Service

I am also very much a proponent of expanding the Derwent River ferry services.

Similary to Sydney such service could connect as far as New Norfolk, Bruny Island and Nubenna.

AFL and another Stadium

I am fully supportive of a Tasmania based AFL team.

It is proven that AFL can be played in Tasmania and that we already have appropriate facilities to start an AFL team today.

Having an AFL should not be conditioned on spending approximately $140,000 to increase our current stadium capacity by 5000 seats, none of which have been filled previously.

For the Mac-Point development there have been a number of good balanced proposals that would be respectful to the character of the city of Hobart. Investing more than $700 million into health care, public transport and public housing would be a good start to solving our more urgent problems. 

UTAS

In the 2022 elector poll I voted “NO” and I respect the “NO” vote on the UTAS relocation. There are numerous reasons why people have voted No and I am looking forward to hearing from everyone on what matters most to them.

Knowing why people oppose something is essential to improving services as only then we can address any concerns. An example here is the loss of facilities for the Law department if the current proposal for the law department move goes ahead.

In general, I also say that educational institutions should focus on providing high quality education and work closely with state and local government to acquire or upgrade appropriate accommodation.  

Forestry and native forest logging

I stand for sustainability not only in the environment but in general, business, politics, family …
I oppose native forest logging for a diverse range of reasons. Cutting down old growth forest is not sustainable and it is in general unnecessary.

At present, we can’t regrow 100-year-old trees, thus cutting down trees that are in part several hundred years old is not sustainable and we remove a heritage that was given to us to pass on to our children and grandchildren.

I also oppose the current forestry practice of clear felling. Small changes in best practice such as changing clear felling forestry practice in favour of a selective harvesting practice can satisfy future older growth timber production through multi-generational growth on the same land.

The proposal here is to allow 10 to 20% of the first harvest timber grow through the second harvest period and allow 50% of those older tree each through subsequent harvest. Such small shift will not only enhance sustainability, it also will reduce conflict between industry stakeholders and our defenders of the environment by eliminating the need to harvest timber from our world heritage reserves. It also would make redundant draconian laws that stifle reasonable protest.

I further support inclusion of the Takayna into the World Heritage.

Salmon Farming

I haven’t eaten Salmon for many years as I no longer consider Salmon a healthy food. In making this decision I considered the industrialisation of farming practices which I consider non-sustainable and harmful to the environment. The main issues I see are the waste (poo) disposal, use of antibiotics as well as the sourcing of protein rich fish feed.

If possible I would like to see is a transformation from unsustainable commercial fish farming to sustainable fish farming. This could potentially be done by collecting the poo, decrease stock density and alternative feed sourcing that does not deplete other fish stocks. If not possible the preservation of our natural environment should be prioritised over commercial exploitation and environmental degradation.

Without degrading the protection of our natural environment, I also see that such transition/ transformation needs to consider wider economic factors such as jobs in regional areas.

 

As with all other issues I am very keen to hear from all stakeholders, listen to concerns and I am in particular interested in hearing about opportunities how we can combine economic growth with sustainability.

Falling Through the Cracks

Currently there are too many people who are falling through the cracks. Education, Health Care and especially in the Mental Health care sector are significant gaps which hinders people with lower incomes to reach their full potential.

As your representative I promise to listen to you and represent you in parliament.