You have held the seat for a number of years now, what motivated you to run again?
I’m passionate about the Shortland electorate, I’m passionate about the people of Shortland and I’m passionate about making sure they get the services that they need.
What are your main priorities in the electorate?
Well I’m very much committed to making sure that the people of Shortland, actually the young people of Shortland, get the Better Education plan – which is an extra $4000 for every student. I’m committed to making sure our health services are maintained at their current level. I do not want to see services cut, I want to see services not just continue at the level that they are at now but to continue to grow. Over the years I know what it is like to be a member of parliament, when there is a Coalition government in power. I know that bulk billing rates dropped to an all time low when Mr Abbott was the Health Minister but I know they are now up around the 80% mark. I know that when we had a Coalition Government in Canberra that the Belmont Medicare office was closed. But I know since we’ve had a Labor Government in Canberra that office has been reopened. What I’m there for is to make sure that a real commitment is made to the people of this area and each and every day that I’m in Canberra I’m there working for the people of Shortland electorate. It is about putting the people of Shortland first and about being passionate about this area and making sure that the services that are needed are delivered to the people of our region.
What would you say to Labor voters who might be disillusioned with the party following the events of the last term?
I would say to voters that when it comes to the election, when it comes to casting your vote look at what Labor has delivered. Look at the record increase that’s been given to pensioners, look at the investment in education, look at the massive investment in infrastructure, look at massive investment in health and I would say to them, there is only one choice at the next election. A vote for Labor is a vote for our area, for our region and for the people of Australia.
How do you rate your chances?
In an election you never know the result until the night of the election. It’s a hard campaign, every campaign is hard and what you need to do is work and make a commitment to the people that you are asking to represent you. I don’t take anything for granted, I never have and I know that on the night of the election that we’ll find out who is the winner. So I don’t have any expectations other than to say to people that I’m out there working and I’m asking them for their vote.
We had a VIEWER QUESTION about TAFE from Gweneth Atkins – what are your plans for TAFE education?
Under Barry O’Farrell it has been slashed, the jobs in TAFE have been cut, courses have been cut and from a Federal perspective I will continue to work hard to see that money goes to TAFE. In fact it was only at the end of last week that an announcement was made that we are investing more money in helping young people get basic skills and that course was going to be delivered through TAFE. So I’m a big supporter of TAFE and I always do everything in my power to see that TAFE gets the resources and gets the money it needs to thrive. But I once again put out a call to Barry O’Farrel and the local state member to stand up for TAFE. Don’t lose this valuable resource, it’s been responsible for training so many people over the years and that we need to make sure it continues in the future.
(This interview was conducted at a Lake Macquarie Business Club Lunch on 22/8/13)
