Alex van der End – United Australia Party
During this campaign I have been inundated with hundreds of emails from people seeking my help.
There are stories of people who have lost their livelihoods because they refused to take an experimental vaccine that doesn’t work. Health professionals who are not allowed to go back to work in Victoria unjabbed, while in other states they are able to work with no problems. There is no health crisis in Victoria, just an evil oppressive state government ignoring basic human rights and a federal government that allows them to get away with it.
I’ve had people tell me about the mortgage stress that they face if either of the major parties win this election. With one increase already and more to come, many will be forced out of their homes. There are 900 people sleeping rough on the Mornington Peninsula, and this will only get worse. The reckless government overspending will simply continue to push up the cost of living and put additional pressure on interest rates. The United Australia Party has a plan that will keep home loan interest rates at 3 per cent for the next five years and repay the national debt through the 15 per cent export tax on iron ore. This ensures our debt paid off the debt in 20 years without the need to tax Australians.
When elected, I will ensure my support for the Victorian Maritime Centre at Crib point; the extension of the Mornington Peninsula Freeway; protecting wildlife and beaches; protecting women’s sport; providing support for more mental health and aged care funding; and helping Lyme’s disease suffers.
I come to this role not as someone who knows how to help people and get things done. The major parties have failed and taken us for granted.
Chrysten Abraham – Liberal Democratic Party
I was born in the Eastern suburbs of Melbourne, and I have lived on the Peninsula for the better part of six years.
Talking to my community, I know there is a need for affordable housing and the rising cost of living is keeping young people out of the market. Small businesses need cuts to red tape to be able to flourish. We need to invest in public transport on the Peninsula.
My vision is for a peninsula where small businesses thrive, the community works together on the issues faced and better telecommunications for Western Port!
The Liberal Democratic Party was formed because its members didn’t believe the Liberals held true libertarian values – small government, less taxes and a free market.
LibDems represents small business owners, the worker, stay at home parents and people that may need government assistance.
Too much of our money goes to the government, we pay taxes on our wages, goods and services. The government continues to skim a little off the top every day, yet we are still on track for nearly $1 trillion dollars of debt.
We are a sensible and logical party that is the genuine alternative to the major parties, we respect the liberties of people.
We propose to cut frivolous spending, not to areas like aged care or government payments or anything that matters to the people, but instead we cut fat government departments. Anyone that has worked for government knows there is excessive spending.
The tax free threshold has been $18,000 for a long time and we have a policy to increase the tax free threshold to $40,000 to compensate for the increase in cost of living with a flat 20 per cent tax after the tax free threshold modelled after the Laffer Curve.
Zoe McKenzie – Liberal Party
Over the years, I have been engaged across our community – working with the Committee for the Mornington Peninsula, the Mornington Peninsula Foundation, and many local sporting and social clubs.
I have worked in business – as an employment lawyer, a company director building our nation’s key infrastructure, and in small business – encouraging investment in Australia and building our exports, such as wine into India and establishing Moderna in Victoria.
I gave up that career to fight for the opportunity to represent Flinders in our federal parliament. And since January I have met thousands of our fellow residents.
The key issues have been simple:
Access to workers to sustain our health and aged care services, and our tourism, hospitality, and agriculture industries. I have made commitments to our community to address critical skill shortages and keep young people on the peninsula for life.
Quality infrastructure, so lacking as a result of the failure of the Andrews Labor Government to invest, when $300 million from federal government to fund roads and rail improvements, and higher education sits unused.
The absurd insistence that we are “metro Melbourne” – when our way of living, from our reliance on gas tanks, septic systems, and diesel generators would suggest otherwise – we need access to a greater range of support, so readily offered across Port Phillip. And finally, protecting our natural environment and what makes it such a special place to be: our coasts, our walking tracks, our beautiful hills, Flinders pier, Arthurs Seat, and the beauty of our waters as a place for fishing, snorkelling, swimming and diving. I have a set of commitments to maintain our high quality of living and address the cost of living and running a small business, amounting to over $25 million in investments over the next three years.
Jefferson Earl – Australian Federation Party
Flinders is one of the most beautiful electorates in the country. The peninsula inspires me from its wild back beaches and sandy dunes, calm serenity of the front beach to the grape covered hills of the wine region. This gem must be protected.
My decision to run as a candidate was not easy, politics for me has always seemed so dirty and unattractive. But, after watching the pain here in Victoria under Scomo, Greg Hunt and Dan Andrews, I put my ambitions on hold to help Flinders and Australia rise from this dire situation.
With more than 20 years’ experience as a successful entrepreneur, I am able to think beyond the average box thinking politician. Voting for me is not a vote for a politician it is a vote for real change.
I will invest into businesses and start-ups directly, providing grants assessed by a panel of experts. Grants of $20,000 for businesses in Flinders for each full time job they create; 20 per cent of the grant paid day one and the rest if benchmarks are met. Young people can start their own business. I will also fix the shocking mobile phone reception down here before the end of 2023.
Only entrepreneurs like me can ignite Australia’s engines of manufacturing again. Our nation’s defence must be secured by manufacturing most of our defence assets here. In time of war, we should not rely on ally supplies getting through. This will create hundreds of thousands of jobs.
With 30 per cent of our nation’s energy being clean, I have a manufacturing clean energy plan to create thousands of jobs and export energy products while attaining a clean energy economy before 2030. This is not a pipe dream we can do this, and we can thrive while we do.
Colin Lane – The Greens
I’m a long time local, having lived either on the Mornington Peninsula or its northern fringe just about all my life. I love it. Deeply. There’s no place like it. My family are here, my friends are here. It’s home.
I work as a civil celebrant, so I get to help families celebrate the best of times and guide them through the saddest of times. I also work part-time for a small not-for-profit.
Married with four kids, aged 17 to 24, who are racking up HECS debts and desperately trying to save money for a deposit on a house that they’re rapidly losing hope that they’ll ever be able to afford. They can’t understand why governments won’t take more urgent action on climate change and are experiencing all the ups and downs of the casual labour market while trying to get a further education.
In Flinders, because we are facing pressure like never before on our natural environment and our green wedge and all of our beautiful ecological assets here on the peninsula. We are suffering from the great escape from Melbourne, without anywhere near the infrastructure to cope with the influx of people wanting to live here with us.
Government has continually let us down. No integrity left, accepting big corporation donations and returning the favour, creating economic inequality and injustice, neglecting things liked aged care.
With a strong Green voice, we can exert even more pressure to make change. Lower House and, importantly, Upper House. The more numbers the Greens have in Canberra, the more pressure we can exert, bring about some real change and get better outcomes for all of us and our precious planet.
With my heart for the peninsula, I will represent the people, with passion, and determination, and honesty.
Sarah Russell – Independent
I grew up in a Liberal-voting household, the only girl with four older brothers. It was a household full of strong opinions. By the age of 13, I found myself disagreeing with my father’s politics. But, instead of causing conflict, these disagreements prepared me well for politics.
I learnt how to disagree respectfully. I don’t dismiss people with different views. I talk with them to understand where they are coming from. I also learnt how to negotiate.
I despair about the state of politics where Liberal and Labor politicians spend so much time fighting each other. We need a vision for our country’s future.
The loss of trust in government also really concerns me. People feel vested interests are running the country because there’s no transparency or accountability – the key to restoring trust in government and giving hope to citizens.
I began my career as a nurse and then did a doctorate in public health. More than 20 years ago, I set up a small business, specialising in public health research. My work involves listening to and talking with people about health – women’s health, mental health, substance abuse and aged care. All my work comes through word of mouth.
My research, advocacy and persistence over the past 30 years have significantly improved people’s lives. I have also spent nearly 10 years advocating for the dignity and rights of older people. I am an independent expert on both residential and home care. Thanks to my voluntary work, aged care is finally an election issue. So much more needs to be done. Aged care needs an effective advocate in parliament.
Growing up, I spent most weekends and school holidays at Mount Martha. For the past three years, I have lived permanently on the block my grandfather purchased in 1935.
Surbhi Snowball – Australian Labor Party
I am a proud and passionate local who is looking forward to representing the people of the electorate of Flinders.
I came from Mauritius more than 20 years ago to study and graduated from Monash University in banking and finance.
With my husband and our two children I moved to Hastings five years ago. We are lucky to call it home. My eldest is nearly an adult, my baby has just started school. They have played local sport and learnt to swim at Pelican Park.
During COVID we walked Hastings. My community is a big part of my life – knowing local shopkeepers by name, the food swap and permaculture groups, the church play group. I taught yoga and cooking classes and I cooked for the church.
I’m fiercely proud of being Australian. Here I have rights and privileges: guaranteed minimum wages, paid maternity leave, free education and health care, the right to be treated with equity and fairness, strong laws to protect our natural environment.
All of those things and more are a direct result of Labor government policies.
After years of self-serving, incompetent and arrogant Coalition governments, it is time to bring real leadership back to Canberra.
You have to care about the people who elected you by putting families first – understanding the importance of Medicare, child care and aged care; by working with state, territory and local governments to develop more public, community, and affordable housing; by acting to protect the precious environment we have in this country and on the Mornington Peninsula; by taking urgent action on the most important crisis facing us all – climate change.
The greatest prosperity our nation can have is for its people to be healthy, safe and happy. That is what I want for my community.
Despi O’Connor – Independent
I am a firm believer in building a democracy that involves everyone, not just political insiders and party-line members. I also believe that democracy is at its best when it involves people of all backgrounds, fighting for the communities that they live and work in.
If elected, I would not only bring community-driven solutions for Integrity, climate action and equality to Flinders – I would take Flinders to Canberra with me. These issues, along with community consultation, housing, mental health, aged care and transport are all critical to our people – and ones that I would work hard to solve.
I will be a Flinders representative in Canberra – not a party representative in Flinders.
This election has become a choice of what kind of representation we want for our community. On one hand, the people of Flinders can choose to be represented by an everyday community member who knows the people’s issues, lives their concerns and is held accountable by the people that vote for her.
On the other, Flinders can again choose to elect a party candidate who votes in the interests of their party, not in the interests of their community.
We have had representation for many decades that have chosen party over community, corruption over transparency, and stagnation over the economic opportunities of a renewable economy.
Everyday people – including nurses, teachers and emergency service workers – know what issues are important to the people in our communities. They are the very people who are best equipped to represent our people in Canberra.
That’s the kind of representation that I’m fighting for.
First published in the Southern Peninsula News – 17 May 2022
