Job security, the economy and education were major themes among federal election candidates from all sides of politics in Melbourne’s north.
The Northern Weekly sent questions to all 26 candidates in the Calwell, McEwen and Scullin electorates, asking what their most important local federal issues were and which local issue they would tackle first, if elected.
Here are the responses from the Calwell candidates.
CALWELL ELECTORATE
MARIA VAMVAKINOU: Federal MP, Australian Labor Party
Question: What is the most important federal issue for the electorate of Calwell?
Answer: To continue the government’s investment in education, training and job opportunities. Last month Calwell secured $5 million to build two trades training centres. Both will deliver qualifications in automotive, electro-technology, engineering, furnishing and hospitality. Dealing with the closure of Ford in 2016 is another important issue. I will continue to advocate the need for more road infrastructure.
Q: What is the highlight achievement you have delivered for your electorate?
A: Securing $121 million to build 115 new school facilities in Calwell under the Building Education Revolution Program; Funding the Hume Global Learning Centre in Craigieburn, and the $7 million GP Superclinic. On a personal level, I am proud to have initiated federal parliamentary legislation to look after firefighters who contract work-related cancer. I have also advocated and secured funding to expand the National Bowel Screening Program, as well as programs to raise breast cancer awareness.
Q: Rank the following five issues in order of importance (from a personal perspective, not necessarily according to party policy): Unemployment, education, NBN, asylum seekers, cimate change
A: All of these issues are of importance.
BRETT WATSON: Katters Australian Party
Q: What is the most important federal issue for the electorate of Calwell?
A: Jobs and job security with the imminent closure of the Ford factory.
Q: What would be your first local issue you would tackle were to win your seat?
A: To increase the number of jobs and job security. I would work hard to ensure that there is more than enough employment for all age groups and to encourage confidence in the economy to boost consumer confidence so that the small businesses in the electorate can grow and employ more people.
Q: Rank the following five issues in order of importance (from a personal perspective, not necessarily according to party policy):
Unemployment
Education
NBN
Asylum seekers
Climate change
MARIA BENGTSSON: Australian Christians
Q: What is the most important federal issue for the electorate of Calwell?
A: Carbon tax.
Q: What would be your first local issue you would tackle were to win your seat?
A: Campbellfield, Broadmeadows and Tullamarine are very important. Manufacturing, transport and airline industries. We have great concern for families who will lose their jobs. In Broadmeadows 650 workers will lose their jobs. Carbon tax is factor reason making manufacturing more expensive and making our electricity much more expensive. The cost of energy is a significant component of our manufacturing industry. To save our manufacturing industry we need to cut carbon tax, create new jobs, and new work opportunities.
Unemployment
Education
Asylum seekers
NBN
Climate change
BRYCE LETCHER: Palmer United Party
Q: What is the most important federal issue for the electorate of Calwell?
A: The operating environment for small business. The reason these small businesses are so important are the jobs they provide. Jobs are the number one item of importance right across this wide brown land. The only way we can create jobs is to get the economy moving. I am also very aware that in the next three years we need to have more than 500 jobs available in the area for the Ford workers who will loose their jobs in October 2016.
Q: What would be your first local issue you would tackle were to win your seat?
A: I would improve health care with $18 billion my party has committed to provide direct to the Victorian health system. The party has also committed $20 billion direct to schools. This will allow the school principals to decide how and where the fund are spent.
Q: Rank the following five issues in order of importance (from a personal perspective, not necessarily according to party policy):
Unemployment
Education
Asylum Seekers
NBN
Climate Change
NEVENA SPIROVSKA: Australian Sex Party
Q: What is the most important federal issue for the electorate of Calwell?
A: It is important for the Sex Party to focus on national issues, such as dying with dignity and protecting personal privacy. In Calwell, the party’s policy of taxing religious institutions for their non-charitable work has the potential to generate funds in the region of $20 billion annually that will assist in delivering major infrastructure projects.
Q: What would be your first local issue you would tackle were to win your seat?
A: I would push for the decriminalisation of drugs. I would direct people who use drugs to health professionals instead of police officers so we can redistribute police resources to focus on far more pressing issues.
Q: Rank the following five issues in order of importance (from a personal perspective, not necessarily according to party policy):
Education
Unemployment
Asylum seekers
NBN
Climate change
PAUL GRAHAM: Family First
Q: What is the most important federal issue for the electorate of Calwell?
A: The most important issue within this electorate is employment and the closure of the Ford production plant in 2016, and the flow-on effect this will have and is already having on the small business community within this region.
Q: What would be your first local issue you would tackle were to win your seat?
A: The first thing I would do if elected, would be to amend the recent fringe benefits tax changes to allow only locally produced cars to be exempt. Being an ex-employee of Holden gives me an understanding of the automotive industry and the pressures. Also look at placing far greater importance on youth apprenticeships and supporting small business better.
Q: Rank the following five issues in order of importance (from a personal perspective, not necessarily according to party policy):
Unemployment
Education
Asylum seekers
NBN
Climate change
JOANNA NEVILL: Greens
Q: What is the most important federal issue for the electorate of Calwell?
A: Calwell has been doing it tough for some time and has been neglected by the old parties at both the state and federal levels. According to census data, Broadmeadows is now officially one of Melbourne’s most disadvantaged areas. The electorate has one of the highest unemployment and youth disengagement rates in Australia. One of the most important federal issues for the electorate is undoubtedly education. Education is the key to overcoming the cycle of poverty.
Q: What would be your first local issue you would tackle if were to win your seat?
A: There are two local issues that would need to be tackled first, the first relates to jobs and the economy. And the second is education; the two go hand in hand.
Rank the following five issues in order of importance (from a personal perspective, not necessarily according to party policy):
Climate change
Education
Unemployment
Asylum seekers
NBN
ALI KHAN: Liberal
* Did not respond to questions
CHARLES ROZARIO: Rise Up Australia Party
* Did not respond to questions
OMAR JABIR: Democratic Labour
* Did not respond to questions
