Meet the Candidates_Oct9 by SomersetMedia

State Government Election 2024 ment 2024

Candidate question: Five key issues in the Somerset region include fixing the Brisbane Valley Highway, opening up Wivenhoe Dam to recreational and sporting pursuits ahead of the 2032 Brisbane Olympic and Paralympic Games, investing in fire ant fighting at a local level, investing in public safety along and in the Mid-Brisbane River, and comitting to water security by investing in the Lockyer Valley and Somerset Water Collaborative.

Will you commit to upgrading the Brisbane Valley Highway? How would you address the other issues?

Deb Frecklington - Liberal National Party

Brisbane Valley Highway

I have been advocating for action to address the Brisbane Valley Highway for many years, and its inclusion at number Four in the Top 10 of RACQ’s Most Unroadworthy Roads comes as no surprise.

The Brisbane Valley Highway is one of our major connecting routes, bringing produce and freight from inland areas to coastal centres. Our community use this road every day to access health services, get their kids to school and travel to work. Sadly, people continue to lose their lives on this dangerous road. Surely they deserve to be able to get to their destination safely. Traffic counts conducted on the Highway show a definite increase in road usage with a 15.9% increase on the section just north of Esk and a 17.6% increase at Toogoolawah since 2019.

An LNP will be investing $20million to upgrade the Brisbane Valley Highway between Blacksoil and Esk. Opening up Wivenhoe Dam to recreational and sporting pursuits

It was an LNP Government that first opened-up Wivenhoe Dam in 2013 to

more recreational access. I fought for these changes at the time, because former Labor Governments had ignored the recreational and sporting potential of Wivenhoe.

Further opening up of the Dam to more recreational opportunities is something I support and I will continue to work with the SeqWater and the Somerset Regional Council on realising these opportunities.

Fire Ants

The LNP have announced an additional $50million investment in biosecurity to tackle emerging threats, including fire ants.

The investment will bolster our frontline workforce with 100 additional staff within the Department of Agriculture including new stock inspectors, vets, agronomists, research and development and AgTech specialists.

This funding will also help us strengthen the fire ant response after Labor’s bungled management of the Fire Ant Eradication Program. An LNP Government will act quickly to ensure this program is properly governed and key recommendations implemented.

better address ongoing issues such as illegal dumping, anti-social behaviour and other illegal activities is important for public safety and environmental impacts.

The State Government can’t keep relying on the Somerset Regional Council to clean up this problem.

Water Security including the Lockyer Valley and Somerset Water Collaborative

The LNP values water security for Queenslanders, in particular for our irrigators, who rely on access to water in what is one of our State’s most important food bowls.

We know that an investment in water infrastructure is not only an investment in agriculture, but an investment in hope, growth and jobs for the region.

An LNP Government will work closely with the Lockyer Valley and Somerset Water Collaborative as we progress water security in this state.

The following candidates were approached but didn’t contribute: Benjamin Mitchell - Family First Val Heward - Labor

Glenys Willocks

Angus Ryan - The Greens

While the Greens are committed to balanced and sustainable infrastructure investment, it’s critical that our state’s highway network is safe — especially for the truckers that keep Queensland moving. Making sure our major highways meet safety standards needs to come before big infrastructure boondoggles that cost billions.

Politicians love to make big pronouncements to give big infrastructure money to swing electorates every election to buy votes — while ignoring safe seats like Nanango. The Greens will make sure every project everywhere gets equal consideration on their merits, but the sad truth is that the best way to make sure projects in your local area get funded is by making the major parties sweat.

On water infrastructure, the major parties have

neglected investment in water for years. Queensland faces these boom and bust cycles — crushing droughts followed by destructive floods and back again — and all the investment gets announced to combat one and quietly get cut when the next comes around. Remember how many of the Millenium Drought water saving programmes never got finished? With climate change bringing longer droughts, worse floods and more severe heat waves, we can’t continue this unsustainable cycle. We need to massively upgrade our water infrastructure that can handle both wet and dry seasons while still ensuring there’s enough water for farmers and towns alike.

Recreational boating, fishing and watercraft should be encouraged sustainably in our waterways — provided that’s balanced with

Jason Miles - Independent

I am running as an independent candidate because I am frustrated with politicians voting along party lines instead of representing the people’s will. As an independent, my sole focus is on serving the electorate’s needs. Through conversations with residents spanning from Esk to Kilkivan, I pinpointed 8 crucial issues during my campaign. One of the issues that corresponds with your concerns is road infrastructure. Many other topics from your email also fit into these 8 priorities.

Independents have a unique advantage when neither major party has a clear majority. Historical examples like Peter Wellington. Liz Cunningham and Dorothy Pratt show the impact independents can have on their electorates and Queensland’s governance. Independents vote based on

protecting our precious riparian environments and the sensitive ecosystems that thrive on our riverbanks. One of the best ways we can do that is making sure we maintain and upgrade boat ramps, campsites and emergency access points along our rivers, creeks and lakes.

The Greens are proud to support outdoor recreation and the sustainable, active enjoyment of our natural environment. We support government land and water managers to provide and manage spaces, infrastructure and opportunities for outdoor activities to cater for demand. This management must include taking a precautionary approach to the impact of such activities on our natural disasters — especially flood risks along the Brisbane River.

what the people want, not the party.

How will I fund these initiatives? I propose cancelling the Olympic Games. Victoria is in a world of financial pain and did the right thing by cancelling the Games. Victoria’s debt is $32K per person. How does Queensland’s debt compare? $31.6K per person. Almost the same. Queensland will reach $171 billion in debt in the next year or two. The Games are estimated to cost $9BN, but history shows that this number will blow out, as seen with the 2000 Sydney Games, and the economy was doing a lot better back then. Meanwhile, Australians are struggling with high costs of living, worsened by both Labor and LNP policies. We have people living in tents and cars. The priority should be the people, not Games. Redirecting Olympic

Adam Maslen - One Nation

1. I am fully committed to upgrading the Brisbane Valley Highway. This is an essential step to ensure the safety and connectivity of our region. As our population grows and more people move through our area, we need infrastructure that supports safe and efficient travel.

An upgraded highway will not only reduce accidents but also improve economic opportunities by ensuring better access for businesses, farmers, and locals alike.

2. Yes, while the Olympics is certainly a massive project that will strain state funds and we didn’t ask for it, the reality is that it’s here. Our region must take full advantage of this opportunity. By opening up Wivenhoe Dam for recreational and sporting use, we can ensure Somerset benefits from increased tourism and local activity. The long-term positives are clear: it will boost our

economy, give locals more access to outdoor activities, and help put Somerset on the map for future visitors.

3. Let me be very clear—fire ants are a serious threat. These pests can devastate our environment, our agriculture, and even endanger the safety of our families. I’ve heard from countless constituents about how fire ants are already causing issues in their daily lives. Unfortunately, these rural concerns are often ignored by the major parties. Australia should adopt a more cohesive approach and look at locally developed solutions that are proven specifically for fire ants.

funds toward immediate needs such as homeless, roads, policing, youth programs, and combating domestic violence would have a direct positive impact on our electorate. We must also address Queensland’s debt, which incurs $21 million in daily interest. I would work with other independents and minor parties to push the government of the day to prioritise actual solutions, not just promises and handouts funded by further debt. If we don’t act now, our electorate and our state will remain far short of its potential. The can has been kicked far enough. It needs someone to say, “Enough is enough. We cannot leave this for the kids of tomorrow to fix. This happened on our watch and we need to fix it.” That person is me.

4. Yes, ensuring safety along and within the Brisbane River is a prime concern. We need to look at better safety infrastructure, from improved signage and barriers to regular monitoring of river conditions. The river is a lifeline for many of our communities, but it also presents risks— especially during flood seasons.

5. Water security is absolutely critical for our region and much of Queensland. Regional areas like Somerset have been crying out for sustainable water solutions for years. Yet, successive governments—whether Labor or Liberal—have failed to take meaningful action. Projects that would secure our water supply have been delayed or neglected. It’s not just about today, it’s about ensuring our farmers, families, and businesses have a stable future with access to this essential resource.

6. I will continue to lobby hard to make sure Somerset is represented in the planning and funding for the 2032 Brisbane Olympics. We can’t afford to be overlooked when it comes to infrastructure upgrades. I will not rest until we get our fair share.

Frank Jordan - Legalise Cannabis QLD

The anti-cannabis laws are the real crime. They have had a disastrous effect on too many people. Six police armed with guns and a savage dog invaded my friend’s house. They stripped him naked and stole his medicine.

The court branded him a criminal and stole his money with a fine. This kind of theft, violence and terror needs to stop. We don’t need more police. We need to stop the police harassing cannabis users. They will then be free to concentrate on real crime. Surely the police know what people are thinking about

them when they see them harassing harmless pensioners rather than dangerous criminals.

Since 2010 there have been about 700,000 arrests for cannabis in Australia. What a shocking waste of police and court resources. A lot of crime, especially domestic violence is triggered by alcohol use. When cannabis is fully legal people will be free to stop using alcohol and switch to cannabis which doesn’t promote violence. When the government stops jailing cannabis users there will be more money available

Rodney Hanson - One Nation

One Nation’s Comprehensive Plan to Tackle Crime, Homelessness, and Housing Issues in Queensland.

As Queensland grapples with rising crime rates, homelessness, high rental prices, and a shortage of housing, One Nation has unveiled a robust plan aimed at addressing these pressing concerns.

Tackling Crime

One Nation is committed to enhancing community safety, rejecting the current Labor government’s approach to serious young offenders. The party’s crime-fighting strategy includes:

• Strict Sentencing Guidelines: Implementing tougher sentencing to keep dangerous repeat offenders off the streets.

• Reviewing Bail Laws: Amending bail laws to ensure that repeat offenders do not pose a risk to public safety.

• Youth Detention Development: Advocating for increased youth detention capacity in Queensland, without the luxuries currently afforded to offenders.

• Prioritising Community Safety: Encouraging courts to focus on community safety over the

rehabilitation prospects of repeat offenders during bail considerations.

Addressing Housing Challenges

One Nation acknowledges the distress many Queenslanders face regarding housing and aims to alleviate this burden through a multifaceted approach:

• Lowering Immigration: Reducing immigration to decrease demand for housing.

• Banning Foreign Ownership: Stopping foreign ownership of residential properties to prioritise local buyers.

• Reducing Building Costs: Reviewing government fees, taxes, and charges, which can account for up to 45% of the costs associated with purchasing or building a home, with the goal of making housing more affordable.

• Regulatory Reform: Streamlining land releases and building approvals while identifying underutilised governmentowned land for residential development. Collaborating with local councils to expedite zoning changes for suitable areas is also a priority.

• Eliminating Stamp Duty on Insurance: Aiming to

Mark Jessup - The Greens

I’ve been a victim of crime three times over the last few years so I feel for everyone feeling anxious about their safety and their home.

But the major parties don’t have a solution, they just want to lock more kids as young as 10 up in prison. Queensland locks up more kids than anywhere else in Australia.

If locking up more kids actually worked, Queensland would be the safest place in the country.

The housing and cost of living crisis is what’s driving homelessness and driving people into more desperation. That’s what the real cause is.

The major parties are more than happy to point fingers and demonise young people because at the end of the day, they’re the ones who are responsible for the mess we’re in.

Labor and the LNP take huge donations from big

banks, billionaires and landlords — and in return they turn a blind eye to when they rip everyday people off. They’ll never go after their big corporate mates which is why Queensland’s immense mineral wealth goes offshore to line billionaires’ pockets instead of being spent on the services and infrastructure Queensland needs. The major parties would rather throw fuel on the fire with hare-brained “help to buy” schemes instead of doing anything that actually makes homes more affordable for people.

We can’t fix the housing crisis with more of the same. It’s time for some real action — and the Greens are the only party with a plan to do it.

We’ll make big corporations like mining companies pay their fair share and use that money to fuel an unprecedented investment in house building.

The Greens will build 100,000

to spend on public housing. I will build on this and insist on an emergency, fully funded, government program to construct more public housing.

Mark Ryan - Labor

As a local who has lived here for essentially my entire life, I, like all of you, want everyone to not only be safe, but also to feel safe.

Speaking personally, I will also be suggesting to the federal government that first home buyers not be required to have a deposit before buying a house. It is terribly unfair to force them to pay off a landlord’s house while saving for a deposit. A no deposit scheme had operated successfully in Holland for many years.

counteract rising insurance costs linked to high crime rates by removing state government stamp duty on insurance.

• Tax-Free Room Rentals: Advocating for tax-free rental arrangements for home owners renting rooms in their primary residences, as well as lifting restrictions on renting granny flats

• Incentives for Developers: Encouraging developers to create affordable units and mixed-income housing through tax incentives and grants.

Supporting the Homeless One Nation is dedicated to supporting those in need by promoting the development of affordable housing initiatives.

This includes subsidized units and low-income housing projects that combine housing with essential support services like job training and mental health care, aiding families and individuals in transitioning out of homelessness.

With these comprehensive measures, One Nation aims to provide practical solutions to the challenges faced by Queenslanders, focusing on community safety and housing affordability.

affordable and welldesigned homes over the next six years that people can buy or rent well below market rates. Our new public housing developer will work alongside our new publicly owned bank and a massively expanded QBuild, Queensland’s public builder, to deliver these homes while creating thousands of good, secure jobs and thousands more apprenticeship opportunities in the building and construction trades. This isn’t reinventing the wheel. Queensland used to have a public bank and a public developer before they got privatised — and thankfully still has a public builder despite the LNP’s best efforts to privatise that too. These systems all worked perfectly until the major parties forgot that their job is to help the working class and started putting corporate profits first.

I say that as your local MP. And I take action to support your safety as Police Minister. That’s why the Miles Government is making the biggest investment in more than 30 years to deliver 3,000 extra police personnel. The combined number of police and recruits employed in our academies is at a record high. That investment has delivered a minimum of 150 extra police officers to the region that includes our community. I advocated strongly for these investments and I am proud my colleagues in the government backed my advocacy. I championed new police facilities and a new PCYC for Caboolture. To support community safety, we have expanded Jack’s Law so that police can conduct wanding operations in more places, like licensed venues and shopping precincts. We have provided police with specific funding to conduct extreme high-visibility patrols in our community to disrupt and prevent crime. Police say these measures, including ‘surge’ operations like Operation Whiskey Legion which sees hundreds of extra officers saturate the targeted area, are working.

Like I said, I want everyone to be safe, and the police and our government will never

relent in our commitment to that. Just as everyone deserves to be safe, everyone deserves to have a roof over their head.

We stopped the LNP privatising public housing and, as part of our Homes for Queenslanders plan, the Miles Labor Government is delivering more homes, including 53,500 social homes.

We’re doing that by funding critical infrastructure for places like Caboolture West, fast-tracking approvals for projects with a focus on affordable housing and incentivising well-located homes to help pay for roads, water and sewerage and get shovels in the ground sooner. In addition, as part of our social housing Big Build, we’re delivering hundreds of public/social homes across our community. Right now, we’ve got shovels in the ground on another 24 public/ social homes in Caboolture.

We’ve also bought homes coming off the National Rental Affordability Scheme, making them available for vulnerable Queenslanders, after the LNP walked away from the scheme.

We’ve established a critical response team for Caboolture which offers emergency accommodation for everyone who is sleeping rough in our area.

We’re also helping renters too with reforms like banning rent bidding as well as providing financial support

Sarah Ross - Liberal National Party

Youth crime and rising homelessness are definitely two of the biggest challenges to tackle, alongside health and cost of living. We have been very clear over the past year that we have a solid plan for Queensland and for crime, we are going to Protect, Prevent, Intervene and Rehabilitate.

To Protect:

1. We are strengthening the laws by ensuring the Making Queensland Safer Laws will be law by the end of this year.

2. There’ll be more enforcement with more police on the beat to keep our streets safe.

3. We are putting victim support at the heart of youth justice.

4. We are ensuring faster justice by equipping our courts so victims’ cases are heard sooner.

To Prevent:

1. We are steering kids back on track, back into school and out of trouble.

2. Fixing our Child Safety system by stopping the broken system creating a youth crime pipeline.

3. Securing our communities with stronger safety to deter crime.

To Intervene:

1. Providing Gold Standard Early Intervention with effective community and government led programs to steer young lives away

to help pay for rent increases, arrears and bonds. And to make a greater difference, more renters in financial hardship can now also apply online for rental assistance. Since we launched our plan, we’ve helped nearly 10,000 Queensland renters with rental assistance. We’re also helping those most vulnerable in our community and working towards ending homelessness. Through our plan we’ve given our hardworking homelessness organisations a 20 per cent uplift, as well as rolling out a special team to help rapidly respond and offer accommodation for those sleeping rough. In the Moreton Bay Region, we’re providing more than $10 million to deliver nine specialist homelessness services. But all of that is at risk under the LNP, who sent social housing backwards by 428 homes, cut funding for tenancy support services and sacked 1,600 QBuild workers – the people who help build, maintain and repair social homes. Now, David Crisafulli has appointed the same bloke who saw social housing go backwards as his housing spokesperson, and the LNP have announced they will cut $15.5 billion in federal housing funding.

If you care about community safety and housing, then our community cannot risk the LNP this election.

from crime.

To Rehabilitate:

1. Putting the focus of detention back on rehabilitation to prepare kids for the future.

2. Providing 12 months of post-detention supervision so kids don’t fall back into the same cycle of crime.

The best part of this plan is that it can go into effect before the end of the year!

This draws a clear line in the sand for youth offenders that they will no longer be getting away with serious offences. There is grace and empathy for young people who make mistakes and we will certainly work very hard to ensure they have a positive future and are supported to participate within the community in safe ways, but we also need to ensure that actions have consequences and taking personal responsibility leads to better outcomes in the future.

To tackle Housing, we are going to Unlock, Boost, Build, Ease and Help.

To Unlock:

1. Better planning to secure the land needed for new homes across our State:

To Boost:

1. Building better communities with the infrastructure needed.

2. Streamlined housing approvals to get homes out of the ground sooner:

To Build:

1. No stamp duty on new homes for first home buyers.

2. Buy earlier with less savings with our shared equity program.

To Ease:

1. More affordable rental options by lifting restrictions on first home buyers being able to have rent out rooms.

2. Providing funding grants for solar panels on rental homes to save renters paying for high electricity costs.

To Help:

1. Building homes with purpose to house Queenslanders in need, including 53,000 additional social and community homes by 2044.

While fixing the broken housing system is going to take time, this is a top priority and we will be working very hard to make sure everyone has a place to call home! Queensland needs a fresh start.

Our plan will restore safety where you live, making our community safer for all Queenslanders and will deliver a place to call home for more Queenslanders by securing our housing foundations.

To explore the full plan, please visit: www.online.lnp. org.au/therightplan.

Candidate question: A lot of residents in Burpengary and Narangba are concerned about liveability, given the growing number of townhouses and estates getting built, “cramming people together”. Do you believe this is an issue and how would you address it?

Tanya McKewen - Liberal National Party

After a decade of Labor housing failures, it’s never been more difficult to find, secure and keep a roof over your head in Queensland, than now.

Locals are telling me how hard it is to secure their own home or find a place to rent. Lot approvals and home completions are down one-

All Labor has delivered is false hope and broken promises, instead of the homes and infrastructure the people of Kurwongbah need.

Local concerns are certainly valid, and they also extend down to Joyner, Lawnton and Bray Park. You only need to sit in traffic at an intersection to realise this

with demand. As our community develops, it is so important that infrastructure keep pace with population growth.

That is why the LNP will create a new $2 billion infrastructure fund to accelerate the delivery of infrastructure to support new

Jordan Martin - The Greens

Having lived nearly my whole life around Narangba, I understand why people might feel worried that our leafy, quiet communities are becoming noisier and busier. It’s a pretty major adjustment. We need to make sure local infrastructure — especially public transport, libraries, healthcare and

longer commutes and a worse quality of life.

As much as I would like for my beloved neighbourhood to remain the same, quiet streets I grew up with, my deep concern for some of my fellow Aussies is greater.

Too many people are under housing stress, couchsurfing, or living out of their car. If I have to see some cramming in my community to see these people with a roof over their head, that is a sacrifice I am personally willing to make.

And I think if you asked most people, they would agree with me.

That’s why the Greens have a plan to build 100,000 affordable and well-designed homes in good locations over the next six years, that everyday people can rent or buy at well below market prices.

Labor and the LNP have overseen the conditions that lead to this housing crisis.

It would have been nice if we had started planning and building significantly more housing 10 years ago.

But unfortunately, thanks to the major parties, we don’t have that luxury. Things have become desperate.

Building these homes will be backed in with thousands of new apprenticeship opportunities for building and construction trades in an expanded QBuild and will be delivered by a new public property developer, guaranteeing builders and suppliers work even during a downturn.

That’s the kind of vision we can have if we aren’t just beholden to big corporate donors.

The following candidates were approached but didn’t contribute: Cristopher Leech - One Nation

Greg Dillon - Animal Justice Party