FLINDERS CANDIDATES HAVE THEIR SAY 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-forprofit. 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 Liberalvoting 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 partyline 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 communitydriven 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.
Security takes precedence
ZOE McKenzie, top left, listens while Senator James Paterson speaks at Portsea Sorrento RSL. Picture: Facebook
PAGE 8
Southern Peninsula News
18 May 2022
LIBERAL Party candidate for Flinders Zoe McKenzie says she had an “exceptional evening” discussing “Australia’s national security and intelligence landscape” at the same time that 400 people gathered in Mount Martha expecting to hear from all 10 candidates. McKenzie told organisers during the morning before that evening’s town hall meeting that she would not be attending as Senator James Paterson was available to attend a meeting at Portsea Sorrento RSL. Animal Justice Party candidate Pamela Engelander was also absent from the meeting on Wednesday 11 May organised by the non-political community group Peninsula Voice and radio station RPP FM. The News sought comment from McKenzie but as has become normal during
this election campaign, was instead offered quotes from an unnamed spokesperson or “Zoe McKenzie campaign”. The closest to a direct comment from McKenzie was posted on her Facebook: “Exceptional evening to discuss Australia’s national security and intelligence landscape, AUKUS, and recent events in Europe and the Asia-Pacific, together with chair of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security, Senator James Paterson. “Thank you to the local RSLs, men’s shed and many members of southern Mornington Peninsula community for joining us, as well as Sam Groth and Susan Bissinger.” Groth is the Liberal Party candidate for the state seat of Nepean and Bissinger a Mornington Peninsula Shire councillor. Keith Platt