Do you live in the Highlands? If so for how long?
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From the age of nine, I grew up at Sutton Forest and lived in the Highlands until I completed my undergraduate degree. I returned to the Highlands with my wife and children in 2016 as it is a great place to bring up a family.
What are your priorities for the Southern Highlands?
More local jobs. Stop the carving out of those aged between 20 to 40 who move away to get a job and then return. Also stop the need for to travel to Sydney for work allowing for a better-balanced lifestyle.
- Infrastructure upgrades in particular:
- The Illawarra Highway as they are long overdue and it sits 100% within the electorate.
- Illawarra Regional Airport as it now an alternative in flying to Brisbane and Melbourne
- Keeping the government out of your back pocket by:
- Protecting you against reduce property values and rent increases from Labor's housing tax.
- Protecting our seniors' retirement savings from Labor's retiree tax.
- Providing tax cuts - because the best person to decide what to do with your hard-earned income is you.
- Reducing red tape for small business
- A better go for farmers, to protect their homes and businesses, which produce the food we all enjoy.
What can you do that your opponents can't?
Protect your rights as an individual to make your own decisions on how you choose to live your life, be it your retirement, who you want to leave your inheritance to, right through to what type of car you want to drive - an simple choice Labor has made clear they wish to take away from you.
- Guarantee that there will be no death or inheritance tax.
- Guarantee that I will not be party to a government that wants to introduce $387 billion in new taxes.
The willingness and freedom to cross the floor to support the electorate if I don't believe that the legislation is in the best interest of the electorate. The reality is that my counterpart in Labor can not provide what I can - because even if he wanted to, he would be expelled from his party if he dared vote against it.
What will you do for the roads?
Advocate for Federal funding to supplement the State Liberal/National Government's $20m to complete the Moss Vale bypass.
Advocate for Federal funding for a new commuter car park at Bowral railway to allow for the completion of the Station Street re-alignment.
Advocate for Federal funding for improvements to the Illawarra Highway from end to end in particular over taking lanes, after all it sits 100% within the electorate
What are you priorities for health services?
- Aged care - we have a growing older population
- To continue the record funding in health from the Federal Government, including the growing the already record levels of bulk billing across the electorate, and listing of new drugs on the PBS.
- Lobby for the installation of heli-pad on the roof of the emergency department of the refurbished Bowral hospital, negating the need to land on Losby Oval.
- Listen to our youth in particular in regards to mental health issues.
- The Morrison/McCormack Liberal National Coalition Government is spending $21b on health compared to $13b under the last year of Gillard and Rudd - the Coalition is proving it's the best friend Medicare ever had!
What are your priorities in terms of development and infrastructure?
To achieve tax breaks such as zonal taxation for the regions, to allow businesses to decentralise from Sydney to the Highlands - bringing jobs with them. Upgrade of the Moss Vale - Unanderra Railway to create more efficient and safe freight movements on our roads. Safety boom gates at all major rail crossings.
What are your priorities on education and tertiary education?
Delivering the Federal Liberal/National Coalition Governments 52% increase in funding for all public schools in the electorate.Bringing agriculture back to NSW TAFE to complement the six high schools in the Highlands of which three teach agriculture and one is a dedicated State agricultural high school. Expansion of the University of Wollongong Moss Vale campus.
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Vera Demertzis
Journalist at the Southern Highland News covering council yarns and community news. Got a tip or a story to tell? Email vera.demertzis@southernhighlandnews.com.au or call on 0427 250 908.
Journalist at the Southern Highland News covering council yarns and community news. Got a tip or a story to tell? Email vera.demertzis@southernhighlandnews.com.au or call on 0427 250 908.
