WHERE I STAND
ENVIRONMENT
I will fight for:
A genuinely independent Federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with real teeth
An enforceable national strategy to protect flora and fauna, natural assets and places of national significance
FORESTRY
I will fight to:
End native forest logging
Support impacted communities and workers transition to sustainable industry
Support transition within forestry to sustainable plantation timber
HONESTY AND OPENNESS
My guarantee:
I won’t promise one thing and deliver another
I won’t be bullied by political parties
I will not take incentives from big business
GOVERNMENT
I’ll work to:
Collaborate with Independents in Federal Parliament to fight for our communities’ needs, lifestyles and liveable future
Take the decisions away from party machines and put them back where they belong – with us
Demonstrate more Independents means more democracy
RENTER’S RIGHTS AND HOUSING
ARE OUR CHILDREN DOOMED TO PAYING OFF THE MORTGAGES OF INVESTMENT PROPERTIES?
What we know
There is a rent and home ownership crises in Franklin. People are struggling to keep a roof over their heads, to pay for food, healthcare and transport.
Unless you already own a home it’s getting impossible to buy an affordable house, so there’s no option but to rent.
Here in Franklin, sky high demand, limited supply, and spiralling rent has pushed many into rental stress – where more than 30% of income goes to rent.
What should we do?
The Government must stop gaslighting us into thinking this new generation has the same opportunities as the previous generation when it comes to home ownership.
- A national housing and homelessness plan embedded in law
- Restrictions on short-term rentals allied with incentives for long-term rentals
- Improved tenants rights to match standards applied in Victoria and the ACT
- National building code reform to expedite building compliance approval
- Resumption of government-built, sold-for-cost housing programmes, built to high environmental standards
- Targeted expansion of Commonwealth rent assistance for struggling families
- Measures, including tax incentives, towards build-for-rent accommodation
- Reintroduction of first home buyer mortgage incentives
- Reduce negative gearing, freeing more than $2 billion in savings for affordable & social housing
Specifically for renters
Establish an independent rental assessment and control authority to ensure bad landlords cannot overcharge tenants or provide substandard housing. This would NOT affect good landlords – only the bad ones.
The agency would:
- Cap rent increases – tying rent to inflation or restricting rises to once every 12 months per property with increases limited by the Consumer Price Index.
- Increase Rental Assistance – which would ease the burden on low-income renters immediately.
- Manage a portable bond scheme – where renters can transfer their bond from one rental to another and earn interest on their bond.
In Tasmania, renters are denied rights and protections available to people in the ACT and Victoria.
Let’s strengthen and standardise renters’ rights nationally.
If you are renting and looking for support or information Better Renting is a non-partisan community organisation campaigning for rental laws that provide stable, affordable, and healthy homes. Click here to go to the Better Renting web site.
PROTECT OUR WATERWAYS
IS IT RIGHT THAT INDUSTRIAL FISH FARMS POLLUTE AND RUIN OUR ENVIRONMENT?
What we know:
Foreign-owned Atlantic salmon companies are releasing tonnes of antibiotics, chemicals, feed waste and faeces into waterways, suffocating marine life and habitat, contaminating beaches and bays and subjecting coastal communities to 24/7 industrial noise and light.
Labor and Liberal are backing the continuation of this shameful practice and along with massive expansion into more and more waterways.
Impacts are being felt right now as rotting fish wash up on the shores around Franklin as disease sweeps through salmon feedlots.
Industry, regulator and politicians are struggling to cover up the extent of the disaster from the people who matter – all of us.
Download Peter’s Recreational Fisheries Policy sheet here
How to fix it:
We need the fish farms to clean up their act or get out of our waters – thats the bottom line.
And our government needs to grow a backbone and protect our way of life and our natural world.
For the full story go to Noff.au – its shocking.
- As a first step, Tassal, Huon and Petuna must start paying full resource rental for their leases – they make huge profits from our waterways yet pay a pittance for the use of them. A 20% resource rental would return Tasmania more than $100 million a year.
- Give the foreign owners 5-7 years to wind down their on-water operations and either move on land or leave.
- Divert Federal and state subsidies that amount to millions of dollars annually into retraining and supporting community transition
- Immediately establish an arms-length EPA, properly funded with full transparency reporting to Tasmanians
- Ensure future land-based operations are driven by independent and transparent science and regulation
HEALTH
WHY IS TASMANIA’S HEALTH CARE SYSTEM THE WORST?
What we know:
It’s not just about funding, it’s about bad decisions and lack of planning. Clinics closing down, out of pocket expenses going up. GP shortages mean longer waits.
The Royal Hobart Hospital upgrade was meant to change things but today we have an overloaded system on the brink of break down. The private maternity ward at the RHH has just shut down with hospital operator Healthscope claiming its due to lack of staff. The Australian Midwifery Federation raised concerns about “appalling conditions” on the ward.
General health is poor and many people are struggling to pay their bills can’t afford dental, health care and even healthy food.
How to fix it
Boost Dental Care – fix people’s teeth and you’ll reduce chronic illness later in life.
Urgent Care Clinics that reduce waiting times and the load on the Royal Hobart.
“Step down care” for patients no longer in need of high care, freeing up beds and reducing overcrowded ER.
Bring health care to the people with Mobile Clinics – Roll out vans with GPs, nurses, and basic diagnostics to hit remote spots like Dover or Bruny Island. Think diabetes and blood pressure checks. Early intervention can save lives.
Aged Care at Home – Expand in-home nursing and meal delivery to seniors to free up emergency beds and have a plan in place before our old folk need an ambulance.
Kids’ Health – Free dental and vision checks in schools to catch problems early. Poor teeth, eyesight and diet directly affect learning and health-related bills are a burden to struggling families.
Boost Healthy lifestyles – most chronic illness comes from bad lifestyle choices – make it easier to get good food and exercise (cheap processed food is a symptom of a high cost-of-living). Educate kids about healthy lifestyle and you’ll bring the parents with them.
CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION
WHY IS AUSTRALIA THE WORST CONTRIBUTER PER CAPITA TOWARDS CLIMATE CHANGE AND WHY IS HOBART IN DANGER?
What we know:
Franklin is on the front line of climate change with rising temperatures, altered rainfall patterns, increased bushfire risk. Sea levels are rising while our island waters are warming four times faster than the global average.
We’re ever more vulnerable to natural disasters – yet we are woefully underprepared.
Nationally, we have a global carbon footprint that far exceeds our economic size and population. We contribute around 4.5% of global fossil carbon dioxide emissions, with 80% of those emissions coming from its fossil fuel exports. Yet we’re just 0.3% of the global population.*
How to get to work:
Renewable Energy, cutting local emissions and slowing consumption are just a part of the solution. Australia’s mining exports set us apart and contribute disproportionately to the global problem – we need to generate prosperity locally and not rely on coal, gas and ore exports.
Climate change is here and Franklin needs to adapt quickly:
- Boost Renewable Energy
- Protect Water Supply
- Flood-Proof Infrastructure
- Prepare for Bushfires and worst-case scenarios.
- Establish Commonwealth/State more firebreaks and buffers, controlled burns, early warning systems, grants for fire-resistant upgrades, fund firefighters and equipment properly, have a plan for worst case scenarios. Establish fire-resistant community centres and push for affordable insurance premiums in high-risk zones.
- Work with similarly minded members of parliament to change Australia from a laggard to a leader on climate change, accelerating the emissions reduction ambition to 75% reduction by 2035 and urgently focus on methane emissions
- Support all moves to stop any new coal mines and any further gas drilling or building of nuclear power plants
- Create a National Climate Action Fund to build resilience (prevention and recovery including insurance) against the climate crisis with a special focus on Southern Tasmania
EDUCATION
WHY ARE OUR EDUCATION OUTCOMES SO BAD?
What we know:
Franklin has good schools but uneven outcomes—rural areas like Huon Valley are behind Kingston in NAPLAN scores, and high school completion is low in areas that are struggling financially. Families in Dover or Bruny face longer travel times for education putting kids at a disadvantage. Our kids deserve a fair chance.
How to fix it:
- Strengthen Schools: fund Teachers, not buildings
- Early Intervention: catch kids before they fall behind in reading or maths.
- Create Pathways: Build stronger links between schools and local industries.
- School lunches – take some of the pressure off parents and start healthy eating habits early.
COST OF LIVING
WHY IS THE COST OF LIVING OUT OF CONTROL?
What we know:
Grocery prices hit hard. There average family of four spends between $200-$250 per week for basics making us 9.32% higher than the Australian average. Supermarkets raise prices while wages stay the same.
Power, fuel and utility costs are high and maintaining a family is more expensive than ever. Most young people are only just surviving on low wages and many rely on their parents to make ends meet.
How to fix it:
Reduce supply chain costs. Transport costs from the mainland add to the price of groceries – freight subsidies should increase but must benefit customers – not add to the profit of the big business.
Help increase the local food supply – remove pathways for growers to sell directly to consumers: fruit, vegetables, wine, beer and meat.
More community gardens: Fund shared plots where residents grow their own veg, easing grocery bills. Surplus could be swapped or sold at local stalls.
Link power, rates, education, rent and utility price rises to wages and provide tax relief to people who are struggling. The system should be flexible enough to maintain a good standard of living for all – we are a wealthy enough country to do this.
Other costs of living:
Reducing the cost of living in Hobart and the broader Franklin electorate—covering areas like Kingston, Huon Valley, and parts of southern Tasmania—means tackling housing, utilities, transport, and everyday expenses. These regions face similar pressures: rising rents, energy costs, and reliance on cars due to spread-out communities.
Housing Costs
- Construct affordable homes with a focus on modest, energy-efficient designs.
- Expand Community Housing: especially in rural Franklin where options are scarce.
- Boost Solar Uptake: Expand subsidies for solar panels and batteries reducing reliance on expensive grid power.
- Cheaper Public Transport: A flat $1 fare trial, say, could make it viable to ditch cars for work or shopping trips.
GENDER EQUITY
A STRONG SOCIETY RELIES ON VALUING AND RESPECTING DIVERSITY OF SKILLS, TALENTS AND EXPERIENCE.
I have reported extensively in countries where strong women are the cornerstone of their society but are consistent victims of violence and enforced exclusion as result of cultural norms, I have reported on genital mutilation, bride burning, rape in war and female infanticide hoping to raise awareness of the global scourge and that we might look more closely at our own failings on gender-based violence and exclusion.
But there is more. We must maximise women’s capacity and contribution to society. This demands much greater focus at all levels of education as well as funding and cross-party support over the long term.
My priorities will include:
- Funding to provide support, shelter and legal remedies for those in need of protection from all gender-based and family violence
- Specialist training (ie: Safe and Together Institute) for all judicial officers – police, lawyers, magistrates, judges – who deal with family matters, especially in matters of violence perpetrated against women, children
- Initiatives designed to ensure we combat the normalization of women in poverty. For example, I’ll fight for affordable and subsidised childcare for women in the workforce to ensure women have the capacity to work
- Provision of effective pathways to pregnancy termination and greater access to IVF through public clinics in Tasmania and across Australia.
- Building equity and a safe society for trans and gender diverse (TGD) people
