Canning election candidates question and answer | ELECTION 2016

The Mandurah Mail asked each of them five questions to help voters decide who gets their number one:

The candidates are in order they will appear on the ballot paper.

Mr Turner did not respond to questions, but the Nationals provided this biography:

Jason is an accountant who was born and bred in regional Western Australia and is an associate member of CPA Australia with six years’ experience in the accounting profession.

Jason is the current Treasurer of the WA Young Nationals and is a past participant in The Nationals WA’s President’s Advance Program.

Jason will contest the seat of Canning for The Nationals WA because he strongly believes only The Nationals WA is the only party with a record of standing up for the people of Western Australia in the federal parliament.

Jason also believes the two major parties have failed to act in the interests of Western Australia because they toe a party line determined by eastern states MPs.

Ensuring WA receives a fair share of the GST is a major priority for Jason.

He will also ensure the Backpacker Tax is axed – not deferred.

If elected on July 2, Jason will work hard to ensure the people of Canning are a priority in Canberra.

1. What suburb do you live in?

I relocated to Perth a few months ago after having previously lived in Dudley Park and Coodanup.

I love Mandurah, so it was a tough decision to have to make, however I commenced full-time study at ECU in Joondalup this year and my brother had just bought his first home in Balga.

Living with him helped ease the financial burden on both of us due to how unaffordable housing has become these days.

2. What’s the number one issue you’ll be pursuing for the people of Mandurah?

Cost of living. Tax cuts for businesses and high income earners are cold comfort for the majority of people living in Mandurah.

Most pensioners, full-time students and low to middle incomer earners saw very little, if any, of the benefits brought about by the mining boom but they did certainly witness their costs of living climb and many also seeing the dream of owning their own home slip further and further from their reach.

Pensions, Newstart and Austudy allowances are woefully inadequate to cover even the most basic living expenses. Any increases to these payments that have been made by the previous Labor and Liberal governments have been insufficient to keep pace with the rate of inflation.

3. In your view what is Canning’s biggest challenge? How would you solve it?

Inadequate government funding for public education and mental health services. 

If elected the Member for Canning, I will be pushing for fully costed increases to federal funding for public education to enable state and territory education departments to reduce class sizes.

I can personally vouch for the fact that we have a lot of great teachers at our public schools in Mandurah and smaller classes would provide these educators with more manageable workloads and greater opportunities to provide students with more individualised instruction so that their learning outcomes can be maximised.

Rates of suicide, mental illness and alcohol and drug dependency are alarmingly high in Canning.

It is very disappointing that very little real action has been taken by the current state and federal governments to address these very serious issues, who’s impact upon our community can not be understated.

The Greens are the only party which has pledged to increase funding for mental health services – $1.4 billion in additional funding earmarked nationally – which includes a significant focus on prevention, an area of that health budget that has been particularly overlooked by previous governments.

Over and above this funding promise, the Greens have also committed to establishing the South West’s first Aboriginal residential AOD rehabilitation service.

4. Who inspires you the most?

I am always inspired by people who have the courage in their conviction to stand up for what they believe in, especially those people who defy judgement, ridicule and even threats to their personal safety, just so they can give a voice to those people and causes who can’t speak for themselves but who still deserve to be heard.

It’s the kid who stands up for a classmate being bullied at school.

It’s someone who calls out racism, sexism or homophobia when they see it happening down at the pub or at the local supermarket.

And it’s the farming communities taking on the might of the mining industry to stop farms from being turned into gas mines against the will of the farmers.

5. Who will you be asking your supporters to preference after you on July 2?

It is ultimately up to voters to decide who they choose to preference after the Greens.

The preferences we provide on our how to vote cards are merely a recommendation or ‘serving suggestion’.

The order of preferences for each lower house seat is decided upon through a transparent and democratic process by our local members on the basis of how closely the values and policies of each of the parties align with our own.

On our lower houses how to vote card, we have printed the preferences after the Greens in a lighter, fainter font to deliberately emphasise the fact that it is up to each voter, and not any party, to decide where their vote goes.

1. What suburb do you live in?

Though I currently reside in Port Kennedy, I lived in Mandurah from 1994-2003, working as a registered nurse in Pinjarra and Mandurah and was closely involved in starting Foundation Christian College.

If elected, I would return to Canning.

2) What’s the number-one issue you’ll be pursuing for the people of Mandurah?

I believe Mandurah's young people need hope for the future.

High unemployment, poverty, crime, violence, family breakdowns and substance abuse are resulting in mental health issues and loss of life.

Mandurah is a beautiful place to live.

Those of us who are able, need to extend opportunities such as work experience, apprenticeships, or employment and friendship to those who need it most.

I would love local churches to work with the very successful Youthcare program, to expand chaplaincy beyond school.

3) In your view, what is Canning’s biggest challenge? How would you solve it?

Aside from the obvious ongoing threat of fire in summer, I believe Canning's biggest challenge is in the area of mental health.

There is room for improvement in education in schools regarding the long term effects of illicit drugs on people's minds, health, future and life expectancy.

I have discussed a concept for a simple game of relevant choices and consequences with a few mental health nurses and would love to see it developed and implemented.

I am also campaigning for changes in mental health hospitalisations, requiring separation of the sexes, and same sex care for female patients.

4) Who inspires you the most?

Jesus Christ's teachings, as found in the Bible, have been my biggest inspiration. I have also long admired Dr Ben Carson, though I never met him when he worked at QEII hospital.

5) Who will you be asking your supporters to preference after you on July 2?

If I am unsuccessful in my campaign, my preference goes to the Liberal's Andrew Hastie, who is the serving member.

1) What suburb do you live in?

Calista

2) What’s the number-one issue you’ll be pursuing for the people of Mandurah?

Making sure access to healthcare in Canning depends on your Medicare card not your credit card.

3) In your view, what is Canning’s biggest challenge? How would you solve it?

After protecting Medicare, the biggest challenge is jobs, jobs, jobs.

I will be standing up for better-paid and protected jobs by protecting penalty rates, wages and conditions.

I’ll fight for investment in job-creating infrastructure, guaranteed funding for TAFE and university to ensure young people can earn a degree or learn a trade, and to make sure workers aren’t exploited.

4) Who inspires you the most?

The people of Canning are an inspiration to me, even though they have been the forgotten electorate under this Liberal government.

There are so many people in our community who work tirelessly to provide services and support to struggling middle and working class families, and I’ll do everything I can to make sure they get the support they need. 

5) Who will you be asking your supporters to preference after you on July 2?

I’m going to be out every day, campaigning and asking the people of Canning for their first preference vote.

After that, I’ll be asking people to preference the Australian Christians.

The most important thing we can do at this election is make sure we protect Medicare by rejecting the Liberals.

1) What suburb do you live in?

Halls Head

2) What’s the number-one issue you’ll be pursuing for the people of Mandurah?

The number one issue I have been fighting for since the Canning by-election is reducing the impact of ice on our community.

What I have learned since then is that in order to prevent drug and alcohol addiction, we must invest in services that also address the underlying social issues that can often lead to addiction.

That is why the Canning Ice Action Group has unanimously given its support to the PYMS Health Hub project, a joint venture between Palmerston Association Inc. and Peel Youth Medical Service.

This facility will provide care and support services for 12 to 25-year-olds with mental and physical health concerns, including those associated with drug and alcohol addiction.

I am thrilled to have recently announced that a re-elected Coalition Government will provide $2 million toward the PYMS Health Hub.

3) In your view, what is Canning’s biggest challenge? How would you solve it?

The Peel region is growing at a rate that will see the population increase to 444,000 by 2050. Given that the Peel region makes up most of the Canning electorate, our biggest challenge in the future will be ensuring we have the infrastructure to support the growing population.

I am will be fighting for better access to public transport, increased job opportunities and a diverse local economy.

I will also continue to work with local and state governments to fully implement the Transform Peel project, which will deliver 30,000 jobs to the Peel region and establish us the food bowl of the south metropolitan.

4) Who inspires you the most?

My family and local community because they are who I ultimately represent.

5) Who will you be asking your supporters to preference after you on July 2?