After becoming more familiar with the eight candidates for New England, The Northern Daily Leader has found out where they all stand on key issues.
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Here are independent candidate Natasha Ledger's responses.
Do you think climate change is an urgent issue and what is your policy response to this issue?
Two aspects of climate change.
Climate action is overdue, our climate is of the utmost importance. Our cultural climate, our economic climate, our species becoming extinct due to our habitual climate, and the most important, the climate surrounding job prospects and future for our youth.
Our holistic climate: water, soil, ecosystems development, waste, health.
Cultural climate for the New England:
1. Develop a fossicking trail, as a world market trademark.
2. Inject overdue funds into arts/ cultural heritage
3. Inject funds into sporting administration costs for regional areas.
4. Build inland rail, connecting businesses and community using new cleaner technologies
5. Create business tax incentives inviting industrial expansion
Habitual climate:
1. Develop a community habitual climate register, to remove unfair practice ie. chain clearing, chemical, excessive packaging, nets, civil.
2. Invest in biodegradable.
3. Empower councils to take care of waste
4. Extend country council funds for onerous roads
5. Reduce renew retrain model for closing down plant operations.
Challenge the government to increase zonal taxation for regional councils in country areas.
Build a biodegradable investment model./ mitigate waste to fuel products nationwide.
Explore business models encompassing new technologies - the great northern rail.
Address zonal tax business indexation laws.
Despite all rhetoric, energy prices continue to rise, how do you plan to reduces prices?
Never really thought about how to get prices down in a free market, to be quite honest.
Use poles and wires tax in the short term, providing full solar and battery combo packages, to be paid back in instalments.
How are you going to achieve water security for our electorate in the short and long term?
Short term:
Abolish the water act 2007.
Immediately move a motion in parliament that the river has rights. Keep flows consistent at 4 per cent, reinstate Menindee's allocation.
Move to cease all flood plain harvesting effective immediately. Tear down infrastructure, pending investigations.
Specify the first farmer's allotment. Water dispersant model.
Move to arid climate crops.
Long term:
1. Engage in Northern New England hydroelectric opportunities. Three-year plan.
2. Seek commitment from states. 6-13-year national drought resistant commitment package.
The water minister, newly appointed farmer minister, indigenous affairs leader, local councils, community stakeholders, potential tenours.
Build The Clarence Scheme, diverting the Upper Clarence and Nimboida, (and also the Macleay River) over the great dividing range into the Murray.
Benefits include doubling production on the 16 bill industry.
What is your plan to bring new jobs to the region?
- Better funding for apprenticeships and traineeships.
- Raising the profile of vocational education and training to parents, schools, students, business networks and enterprise.
- Continually seek to integrate GTOs (Group training organisations). A key part of all government job creation initiatives.
- Investing in GTOs to increase apprentice commencements and completions.
- Ensuring GTOs are exempt from future license labour hire schemes.
- Increase nurse ratios.
We're in the middle of an ongoing drought, how do you plan to support farmers and businesses?
- Engaging in effective and reasonable culling practices, with the view to export. eg. North of Engonia
- Seeks to repair sections of the Queensland dog fence.
- Create assisted farmers living document., detailing and sharing varying climates.
- Encourage hemp rotations, bring renewed income.
- Attention to the challenges distance present in service delivery and supply chains
- Champion the needs if primary producers and the communities that they contribute to.
