Meet your Corio candidates

FOLLOWING on from the editions published today (Thursday, May 12), here are the full responses from the nine Corio candidates to the questions sent out by the Times News Group earlier this month.

All candidates were asked the same nine questions:

• Name:
• Resides:
• Occupation:
• How long have you lived in Corio?
• What’s your involvement with the community?
• What’s your political allegiance?
• Who are you preferencing?
• What’s your campaign budget? Are you receiving financial support – if so, from who?
• For you, what are the most important issues in Corio?

Candidates were asked to keep their complete response to between 250-300 words, and their full, unedited answers are listed below in ballot paper order.

 

Sue Bull – Socialist Alliance

Sue Bull is a teacher who has lived in Manifold Heights for 22 years
I’ve taught in local high schools and most recently I’ve been teaching health and safety to construction workers. Throughout my teaching life I have been an active union member and a campaigner for strong, well-resourced public education. My other major areas of community involvement have been in the environmental and women’s movements. I’ve helped organise campaigns to protest climate change and in favour of developing renewable energy in the Geelong community. Consequently, I have been involved in the campaign to stop the fossil fuel gas terminal at Viva Energy and the Environmental Jobs Alliance Geelong’s sustainable Jobs Expo.
I am a proud Socialist Alliance member, a party that wants to see an end to inequality in society which is pro-people and pro-environment.
We preference on a principled basis to other socialist parties first, followed by The Greens and other progressive parties before the Labor Party, with the Liberals and far right or racist parties last.
We run on a very small budget with lots of people power. We don’t have corporate donors or millions of dollars in donations. Electoral laws discriminate against small parties who do not already have representation in parliament, with the cost of nomination alone being raised from $500 to $2000 per candidate.
The most important issues for me are to do with the massive increases in cost of living for workers and people who are struggling and climate change. Significant privatisation has meant that high standard health and aged care, education and disability services have been gutted or made inaccessible for many people. I want to see government invest in these services and renewable energy. I stand for people and planet before profit.

 

Jessica Taylor – Australian Federation Party

Candidate had not responded to questions by deadline.

 

Manish Patel – Liberals

Name: Manish Patel (Liberal candidate for Corio)

Resides: Geelong

Occupation: Finance / Mortgage broker and I have worked in the Social Services sector for about 10 years.

How long have you lived in Corio? For about 10 years, my wife and I love the Geelong region and Geelong is our home now.

What’s your involvement with the community?
In my 10 years working in the social services sector, I have helped vulnerable people in our community in a very meaningful way. I have advocated for their rights as Australian citizen. I have listened to stories of our community people and the challenges they face in their everyday life.
I volunteer regularly, I find helping others very rewarding.

What’s your political allegiance? Liberal

National security: We live in uncertain times, what we require is a strong and stable Government. Recently, The Morrison Government demonstrated their commitment to this issue and our local region with the $1 Billion Howitzer project in Geelong.

Economy:
If we want to upgrade our defence capability, help and support venerable Australians, maintain law and order, and maintain and keep up with infrastructure and health care facilities and education system, then we need money, we a need strong economy.

Who are you preferencing? My how-to vote card information is available on my website.

What’s your campaign budget? Are you receiving financial support – if so, from who?
My campaign finances will be disclosed through the usual AEC processes.

For you, what are the most important issues in Corio?

Geelong has been taken for granted by Labor Federal MP for long time. He doesn’t respect our community. He failed to recognize Geelong’s tremendous potential for development.
Traffic in Geelong is not as bad as traffic in Melbourne, but it is getting worse. We have to take steps now. We need more flyovers on Melbourne Rd.
I haven’t seen major changes and development on our Geelong waterfront for at least last 10 years. We need more activities for our community to enjoy and attract more tourists to our town. Our hospitality and retail industry will benefit from tourism, and it will create more jobs for our local economy.
Geelong hospital ED is not coping very well, and the waiting time is ridiculously long. The State Government needs to actually deliver its promised upgrades.
Having faster trains between Geelong and Melbourne is so vital for our town’s development and future.
We should focus more on the Education industry for Geelong to bring more international students to our town.
I believe Geelong deserves better.
Our people have a chance to use their power to make a change for Geelong.

 

Simon Northeast – Greens

Name: Simon Northeast

Resides: McLarty Pl, Geelong

Occupation: Lawyer

Lived in Corio: 3 years

Involvement with the community; Have provided legal assistance and advice to the Corio community for the last 20 plus years , through both Victoria Legal Aid and my own legal practice, Geelong Lawyers, Barristers and Solicitors. Playing AFL football at Newcomb with Geelong Superules.

Political allegiance: The Greens

Preferencing; Animal Justice Party and Socialist Alliance

Budget: $5-10,000 , raised entirely through local fundraising.

Most important issues for Corio:
Ensuring everyone has a well paid job and an affordable home; Working people need better rights,higher pay and more secure work.
Real action on climate change, phasing out coal and gas whilst creating thousands of jobs rolling out renewables. Ridding politics of coal and gas money.
Getting dental and mental health properly funded and into medicare.
Making big corporations and billionaires pay their fair share of tax.
Establishing a treaty with our First Nation’s people.
Protect Corio Bay from proposed new gas projects.
Protecting the environment and animals ,stopping extinction, strengthening environmental laws ,and funding first nations people to care for country.
Wipe student debt and ensure everyone can access a free,world class education from early childhood through school to TAFE and Uni.
Build in Corio new public and community houses to slash public housing waiting lists and end homelessness
Drug issues to be treated as a health issue, not a criminal one.
Legalise cannabis and create a regulated market that will ensure quality control.
Offshore detention on Manus Island and Nauru, bringing refugees to safety and freedom in Australia.

 

Robert Jones – Pauline Hanson’s One Nation

Candidate had not responded to questions by deadline.

 

Naomi Adams – Animal Justice Party

Resides: Ocean Grove

Occupation:
Currently in private practice as a psychologist

How long have you lived in Corio?
For five years

What’s your involvement with the community?
I’m involved with several community organizations devoted to social justice and inclusion, as well as many animal rescue and welfare groups. I have also worked in the community sector for many years and am committed to the idea of community networking and resource sharing

What’s your political allegiance?
I joined the Animal Justice Party five years ago, because I was inspired by their core values of kindness, equality, rationality and non-violence. I support any policy which aims to treat all people as equal and any party which actively works to ensure that all people, regardless of their gender, age, sexuality or income. Of course, my main allegiance is to the Animal Justice Party, as we are the only political party which advocates and legislates for our most vulnerable community members – the animals. We must take immediate action to protect our climate and our native fauna and flora before it’s too late. If the animals die, if the green life and the rivers and oceans die, then humans will follow.

Who are you preferencing?
All of our preferences are listed on our website, under the “Elections” tab
http://www.animaljusticeparty.org/

What’s your campaign budget?
That depends on what we receive over the next few weeks. I rely mostly on donations so we do not have a huge amount of money to spend. We have fantastic local networks who are sharing our information and policies via social media and pamphleting.

Are you receiving financial support – if so, from who?
We do not accept money or resources from any businesses, interest groups or other political organisations. We accept donations from individuals with no strings attached. We have no allegiance or connection with any other political party.

 

Max Payne – Liberal Democrats

Name: Max Payne

Resides: East Geelong

Occupation: Piano teacher, Bartender, Gardener

How long have you lived in Corio? I have lived in the electorate my whole life except for a short stint in Grovedale several years ago.

What’s your involvement with the community? I love Geelong, as an 18 year old I watched all of my school friends leave to study in Melbourne while I stayed behind, and I witnessed the city flower into a destination, eventually many of said friends moved back. I have worked in the Geelong wine industry for the last 6 years, and in my current role at Geelong Cellar Door I have the wonderful opportunity to promote and showcase our local vineyard and winery industry.

What’s your political allegiance? I am a candidate for the Liberal Democratic Party, of which I have been a member for about 20 months now, I support free markets, individual choice, liberty and responsibility and small government.

Who are you preferencing? My how to vote card is simply a guide, voters are of course the ones who ultimately decide preferences for themselves, having said that I am ‘preferencing’ UAP, AFP and PHON in that order in terms of the lower house race in Corio. Again these are just suggestions, our main pitch to our voters is to put the major parties towards the bottom of the list, and keep the ‘freedom friendly’ parties up the top, I don’t believe any other party running is offering such a comprehensive platform that is centred on reducing the size and influence of government while promoting freedom across all aspects of society and governance, but the aforementioned parties I am seeking to ‘preference’ have shown a greater willingness to defend freedom of choice over the last two years.

What’s your campaign budget? Are you receiving financial support – if so, from who? My campaign is self-funded, I have received some financial and logistical support from the party, but no donations other than some small in kind services. I joined the race fairly late, and did so because I felt it was unacceptable that Corio would not be able to choose a principled freedom friendly candidate, so I have not had a great deal of time or resources directed at my campaign, but the ideas I stand for mean more than any donation.

For you, what are the most important issues in Corio? The rising cost of living is going to affect many people in Corio, being an area where housing costs have risen substantially. With higher interest rates now all but locked in and the price of transport and food as well as other essentials affected by general inflationary and supply chain pressures, it is time for the Government to reduce the tax and debt burden it has dumped on its citizens. We need to reduce taxes substantially on both personal income, productivity and businesses, to encourage spending and investment into our economy, and allow Australians to choose what to do with their own money. Conversely, we need to cut Government departments (except defence) by 10% immediately to pay off debt and reduce bloated, wasteful bureaucracies. Finally, we need to end all covid restrictions that are still hampering confidence and economic activity, and repeal the ban on nuclear energy to open up our energy market to greater competition and new revenue streams, allowing heavy industry and manufacturing to thrive once again in a city where blue collar workers have been deserted.

 

Shane Murdock – United Australia Party

1. Morris “Shane “ Murdock

2. Geelong CBD

3. Terminated Airline Captain, air accident investigator, coxswain, commercial bus and truck licences, qualified and registered African safari guide and tracker

4. A real desire to improve the future for the district and residents of Greater Geelong

5. United Australia Party

6. Liberal Democrats

7. Modest funds were provided by UAP topped up by myself

8. End mandates and stop digital id’s
National security
Re-invigorate manufacturing and industry
Mortgage relief
Raise old age pension
Pay off the 1.3 trillion dollar national debt through a 15% levy on iron ore exports
Forgive HECS debt
Stamp out corruption
Numerous other policies that will transcend to the electorate via commitments to hospitals and educational facilities bypassing state governments

 

Richard Marles –  Labor

Name: Richard Marles

Resides: Geelong

Occupation: Member for Corio

How long have you lived in Corio? Since I was born

What’s your involvement with the community? Born, raised and proudly represented the Geelong community and Corio electorate.

What’s your political allegiance? Australian Labor Party.

Who are you preferencing? Preferences are publicly available here: https://www.howtovote.org.au/corio

What’s your campaign budget? Are you receiving financial support – if so, from who? I am supported by the Australian Labor Party but importantly, local volunteers who want to see an Albanese Labor Government.

For you, what are the most important issues in Corio? The number one topic being raised with me is cost of living. Right across the electorate, families and working Australians are working harder but can afford less. Wages are falling behind whilst basic goods and services continue to cost more. Under Labor, we will strengthen Medicare, make child care and electricity bills cheaper and reduce the cost of scripts by $12.50. These are all things which will be critical to easing the day-to-day costs. Additionally, right here in Geelong, we have announced our plans for an Urgent Care Clinic to reduce the burden on the hospital’s emergency department.
In the Geelong region we have also seen a housing crisis – it’s harder to buy a house today than ever before. To address this Labor will create a $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund which will build 30,000 new social and affordable housing and we’ll help more people buy a home sooner by cutting the cost of buying a home by up to 40%.
Only Labor has a plan to seize this moment for Australia. We want to ensure that Australians have a better future.