Terri targets politics for a third time

SMYTHESDALE businesswoman Terri Pryse-Smith is making her third attempt to enter parliament, standing as the One Nation candidate for the Division of Ballarat in the 3 May Federal election.

Mrs Pryse-Smith was a United Australia Party candidate in the 2022 Federal election and represented One Nation in the Victorian poll the same year.

She and her husband Alan Smith run two businesses in Smythesdale – a veterinary clinic and a farm supplies store.

Mrs Pryse-Smith said she was inspired to try politics again because of “massive issues” facing the country.

“The main one is the cost of living crisis driven by the crazy energy policies of the Labor Government,” she said.

“Ballarat families are struggling to put food on the table and petrol in the car, and it’s all linked back to the increasing cost of energy.

“Fuel prices have risen and even grocery prices have doubled and tripled.

“Ballarat people are struggling to pay their bills, put food on the table, send their kids to school, join their kids up to sporting clubs and put petrol in the car.”

Mrs Pryse-Smith said another problem – both locally and around the nation – is the cost of housing.

She said energy policies are partly to blame for the problem, but landed on immigration as a major contributor to both housing costs and availability.

“We haven’t been asked about immigration; we’ve never had a referendum on it, and I do think immigration means that Australian people – Ballarat people – are getting locked out of the housing market,” she said.

“Why are Ballarat people sleeping rough in what should be one of the richest countries in the world?

“We’re sitting on enormous natural resources. This should not be happening in this country.”

Mrs Pryse-Smith admitted to being angry about the problems in Australia as she sees them, but said emotion is not getting the better of her.

“I’m not a politician; I’m a businesswoman and I know how to run a business,” she said.

“I understand money and … if people vote for me I will make sure they (the Federal Government) stop over-spending and paying all this interest so that Ballarat people can live a nice life.”