Meet the Casey Electorate Candidates
Be informed going into the voting booth
Tonight’s online forum is set to inform residents in the electoral seat of Casey. Since 2001, the marginal seat of Casey in Melbourne’s eastern outskirts has been a secure Liberal stronghold (Crikey form guide). However, with Liberal Front-bencher Tony Smith not contesting this election, and only a 5.9% margin, it is more important than ever for voters to hear from their candidates. Six candidates will be taking the stage tonight, those being:
Aaron Violi - Liberal party
Jenny Game - Greens party
Bill Brindle - Labor party
Claire Ferres Miles - Independent
Anthony Bellve - United Australia party
Chris Field - Australian Federation party
The future new member for Casey will have some major issues to address. We asked our private group members what the pressing issue were as a basis for the questions being asked at the forum and we’ve listed them below.
The region as a childcare ‘desert’ with between 15.43 and 15.87 children competing for every 1 childcare place
Climate change
Climate change has caused substantial damages, and increasingly irreversible losses. In addition, increases in frequency and intensity of extremes have reduced food and water security. In recent years, Casey has been devastated by bushfires and storms.
We will ask:
What will you / your party propose in relation to assisting communities to respond effectively and promptly to environmental disasters?
Cost of Living
This topic has been considered the hottest topic for the election and with todays interest rate increase, it is more important than ever.
We will ask:
What will you / your party do to assist Australians to cope with large rises in the cost of living?
Health
People with disability, their families and carers were promised a new funding approach that focused on supporting people’s independence and participation in social, economic and community life, and promoted choice and control.
But instead of improving access and reducing out-of-pocket expenses, changes to the NDIS have made it harder for people who experience multiple and intersecting forms of disadvantage, adding another layer of stress, complexity and anguish for people with disability seeking support.
We will ask:
How will you improve access to support for people with a disability and/or suffering with mental illness?
Childcare
In a recent ABC article on childcare blackspots, it described this entire region as a childcare ‘desert’ with between 15.43 and 15.87 children competing for every 1 childcare place. Some families are currently on childcare waitlists anywhere from 6 to 18months for available spots. Others are choosing between childcare options unsuitable for their needs and not being able to pay their mortgage.
We will ask:
How will you / your party increase access to childcare?
Gender Equality
So far this year, 18 women have been killed from domestic violence and more than 7,000 women escaping a violent domestic homes have been turned down on assisted housing. Currently women represent 51% of the population while their representation in parliament sits at 30.1%.
We will ask:
What steps will you / your party take to address DV and support victims?
Telecommunications
Telecommunications is essential to the way we live and work. It should be considered an essential service. During severe weather and disaster events, the telecommunications are essential for the safety of our community. In the recent Connecting Victoria Engagement Report, the region overwhelmingly responded to having poor telecommunications connectivity however as yet there has been no promises to improve the telecommunications in this area
We will ask:
How will you improve the area’s telecommunication and utility access?
Additional topics of interest from our members included support for the arts and the introduction of an Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC). It is going to be an interesting debate this evening, one which will help our local Casey electorate decide who to vote for.
What the parties say
We are grateful to one of our members for researching these topics as reported by the ABC. See below for a run down on what the 3 main parties have to say.