Background and experience: I'm turning 42 on the day before the election, and this is my first experience in politics. I'm running for the seat of Barwon because I'm fed up with the way this electorate has been treated over the past decades, and I think I can do something to change that. I live in Mendooran with my wife Jenny and my three teenage kids. We've got a property where we raise cattle.
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Profession outside of politics: I've been working across Western NSW for the past 17 years. I've taken five months off work to campaign, but my full-time job is with the Western law enforcement as a Region Manager, responsible for all the business services for 64 percent of the state. My qualifications are a masters of public administration as well as post graduate drug and alcohol counselling, group psychotherapy, post grad in business and I've previously worked with disability services and corrective services.
Why are you running for the seat of Barwon? We need a representative who answers to the people of Barwon, not to party operatives. The National Party's deal with the Liberal Party means that issues in the bush will never be a priority. That's why Sydney gets sports stadiums while Barwon don't even have clean drinking water. The water crisis is all you need to look at to realise that we've been left behind, then there's the dire state of the health system, our lower educational outcomes and the fact that our life expectancy is so much lower than in the city. We're going backwards and we're being ignored.
Why should people vote for the party you stand for? The Shooters Fishers and Farmers Party is fast becoming the party for regional NSW, and a true alternative to the National Party which has shown that it's unable to stand up for the bush. We are a party that's about common sense, letting people get on with their lives without too much red tape and regulation.
What are the top three issues in the electorate? The biggest issue is water. We have towns without drinking water, our rivers are dry and the drought is showing no sign of breaking soon. We're living shorter lives than we did 20 years ago, while people in the city are living longer. Most of our hospitals don't have staff or equipment to help people with complicated illnesses, and they have to travel long distances. Related to this is the future of our towns. We've lost thousands of people who have moved to the city. I don't want to see our towns die. We need more jobs and better services.
Why should people vote for you? Unlike the major party candidates, I don't have to answer to anyone in Sydney, and I don't have to toe a party line. I'm 100 percent accountable to the people of the Barwon electorate, no-one else. I also feel like I understand the issues in the electorate better than the other candidates, since I've been working right across the West for 17 years.
How do you propose to bring more jobs to the electorate? We're proposing an immediate 5 year halt to payroll tax and commercial stamp duty for regional businesses to help them get through the drought, keep their staff on and even hire new staff. We also feel like this could attract other businesses to the region. I also want to see public service jobs moved to our towns. There's no reason why a Government Department couldn't be based in Nyngan, and it would be a huge boost to the town's economy, and the surrounding areas as well.
What do you feel is the biggest issue affecting people in Nyngan? Drought and water are the most immediate issues for many people, and the drought has uncovered some of the inequalities regional towns face compared to the city. People were already struggling financially, with high power prices and transport costs, and with the drought hitting farms and small businesses those financial difficulties are only getting worse.
How do you propose to help with this should you be elected? In addition to the help we'd provide for small businesses, we are calling for a greater share of government funding for healthcare, roads and education to be directed to rural areas. We need to get politicians in Sydney to understand that we don't have access to public transport like they do, we don't have a hospital 10 minutes away, we don't have GPs in all our small towns, and that even seeing a specialist can involve days of travelling. If I am elected I'll be on the cross bench giving me that extra leverage forcing them to take Barwon seriously.
What is your favourite book/hobby/activity? I love food, I love cooking and whenever I get the chance I cook for family, friends, whoever is around. When I watch TV, it's usually cooking shows. And I read cookbooks. I also love travelling, which is lucky in this electorate.
Zaarkacha Marlan
Court and crime reporter at the Daily Liberal. Formerly the sole journalist for the Nyngan Observer, Narromine News and Trangie Advocate.
Court and crime reporter at the Daily Liberal. Formerly the sole journalist for the Nyngan Observer, Narromine News and Trangie Advocate.
