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READER QUESTIONS:

1 - If the choice is between people and profit, which would you choose? (No fence sitting - assume that we know you need money to implement social programs).

2 - When will either major party begin seriously investing in renewable energy sources and in fact stop funding at our cost dirty fossil fuels?

3 - If a bill supporting voluntary assisted dying is brought before the Australian House of Representatives, will you support it?

4 - What positive steps will you take to secure more funding for TAFE education facilities/university facilities in the Cowper electorate

5 - Roads and road maintenance is a major issue on the Mid-North Coast - what steps will you take to ensure funding is made available for maintenance and upgrade?

6 - Do you support Gonski? And what are you doing about it?

THEIR ANSWERS:

Wayne LAWRENCE, Christian Democratic Party (Fred Nile Group)

1 - We put people before profit.  Business morality in Australia has hit an all-time low and it is time to expose the criminal behaviour of the banks through a Royal Commission as a start to cleaning up the business sector.

If elected, the CDP would also force the Federal Government to create its own Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) to police business dealings with the government and corrupt conduct by federal politicians.

2 - The CDP believes that environmental issues are important because the environment is God given and sustains life.

Humans have an obligation to responsibly manage the environment and to mitigate, where feasible, environmental change and pollution.

It needs to be remembered that the earth was made for humankind. The environment needs to be kept in perspective as the servant to humankind and not elevated to the point where human lives are sacrificed in favour of preserving the life of plants or animals.

6 - The CDP supports teachers in the classroom by ensuring our curriculum is rigorous, without being too prescriptive or overcrowded with biased programs like Safe Schools, while re-focusing on basic skills and areas best suited to providing employment in the future.

The CDP will put parents, principals and school communities - not bureaucrats - in charge of determining how their schools will be operated and what programs will run.

Please note: We did not receive all responses from The Christian Democratic Party.

Michael GOUGH, Citizens Electoral Council

1 - People, because what is profit? If the measure for profit is money, remember, money has no intrinsic value other than as a means of exchange.

Therefore, the measure for profit is human, because it does have intrinsic value and can be measured, by the increase in the overall potential of the people who make up a society, or the population of a nation. Only human beings have economies, because only human beings change their mode of existence from one generation to the next. The source of these changes, creative discoveries of new scientific and cultural principles, is the heart of economic value.

2 – Australia must go nuclear! Our anti-nuclear policy has serious ramifications: denying ourselves the most efficient power source in the world, thus thwarting our own development. In Western Europe and the United States, the once-mighty nuclear industrial sector is threatened with extinction, thanks to the media-driven anti-nuclear hysteria. But in Asia, nuclear energy is in a vast upsurge.

The latest, fourth-generation reactors have built-in safety features, superior to those of the Fukushima reactors, built in the 1970s. These new reactor designs for higher-temperature operation, will ensure that a Fukushima-type accident cannot occur, even in the event of an earthquake or tsunami.

3 - No, I would not support it.

Australia, like the rest of the Western World, are facing bankruptcy and whilst our major parties are beholden to the banks and corporates, they're cutting budgets and pushing austerity onto the population. The debate around the pros and cons of 'voluntary assisted dying'  by focusing on the emotional or ethical arguments, avoids the elephant in the middle of the room -- how much is the government prepared to spend, to keep people alive?

American authorities punished Nazi leaders after World War II for euthanasia killings of patients -- to cut costs.  

4 - To survive the global financial breakdown, Australia must revitalise our productive industries, which are the backbone of a prosperous economy. The CEC would direct funding to TAFEs and Universities around the country and, create meaningful jobs for skilled workers.

First, modelled on the 1933 US Glass-Steagall Act, banking has to be separated-- investment from deposit taking -- before the next global financial crisis, and before the banks start 'bailing-in' (skimming) everyone's bank accounts. Then, establishing a government-owned and -directed national bank, masses of new credit can be created for investment in nationally significant infrastructure projects like a hi-speed ring-rail, and more.

5 - The CEC would build a hi-speed, magnetically-levitated, ring-rail around Australia to move freight and people; reducing wear on major roads and highways. A nationally integrated road and rail system, and fast shipping from Darwin, will link revitalised Australian industries with global markets via Asia to the north. Real economic development will increase employment and the tax base that funds the running of the nation. The capital cost of the ring-rail, separate from the budget, will be funded with public credit through a national bank. The Citizens Electoral Council in 1994 drafted ready to implement legislation for a government owned bank.

6 - Whilst providing schools with more resources and tools is good, I don't believe Gonski alone goes far enough to address our education requirements. Every student should be taught and encouraged to be the next potential Einstein; to scientifically question and look for new discoveries. Once the human mind discovers new principles, the whole of human existence can be transformed as a result

Australia's direction and education policy has to change: children should be taught  'how to think', not schooled into consensus thinking and told 'what to think' while they, and their parents, are socially engineered to accept a 'no future' policy.

Carol VERNON, The Greens

1 - The Greens choose services for the people rather than profit for wealthy corporations, especially corporations exporting their profits to tax havens. The argument that taxing big companies less will create a ‘trickle down’ economy is disproved. It is estimated only a few jobs would be generated after ten years of company tax cuts, all at the expense of schools, hospitals and other essential services.

The Australian budget cannot be compared to a household budget. We need to raise revenue not cut taxes and export profits overseas. The Greens will fairly tax the big banks and the big corporations.

2 - The Greens are the only party with a fully costed, comprehensive plan for a clean energy economy with at least 90% Renewables by 2030. Our ‘Renew Australia’ initiative will secure lower prices, better technologies, more jobs and significant export opportunities. The Greens are calling for an end to ‘polluted politics,’ a ban on donations to any political party from the fossil fuel industries. These industries receive enormous government subsidies. The potential for corruption linked to these donations is very real.

The Labor, National and Liberal Parties have consistently voted against The Greens’ bills to establish a federal anti-corruption body. 

3 - To allow an animal to suffer is considered animal abuse. To allow a person to suffer needlessly is abuse of the helpless. Obviously checks and balances will be required.

The Greens have presented bills that would allow those in pain or with an unbearably reduced quality of life to end their life with dignity. The older parties supported by independent politicians have voted against these bills whilst they sincerely speak of decisions made by caring, loving families and skilled doctors, however, the painful deaths continue. We all have a right to die with dignity and to plan for our deaths.

4 - Our TAFE courses have been privatised, forced online, made expensive or centralised. The most profitable courses have been cherry-picked. ‘Hands on’ courses have suffered. Our disabled students have been disadvantaged. Second chance students have been pushed away, again.

The Greens will tear up the National Partnership Agreement between both the Labor and Coalition governments and the states that has demanded unequal competition between TAFE and private colleges. The Greens would reduce private courses to 15% of the Vocational Training courses funded.

Our TAFE establishments provide essential training for our rural youth and trained employees for our local employers.

5 - The federal government has severely cut its support of local government. State governments have limited rates, reduced support and passed on more expenses. To then claim local government is inefficient and too small is just a ploy by state and federal governments to allow developers control of our local government planning protections and public services.  Amalgamated councils have not proved more cost efficient. Restoring funding justice to our own local councils will allow the maintenance of our roads and bridges. The Greens will support local government and support a fair share of state and federal taxes for local government.

6 - The Greens have long supported funding students on the basis of need and providing those services in an efficient, accountable and equitable public education system.

Our schools must cater for students with mental, physical and emotional disabilities. They must provide extra support for the very talented and the most disadvantaged. Students regularly arrive with no spoken English.

All these special needs must be met in a fair and just Australia. Australia can only benefit from investing in education. 

The Greens will continue to vote for and support a needs-based education system and vote against planned cuts to public education services.

Damian WOOD, Labor

1 - Clearly there is a balance necessary here. All human activities need to deliver a dividend to be sustainable. All the evidence I've seen says that a tax cut to big business will only improve their bottom line. Investment in services such as education and health will lead to more jobs.  In this sense then improved social outcomes will always be important to me, I'm a Labor candidate 

2 - Labor has committed to 50% renewables by 2030. I think we can do better. We have to manage the transition to clean energy/renewables so as to enhance the benefits to our economy. Doing little and paying carbon polluters is not he answer. The disinvestment and loss of momentum under the current Government needs to be turned around.  Australia should lead innovation in this space. 

3 - Yes 

4 - The current treatment of TAFE is disgraceful. I will work towards a reinvestment in trades training and the VET sector to ensure a revival of apprenticeship training and affordable skills training. 

5 - Restore FAGs (Financial Assistance Grants) to Local Government to more predictable and adequate levels. I also support the Black Spots program to address critical safety issues. 

6 - The most appalling broken promise of the Abbott Turnbull Governments is their lack of support for funding of the Gonski reforms for the forward estimates over 8 years. Mid north coast schools are amongst the biggest winners under these reforms. 

I support Labor’s policy to return full Gonski funding.

Robert OAKESHOTT, Independent

1. Always people. And that people are being forgotten is one of the reasons why I am standing.  Government policy is increasingly "punching down" on our communities.  We all need to reject this, and remind Government at the ballot box that their duty is to "feed the poorest first", not last.  If we all agree to such an approach in policy, we'll all be richer for it.

2. A good question.  I strongly support transitioning to a more sustainable energy security, and will continue to promote programs that achieve this - both locally and nationally

3. I support a quality of life and quality of death.  I think our local health services are central to this, including the local GP and our very strong palliative care services.  Legislation will be deeply considered, but there is hesitation in offering support to anything I haven't yet seen.  There is no Bill before the Parliament on this, and it is an area that would need to be very carefully worded to avoid any unintended consequences.

4. I have a track record of working hard in education and working with our local community to develop some exciting growth in the vocational and tertiary sectors.  Charles Sturt University and the Education Health Campus led by the University of NSW are both important developments and will both lead our local economy in the coming years.  So we have done it before and I'm keen to do it again and maximise the benefits of this education agenda.  Sadly, vocational education has been swamped by dodgy private operators, and I do think the incumbent MP has some explaining to do on this.  I would like to see a national inquiry into what has happened in vocational education, as I am hearing too many tales where locals have been hurt by these failed changes of the past three years.

5. As has been seen with the increases in local roads funding for local Government, such as the $20 million for the Buckets Way upgrade for Taree and Gloucester Councils, or the $30 million bring forward of Pacific Highway works between Port Macquarie and Kempsey, we can achieve more road funding by voting for something other than wall-to-wall blanket coverage by one political party.  If we just vote the same, we get the same, and we miss out.  If we can change this, and bring political competition into the area, more road funding flows.  We've seen it before, and we can do it again.

6.  I strongly support needs-based funding in education, known as Gonski.  To their credit, each of the State National Party MP's in the area also support this same needs-based funding model.  It is therefore bemusing that the only person who thinks funding in education should not be linked to those most in need is the current federal National Party MP.  By standing as a candidate, we can all change this, and by doing so, we can get more money into local schools, and give local children the best chance to pursue their dreams into the future. How can anyone oppose this? 

Luke HARTSUYKER, The Nationals

1 - I am committed to the Coalition Government maximising the jobs and growth opportunities for people in the Cowper electorate.

2 - Renewable energy plays an important role in the energy mix. The Coalition Government has robust policies in relation to climate change.  We have signed the Paris Climate Change Agreement, we are on track to beat our 2020 reduction target by 78 million tonnes of carbon and we have set an ambition target of achieving the second largest reduction of any G20 economy. Our Government is investing $2.55 billion to incentivise business to reduce their emissions through our Emissions Reduction Fund.

3 - I do not comment on legislation until it is presented before the parliament. It is impossible to comment on hypothetical legislation and the Australian people would expect me to do that as their elected representative.

4 - I am committed to improving education outcomes for the people of Cowper. The Coalition Government is investing $7 billion in the VET sector each year through funding and student loans.

This includes $1.8 billion allocated to the states and territories to support their training systems, including TAFE.

5 - The Coalition Government is investing record road funding in the Cowper electorate, including $5.64 billion in the Pacific Highway Upgrade, Roads to Recovery has been increased by 83% to $3.2 billion over the next 4 years and $500 million has been allocated to fix road black spots such as the notorious Hill Street/Granite Street intersection in Port Macquarie, along with $300 million for the Bridges Renewal Program.

6 - The Coalition Government is spending record amounts on education.

Total Federal Government funding will reach $73.6 billion over the next four years, an increase of 26 per cent, and will continue to increase each and every year going forward. The Government is providing an additional $1.2 billion between 2018 and 2020 for schools for needs-based funding. The total Commonwealth funding to all schools across NSW will increase by $1.2 billion, a 26 per cent increase from 2015-16 to 2019-20.

John ARKAN, Independent

1 - People always . Because if the people are looked after are healthy and respected the profits come anyway.

2 - I will support and push for a commitment now. 

3 - Yes I will support such a bill. Dignity is not just a word it's a doing thing  Victorian government is already supporting. We need a united approach - 72 % want this.

4 - I would support funding for education across the board. We need to invest more in our youth. Education is the initial foundation.

I am aware of a new facilities planned for Coffs Harbour’s Southern Cross University for allied health.

5 - Bridges and roads can be funded under the better roads program and any other way possible.

6 - Yes I support Gonski. I am running as a candidate so when I get in I am in a position to use my skills to make it happen.