Hinkler federal election candidates meet the public in Hervey Bay

One federal election candidate has pledged to donate half his salary to the “people of Hinkler” during a public forum in Hervey Bay, where it was clear what the big issues are facing this region.

Tough questions were asked, jabs were made and one candidate made the extravagant promise to donate half his salary to the “people of Hinkler” if he was elected on May 21.

The six contenders for the seat of Hinkler came together on Thursday night at a Meet the Candidates forum in the Hervey Bay RSL ahead of the federal election.

A crowd of about 100 people turned out to hear the candidates speak at the forum, hosted by the Hervey Bay Chamber of Commerce.

COC president Sandra Holebrook was the master of ceremonies, timing the candidates to ensure each had the same amount of time to introduce themselves and answer questions from the floor.

The big issues were clearly the cost of living, health, unemployment and the challenge of splitting time between two major cities.

Hinkler candidates Keith Pitt LNP, Independent Jack Dempsey and Labor candidate Jason Scanes.

United Australia Party candidate Kristie Nash and One Nation’s Zak Menhennett both railed against Covid mandates, which they said had adversely affected businesses and was impacting the health sector, with unvaccinated health workers unable to return to their jobs.

“End the mandates, end the discrimination,” Mr Menhennett said.

Health workers had been unvaccinated at the height of the pandemic, he said, when less was known about the virus and there were fewer precautions in place.

“Give them their jobs back,” he said.

“Currently, in Bundaberg there are six to eight hour wait times.

“There’s not enough doctors, not enough nurses.”

Incumbent Hinkler MP Keith Pitt speaks during the Meet the Candidate event in Hervey Bay on Thursday night.

Incumbent MP, the LNP’s Keith Pitt said he was focused on improving health services in Hervey Bay and that Commonwealth funding for hospitals was up by 130 per cent.

Ms Nash said as funding for hospitals was typically given to the State Government, the UAP had pledged to give $42 billion directly to hospitals, “bypassing the middle men”.

Labor candidate Jason Scanes said Labor would invest $2.5 billion in fixing the aged care sector, with 24 hour nurses, better food and better training for staff.

Meanwhile, Greens candidate Andrew McLean said when his party formed minority government with Labor under then-Prime Minister Julia Gillard, free dental care for kids was secured via Medicare.

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“We want to finish the job and get free dental for everybody,” he said.

Mr McLean said under the Greens, private health care would be dismantled and the $7 billion a year provided to the industry by the Federal Government would be invested in “health care for all”.

Independent candidate and current Bundaberg Mayor Jack Dempsey said it was vital to ensure health was funded properly and that health professionals were retained.

Hinkler Labor candidate Jason Scanes speaks during the meet the candidates event at the Hervey Bay RSL on Thursday night.

“Health should not be a revolving door,” he said.

Mr Menhennett, a businessman who owns two gyms in the Hinkler region, said he had personally felt the impact of Covid lockdowns and mandates, which had seen thousands of dollars going out of his business, but little money coming in.

Mr Pitt said while unemployment was still a major issue in the region, at 5.5 per cent, it was still considerably lower than it was a number of years ago.

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He said youth unemployment was still unacceptably high, but there was a focus on connecting young people with the workplace straight out of high school, urging them to take the job in front of them and then get ready for other job opportunities that would come.

Mr Pitt said one of the government’s strategies was ensuring the success of businesses so more people could be employed.

United Australia Party candidate Kristie Nash is contesting the seat of Hinkler.

Mr Dempsey said the region still had “some of the worst unemployment figures in Australia”.

He said more education and training was needed, because otherwise the need to import skills into the country would be ongoing.

Ms Nash said the UAP was about ‘”jobs, jobs and jobs”.

She said she was passionate about issues concerning young people, including youth unemployment and youth crime.

“Anything youth, I’m the girl,” she said.

Mr McLean expressed his concern for people who were experiencing homelessness as a result of the housing shortage and rising cost of living.

He said despite living in one of the wealthiest nations in the world, people were living in their cars and families were living in tents because they couldn’t find a home or afford rent.

He said Hinkler had one of the highest disadvantage rates in the nation.

Mr Scanes was quick to point out the Tafe funding cuts made by the Federal Government since 2013 had contributed to Australia’s lack of skilled labour.

He said $3 billion had been cut from Tafe funding since that time and there were 70,000 fewer apprenticeships, which was why it was so hard for people to get a tradie to their door.

Mr Scanes said Labor had committed $1.2 billion for 465,000 Tafe positions and 20,000 new university positions.

Mr McLean said the Greens promised free university and Tafe for all, along with the cancellation of existing student debt.

He said the Greens would double support payments for students and focus on reviving Australia’s manufacturing industry.

Renewable energy was an industry that could create up to 800,000 new jobs, Mr McLean said.

“We could have been the superpower in renewable energy right now,” he said.

“Coal is dead, it’s dying.”

The Greens had plans to transition workers from coal-fired power stations into new jobs, he said.

But when it came to the cost of living, Mr Menhennett opposed those views, advocating for more coal-fired power stations, not less.

He said that would help bring down the cost of electricity, which was “through the roof” and also suggested exploring nuclear power as the cheapest form of regulated energy.

One of the biggest jabs of the night came from Mr McLean.

One Nation’s Zak Menhennett is running for Hinkler.

He said a swing of 1.5 per cent to the Greens would see Gladstone school teacher Penny Allman-Payne elected to the Senate, instead of One Nation’s Pauline Hanson.

“I don’t think I could handle another six years of Pauline,” he said, eliciting some laughter from the crowd.

On the cost of living, Mr Pitt promised lower taxes, “more of your money in your pockets”.

He said international effects such as the war in Ukraine and lack of supply had seen a price spike, which was why the Federal Government had cut the fuel excise by 50 per cent.

Ms Nash said the UAP planned to offer tax concessions and raise the aged pension.

“We need to stop insulting our aged pensioners,” she said.

Mr Scanes said while shopping recently, he had noticed the cost of iceberg lettuce had risen to $5 or $6.

This week’s interest rate rise was also set to impact on people, he said.

“These are the kind of things that are really going to hit the hip pocket,” Mr Scanes said.

He said for the first time in 23 years, the Federal Government had not increased the age pension.

Under Labor, people would be able to save $275 a year on their energy bills through their Power Australia Plan and the childcare subsidy would be increased by 90 per cent, he said.

Mr McLean said the Greens intended to build one million affordable homes over 20 years and phase out negative gearing for those who more than one investment home.

He said while those one lower incomes “just got a $250 bribe” referring to the Federal Government’s one off payment to address the rise in the cost of living, those in the top tax bracket had received a tax cut of $9000.

“Trickle down economics is a fairytale,” he said.

Mr Dempsey said the rising cost of living was causing serious financial stress, adding that he supported raising the aged pension and allowing pensioners to do more work without losing their benefits.

When asked how they would split their time between the cities of Hervey Bay and Bundaberg, Mr Pitt was pragmatic, saying much of his time was actually spent in Canberra.

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“It does mean a lot of time away from home,” he said.

When it came to working for the region, it was about ensuring there was a balance, including working for safer roads that would benefit the whole region, including the Bruce Highway, and funding for work on the Paradise Dam.

Ms Nash said as a business consultant, she already spent time travelling between Tiaro and Agnes Water.

When she said she didn’t know how much time she would be spending in Canberra when elected, Mr Pitt quietly interjected and said “26 weeks”.

Mr Menhennett said being a voice for the community in Canberra would be his priority, while Mr Scanes also said making himself available for the community was the most important thing.

Mr Dempsey said his time would be shared equally not just between Hervey Bay and Bundaberg, but all the other areas included in the Hinkler region.

Mr McLean said the Greens did not take power for themselves, they wanted to “give it away”.

“To prove I’m fair dinkum and not driven by money, I’d actually donate half my salary to the people of Hinkler,” he said.

Tony Van Maanenberg, an undecided voter who attended the event to see what the candidates had to offer, said the evening had helped narrow his choices.

The Hervey Bay man, who made notes throughout the night as the candidates spoke, said he was impressed by Mr McLean and Mr Dempsey.

As a retiree who was considering going back to work, the ability to do so without losing his benefits appealed to him.

“My rent is going up $35 in a month,” he said.