Livestream: Redlands MP Kim Richards debating top issues with LNP’s Henry Pike
While they agree that jobs and infrastructure are key issues in the Redlands electorate, Labor’s Kim Richards and the LNP’s Henry Pike could not agree on the issue of euthanasia. WATCH THE REPLAY
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Infrastructure, jobs, hospital expansion and euthanasia were among the topics discussed by Labor incumbent Kim Richards and LNP candidate Henry Pike at the Sky News/Courier-Mail debate for the seat of Redlands today.
The region has been a Labor marginal electorate of 3.1 per cent since 2017.
The Redlands City Council has called for the State Government to deliver in four key areas, with a connected community, liveable neighbourhoods, sustainable environment and thriving economy.
WATCH THE DEBATE REPLAY IN THE PLAYER ABOVE
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Mr Pike said he has door knocked more than 10,000 homes in the Redlands, and community members want jobs.
“There’s a lot of people out of work, and there’s a lot of people hurting,” he said.
“I recall one gentleman out at Victoria Point who lost his third job for the year, and it’s critical that we look now to the economic recovery and how we get Queensland working again and we’ve got a strong plan to do that.”
Mr Pike said the LNP is committed to “dragging us out of recession” and will invest heavily in “long overdue” projects including building an ICU, creating a multi level car park at the hospital, and fast-tracking a high school for Redland Bay.
The Redlands Hospital has been the topic of political discussion for years and Ms Richards said she was committed to upgrading the hospital.
“The Redlands Hospital is extremely important to our community and particularly never has that been more imperative in this period of COVID-19, in the lead up to the last election we committed to expand the emergency department and the maternity department, those have been opened and the maternity ward is state of the art,” she said.
“We’ve got a commitment for a new intensive care unit, that is an absolute priority, that will take pressure off the PA hospital, QE2 Hospital and it means the people in Redlands have access to those intensive care services rather than travel distances to other hospitals.”
The debate also covered the lack of a State Budget from the Labor Government, which Mr Pike slammed.
“Unfortunately under Labor we don’t have a budget and we don’t have a plan, under Labor they’ve only delivered the highest unemployment rate in the country, the highest number of long-term unemployed and the greatest rate of business failure,” he said.
Ms Richards said it was “common sense” to wait for the federal budget to be handed down before delivering the state budget.
“We have committed to doing that by the end of November,” she said.
Mr Pike and Mr Richards had different stances on euthanasia, with Mr Pike saying it was “distraction” from other important issues.
“I’ve doorknocked 10,000 homes, I’ve spoken to thousands of constituents and I’ve talked to them about the priorities they want the next Government to focus on for the next four years and the resounding sound is they want infrastructure in the Redlands and they want an economic boost to get us out of recession and they want jobs and this is just a massive distraction, there’s not a single soul who has raised the issue of euthanasia with me,” he said.
“I’m inherently opposed to euthanasia and if it was up to a conscience vote I wouldn’t support it but I just think this is just a complete distraction.”
Ms Richards said she believes Queenslander should have the choice of voluntary assisted dying.
In her closing pitch, Ms Richards said there was a “very clear choice” this election.
“And that is the good, stable government of Annastacia Palaszczuk and the Labor team, or the chaos of a Deb Frecklington led Government,” she said.
“I reconfirm my promise to Redlands, I will work hard everyday for you, day in and day out to deliver the services and infrastructure we need.”
Mr Pike said the LNP was the best choice to get Queenslanders out of recession.
