NSW election 2023: Tweed election candidates Q&A
They want to represent your area – but what drives the people standing for the seat of Tweed in the 2023 state election? Find out in our Q&A.
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Voters in the seat of Tweed at the NSW state election on March 25 have a variety of options to choose from after six candidates put their names forward.
We put a series of questions to the candidates so you know more about them and what they stand for.
The sitting member is long-time Tweed MP Geoff Provest, who has held the seat since 2007.
The candidates will appear on your voting paper in this order after the ballot draw at Tweed Heads last week: (1) Ronald McDonald – Sustainable Australia Party, (2) Marc Selan – Legalise Cannabis Party, (3) Geoff Provest – The Nationals, (4) Craig Elliot – Labor, (5) Ciara Denham – Greens and (6) Susie Hearder – Animal Justice Party.
Ronald McDonald – Sustainable Australia Party
How long have you lived in the electorate?
I have lived in the electorate of Tweed for six years.
Why have you decided to put your hand up for election?
I am running for Sustainable Australia Party (SAP) to de-corrupt politics in NSW and implement sustainable solutions for our future. SAP has practical and realistic solutions to the current problems of overdevelopment and environmental destruction.
What’s your plan for the electorate?
We are fighting to protect our environment, stop overdevelopment and stop corruption.
This includes protecting endangered species habitats, native forests and local tree canopies, reducing Australia’s waste production, acting on climate change, stopping inappropriate high-rise and sprawl, delivering new community infrastructure before more housing, stabilising Australia’s population size, transparent reporting of political donations and lobbying and banning political donations from big business and unions.
What’s the most significant issue in the electorate and how will you address it?
The most significant issue in our electorate is protecting our environment. This includes stopping overdevelopment and stopping corruption, particularly through reform of the NSW planning system.
What’s your final pitch to voters?
Sustainable Australia Party is an independent community movement with a science and evidence-based policy platform.
As an independent community movement from the political centre, after you Vote 1 for Sustainable Australia Party, we ask that you decide where to direct your own preferences.
Marc Selan – Legalise Cannabis Party
How long have you lived in the electorate?
My name is Marc Selan and I have been living in the electorate since February 15 after returning from Spain.
Why have you decided to put your hand up for election?
I decided to run in the NSW state election to try and address a broad range of social, industrial and economic issues affecting all Australians.
What’s your plan for the electorate?
The Legalise Cannabis party will put forward a bill to amend drug driving legislation for medical exemption and an impairment based test for adults. Instead of the current inaccurate saliva test not based on impairment.
We will also introduce a bill to allow adults to cultivate, carry and consume cannabis. And for a pilot program for Cannabis Social Clubs.
These entities would be licensed to cultivate cannabis solely for distribution among private adult members. Cannabis Associations are non profit and the bridge between the public and public health sector.
These significant changes would allow police to more adequately redistribute funds and energy towards dangerous crime.
What’s the most significant issue in the electorate and how will you address it?
Our logging of native forests could do with a more sustainable crop, such as hemp. Consider too, hemp is extremely dense in cellulose which can be distilled into methanol as a clean and renewable energy source.
Hemp houses are very viable growth sector requiring specific training and construction techniques. This could be a new boom for young builders offering house built from hemp being sustainable, fire resistant, antibacterial anti microbial, with 50-60 per cent less utility costs and carbon negative.
Hemp bio plastics are a material that I am very interested in manufacturing various products from in the very near future.
What’s your final pitch to voters?
As a Tweed state representative I would use my past experience as a small business owner to give the working class people of Tweed a genuine voice.
As a medical cannabis user I truly understand real health and live and represent a healthy lifestyle.
I am looking forward to introducing the beginning in a cultural and social change that we as a community will benefit from on a myriad of different levels.
Geoff Provest – The Nationals
How long have you lived in the electorate?
I have been a proud and happy resident of the Tweed electorate for more than 30 years.
Why have you decided to put your hand up for election?
I am contesting because I am 100 per cent for the Tweed – always have been and always will be.
What’s your plan for the electorate?
Our plan for Tweed, is to continue delivering amazing new infrastructure.
With the Tweed Valley Hospital to open later this year, the state’s biggest state-of-the-art facility ever built outside Sydney will offer an interventional cardiology service and an integrated cancer care service with radiotherapy and PET-CT meaning up to 5000 people no longer have to travel outside the region for lifesaving treatments.
A new ambulance station at Kingscliff is in its planning stages that will optimise paramedic response times and support critical lifesaving care.
A brand new fire station which officially opened last month will better protect the coastal communities. We are also spending hundreds of millions of dollars for upgrades of our state schools and TAFE, which is giving young people more hope for their future.
What’s the most significant issue in the electorate and how will you address it?
I would say homelessness and housing affordability following the flooding events of 2022 would be the biggest issues. 40 new social housing dwellings completed last year gave more people a safe place to call home.
I will continue to push for the delivery of more affordable housing for the electorate. Everyone should have a warm, comfortable place to call home.
The protection of koalas and wildlife is also a significant issue. I am delighted that another 48 hectares was only last week added to the Cudgera Nature reserve to further protect our koala colonies.
With the Pottsville Research Hub fully operational the future of our koalas is in good hands. The Research Hub has been designed in collaboration with Currumbin Wildlife Hospital to assist in the rehabilitation of injured koalas and those infected with chlamydia, allowing researchers to conduct vaccine trials that will help tackle the disease.
What’s your final pitch to voters?
I have never stopped working for the people of the Tweed, and I will never stop delivering for the Tweed:
Just vote 1, Geoff Provest. 100 per cent for Tweed
Craig Elliot – Labor
How long have you lived in the electorate?
I have lived in Tweed for more than 25 years with my wife Justine and we have raised our now two adult children Alex and Joe on the North Coast.
I am an electrician by trade, former frontline police officer and currently employed as a superintendent in Corrective Services.
I hold a Bachelor of Counter Terrorism, Security and Intelligence and I have a wealth of experience across senior public sector management and government delivery.
Why have you decided to put your hand up for election?
After 12 long years Tweed needs a fresh start.
I’m running to win so that locals can get the services they so desperately need and deserve. Tweed needs a fresh start with Chris Minns and Labor. I’ll be a strong voice in a Minns Labor Government delivering for our community.
Labor will scrap Geoff Provest’s unfair cap on the wages of our nurses, paramedics, and teachers. The Liberals and Nationals’ unfair cap makes it harder to recruit and retain people in these essential roles, making understaffing in our hospitals and schools even worse.
The lack of support during the devastating flood showed us that Geoff Provest and his Sydney centric government are just not up to the job.
The announcement by Geoff Provest and his boss Dominic Perrottet that they are closing four local schools in Murwillumbah just shows how much they don’t care about our region.
I’m asking locals to vote Labor so a Minns Labor Government can save our four schools in Murwillumbah from closure by the Nationals.
What’s your plan for the electorate?
After 12 years of a Liberal-Nationals Government Tweed has a chronic teacher shortage, the cost of living is skyrocketing, and our public health system is buckling under pressure because of the Liberals and Nationals unfair public sector wages cap.
The Liberals and Nationals’ cap on the wages of our nurses, paramedics and teachers is making it harder to recruit and retain people in these essential roles, making understaffing in our hospitals and schools even worse. The fact is that these essential workers are leaving Tweed jobs for better pay and working conditions in Queensland. Only a Minns Labor Government has the plan to recruit, train, and retain skilled professionals in the Tweed by removing the public sector wages cap.
The cost of living is hurting our seniors, pensioners, families, and local businesses. That’s why under Labor, 320,000 eligible small businesses will receive $315 directly off their energy bill and 1.6 million eligible families and households (those receiving income support; pensioners and Commonwealth Seniors Health Card holders; and Family Tax Benefit recipients) will receive $250 directly off their energy bill.
Labor’s plan will help ease the cost of rising electricity bills by investing in renewable storage such as pumped hydro, community batteries and other commercially viable technologies to ensure grid stability.
Only Labor will introduce minimum and enforceable safe staffing levels to public hospitals, recruit an additional 1200 nurses and midwives and fund an extra 500 paramedics to regional communities including Tweed.
Importantly, a Minns Labor Government will save our four schools at Murwillumbah from closure by the Nationals, we will build a new high school at Pottsville and will further support our teachers by converting 10,000 casual teachers to permanent roles, cut admin hours for teachers by five hours per week and restrict the use of mobile phones in all NSW public schools to reduce distraction, cyber-bullying and improve education outcomes.
What’s the most significant issue in the electorate and how will you address it?
The Liberals and Nationals’ public sector wage cap impacting our nurses, paramedics and teachers is making it harder to recruit and retain people in these essential roles, making understaffing in our hospitals and schools even worse. These essential workers are leaving Tweed jobs for better pay and working conditions in Queensland.
On the cost-of-living crisis, a Minns Labor Government will stop the future privatisation of public assets, including Essential Energy, and establish a one billion state-owned energy security company to deliver lower electricity prices.
Skyrocketing power bills are a direct result of the privatisation madness undertaken by Geoff Provest and his boss Dominic Perrottet. Geoff Provest’s part in selling off the electricity network is behind the soaring electricity bills hurting Tweed residents.
The Nationals will close four local schools in Murwillumbah, while Labor will save these schools and keep them open and fully resourced.
In health, Labor will introduce minimum and enforceable safe staffing levels to public hospitals, recruit an additional 1200 nurses and midwives and fund an extra 500 paramedics in regional communities including Tweed.
What’s your final pitch to voters?
After 12 years of a tired Liberal National government, Tweed residents are facing a cost-of-living crisis, a housing emergency, and a shortage of essential workers including teachers, paramedics, and health professionals.
Labor will scrap the unfair public sector wages cap so we can attract and retain skilled workers in Tweed, and introduce safe staffing levels to public hospitals, recruiting additional nurses, midwives, and health professionals.
Labor will save our four local schools from closure and support our teachers by converting 10,000 casual roles to permanent and reducing admin hours.
Only Labor can provide Tweed with a fresh start and a strong voice in a new, energetic Minns Government.
With our positive and fresh plans, we will address the issues facing Tweed, resuscitate our health system, rebuild our health workforce, and repair the damage caused by 12 years of privatisation by Geoff Provest.
Vote 1 Craig Elliot and Labor for a fresh start for NSW.
Ciara Denham – The Greens
How long have you lived in the electorate?
I’ve lived in beautiful Bilambil since 2021. I moved to the area with my husband, who is a doctor at Tweed Valley Hospital, and our two children who attend the local school. Tweed has always been an area we wanted to put down roots, and we feel fortunate to be able to live here.
Why have you decided to put your hand up for election?
I want to be a representative for Tweed to bring integrity back into politics: To make sure Tweed has a future that is sustainable and vibrant, that is not overrun by developers and mismanagement of public funds.
I believe we can work together for a Tweed that serves the whole community.
What’s your plan for the electorate?
I want to ensure that the growth of Tweed is supported by a long term vision and appropriate planning.
For example, there are some huge development projects planned for Tweed, and I will continue to advocate that these developments are not built on flood plains and that they include affordable housing options, so that the housing crisis is not made worse.
This includes the new Tweed hospital at Kingscliff. Now that the hospital building is in place, we need to have proper planning surrounding public transport and infrastructure, including staff and carer accommodation and housing, visitor and staff parking, and staffing.
There needs to be more support for retaining and hiring nurses and midwives and front line staff at our hospital. That means staff to patient ratios, an immediate 15 per cent pay rise and removing the public sector wage cap. What are new facilities without the people to use them?
Tweed also has unmatched natural places and I will continue to advocate for sustainable development in order to protect this. This means when making planning decisions the health, diversity and productivity of the environment must be maintained or enhanced for future generations.
Nature can no longer be seen as inexhaustible and free to be exploited by developers. The valuation of development must include its full life cycle costs.
In Tweed, we are lucky to have the Cudgen Nature Reserve. This Reserve is a lifeline for Koalas in the region. This reserve was fought and won by the community and for the community.
The Greens are calling for this area to have far greater support from the state government, with the areas of the reserve also expanding to include more essential Koala habitat. The Koala has been a poster child for too many Liberal-National political campaigns in Tweed, without enough subsequent action.
Under the Liberal-National government, Koalas have no protection in the hinterland of Tweed, where native forests are under threat from logging on private land.
What’s the most significant issue in the electorate and how will you address it?
However, the most upsetting and disgraceful issue that is inextricably linked to many others, is the homelessness and housing crisis in Tweed. This issue is not an issue that is exclusive to some. I’ve heard stories of teachers sleeping in their cars because they can‘t find somewhere to rent, or families who are homeless because of domestic violence or the cost of living crisis. This cost of living and housing crisis has come on the back of the climate disasters and increased cost of living due to the big corporations earning huge interest.
The Greens will instate an immediate rent freeze to give people time to breath and ensure the rental market does not get worse in Tweed.
We also have long term plans to Invest in and build significantly more public, social and affordable homes and require big property developers to include at least 30 per cent ongoing affordable housing in all new large private residential developments.
I am also committed to fully fund the specialist homelessness services that are needed to end homelessness in NSW.
What’s your final pitch to voters?
My background in conservation and community development, with government and not-for-profit organisations, has given me an in-depth understanding and ability to act on immediate and long term agendas so that we can all prosper.
I will never accept donations from corporations or developers.
I will stand up for our public sector workers: our teachers, our frontline healthcare workers.
I will advocate for free public transport in our region that supports its workers’ conditions.
I will fight to protect our animals of this region and our incredible natural biodiversity.
I love this community and will always put it first.
Susie Hearder – Animal Justice Party
How long have you lived in the electorate?
I have lived and volunteered in the Tweed for thirty years.
Why have you decided to put your hand up for election?
I had a strong result with my first attempt in the 2019 election. We are living in a climate-crisis, extinction crisis, homelessness crisis, rental crisis and cost-of-living crisis. So, it is not going so well with this current state government.
Koalas are headed for imminent extinction and they and other animals, vulnerable people and our beautiful and shared environment upon which we all depend, need a stronger voice in parliament.
The Animal Justice Party and I are committed to urgent reforms for animals, people, and the environment.
What’s your plan for the electorate?
Action on the climate crisis to protect our beautiful Tweed from continuing climate disasters. No development on flood plains, including a new greyhound racing death track in Tweed, and an end to all harmful, intensive developments.
Stopping the imminent extinction of koalas by ending native forest logging and urgent protection of all koala and ecosystem habitat in NSW.
Urgent action on the cost-of-living and homelessness crisis ensuring that everyone has access to a safe secure home, sustained investment in affordable, resilient, pet-friendly housing and crisis accommodation.
Nurse to patient ratios, urgent reforms to disability support services, including mental health, free and inclusive education – not mega-schools.
Wildlife safe roads and development in keeping with our status as a biodiversity hotspot in NSW, developing robust legislation to protect animals and the environment, including freshwater and marine habitat.
Fund the vital work of wildlife and animal rescue organisations. A return to transparent community consultation and input.
What’s the most significant issue in the electorate and how will you address it?
Recovery from the most recent climate emergency incident, the floods last year, and the unacceptable number of still displaced and homeless individuals, families and businesses.
This single flood event showed the lack of safe, secure, resilient and affordable housing which the NSW Govt has ignored for decades.
We need sustained investment in resilient social housing and affordable pet-friendly housing and crisis accommodation. I would encourage and fund community led crisis response teams. No further development on flood plains including a proposed greyhound racing facility at Chinderah.
We also need to secure the region against ongoing climate emergencies. If this one issue is addressed adequately it will have a positive flow-on effect for all the community, the environment, animals (including koalas), and our ecosystems.
In addition the region will benefit with growth in businesses, the economy, tourism, secure planet-friendly energy sources and sustainable plant-based agriculture.
What’s your final pitch to voters?
I am passionate about protecting this beautiful region and its high conservation values and keeping its current coastal and rural charm.
This election is a vote on koala extinction, they cannot afford another term of this government. End native forest logging and protect all koala habitat in NSW.
The Animal Justice Party will declare a climate emergency with a renewable energy target of 100 per cent by 2030. I will help our community to be resilient in times of crisis.
Every individual needs a safe, secure, resilient and pet-friendly home.
No new development on flood plains, no new greyhound racing death track in Tweed.
We will end the exploitation of animals for entertainment, protect our beloved pets and wildlife, end factory farming and support farmers to transition to sustainable agriculture.
I am for animals, people, especially the vulnerable and the environment.
Vote for kindness and koalas this election – vote 1 Animal Justice Party.
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