Carlo Di Falco has views on everything from climate change to the demise of Tassie towns
Carlo Di Falco has been retired for a year but now he’s got a new job as the first Shooters, Fishers and Farmers MP in Tasmania’s Parliament. Read his story.
Carlo Di Falco knows the value of hard work.
The 66-year-old, who retired from the Hobart City Council a year ago, is proud of being a blue-collar worker.
He adored his late Italian-born father, a builder’s labourer, who gave up so much for his three young sons.
“My dad was my idol, he was a Prisoner of War and came to Australia but went back to Italy and married mum later in life,” Mr Di Falco says.
His mother died of a brain tumour when he was just eight leaving his father to raise him and his younger twin brothers.
“I saw the sacrifices he made to give us the best education and a framework for my values.
“Religion was important to him. You’re a product of your life experiences and the Christian Brothers instilled a lot of those values of being honest and hard work.
“I’ve worked with my hands all my life. You can be a blue collar worker and still achieve.
“I’m not used to public speaking, it takes me out of my comfort zone but with experience and practice I’ll come right.”
Friendly and outgoing, Mr Di Falco has firm views on what he wants to achieve for the voters in Lyons who helped him make history by becoming Tasmania’s first Shooters, Fishers and Farmers MP.
A former member of the Labor Party, who once helped Labor leader Dean Winter campaign for a seat in the Legislative Council is emphatic that the House of Assembly must run its full term.
“The first order of business is definitely a fixed four-year term.
“My view is, you need to play the hand that you’ve been dealt. You shouldn’t pull the pin just because it’s advantageous to you.”
Mr Di Falco is opposed to the Macquarie Point stadium and the Marinus Link connector project and wants the next government to do all it can to help businesses succeed, thus generating jobs and wealth.
He attributes his success at being elected – after a few previous attempts – to people finally backing his party.
“The message got out that we’re not just about shooting, fishing and farming.
“We’re not a bunch of rednecks, we actually care for the community
“If there’s anything that I want to get out there is to tell the people in the regional rural areas of Tasmania, we’ve got your back.”
Mr Di Falco bemoans the demise of services in rural towns and cites Ouse which he said is “a microcosm of what’s happened”.
“They’ve lost two doctors clinics, they’ve lost the school, they’ve lost the hospital, they’ve lost a whole heap of stuff over the last 30 years.
“Every small rural town used to have at least one sawmill. They provided jobs. It created wealth, it provided raw material for the building industry.
“As it is now, a lot of our hardwoods and framing timbers and all that come from overseas and we’ve got absolutely no control over how that’s harvested.”
Mr Di Falco is sceptical of climate change and is critical of what he calls the “high priests of the net zero movement” who he says predicted a lack of rainfall which did not eventuate “with the dams overflowing”.
“The problem with the net zero catastrophists is they keep making predictions and they shouldn’t because they’ve got no idea and their predictions keep failing.
“I believe the scientists who reckon that net zero is nonsense.”
He does not believe that Tasmania should “take up the slack for Victoria” by providing power from the Marinus link which he believes “will ruin the Tasmanian landscape”.
Mr Di Falco, who spent much of Saturday with about 80 people at a northern gun range, also wants changes to gun laws.
“Gun control is an issue,” he said.
“It is an issue for us because it just appears that rather than controlling criminal use of firearms, what’s happening is there’s just a raft of gotcha regulations. There’s so many ways that you can fall foul of the firearms laws or regulations.
“People don’t realise how important being able to go out and have a shot is to a lot people.
“I’ve had guys phoning up and they’ve been in tears because they’ve done stuff that they didn’t even realise was an offence.
“Gel blasters are glorified water pistols but they have to be licensed.”
Mr Di Falco has a son living in Victoria and has lived on 4ha at Forcett for 34 years.
“I’d like to call it a hobby farm but the soil’s that poor, a bandicoot would need a cut lunch to walk across it.”
He says the national arm of the party is chuffed at his win and have volunteered to help him set up his office and appoint staff.
“I don’t want to look back on my time in politics and think that I haven’t achieved anything. (But) I know that I’m only one vote.”
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