NSW Election 2019: Swansea candidate profile
CARTERS Road, local jobs and seismic testing have emerged as major issues in the Swansea electorate. Meet your candidates.
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CARTERS Road, local jobs and seismic testing have emerged as major issues in the Swansea electorate.
Swansea state Labor MP Yasmin Catley won the 2015 election, with the seat safe with a margin of 13 per cent.
One of the major issues is the traffic congestion in Carters Rd, Lake Munmorah, which has two primary schools, two high schools and an early childhood centre.
Labor has announced it will fund a vital study on Carters Road that will identify the most appropriate solution to the traffic problems.
“I have fought with the community to fix the mess at Carters Road and I’m pleased to announce a NSW Labor Government will find the right solution,” Ms Catley said.
“Funding a study is a small price to pay for the safety of the kids who go to school here on Carters Road.”
Seismic testing off the coast has also been a major concern, with Advent Energy expected to start works next month.
The Swansea electorate takes in the coast suburbs of Budgewoi, Buff Point, Catherine Hill Bay, Chain Valley Bay, Crangan Bay, Doyalson, Doyalson North, Gwandalan, Halekulani, Jewells, Lake Munmorah, Mannering Park and San Remo and Summerland Point.
GLENN SEDDON, Australian Conservatives
Swansea is one of my most favourite places in the world, more importantly, to me, it’s home. The Swansea that I see is a place full of hope, fun and love where each person is free to reach their potential and live life to the full. I’m married to the best woman in the world and have 3 incredible kids, a golden retriever, some chickens and guinea pigs (kids convinced us). I will be pushing to support small business, especially innovative and online which will help
generate jobs and opportunities for young people, fixing the public transport network and fighting for adequate funding for our hospitals among many other issues.
I’m dependable, honest, innovative and a resourceful hard worker.
JULIA RISELEY, Animal Justice Party
I have lived in Swansea for about 15 years and I love it! I love the Lake, the Channel, the beaches and the bushland.
I am passionate about protecting the local environment. In fact, I feel physically sick whenever I hear a chainsaw because I know that more beautiful trees are being destroyed and that the birds, bugs and wildlife that inhabit those trees will be struggling to find new homes.
Our native wildlife are losing their homes to deforestation and some are in serious danger of extinction. We must protect existing habitats.
I would like to see puppy farms closed down and I think the Greyhound Racing Ban needs to be reinstated. I also think mandatory desexing should be introduced in NSW. We should also ban the sale of ALL animals in pet shops
Egg laying hens need to all be free range … there is no excuse for hens in battery cages in 2019!
We need an urgent review of the commercial kangaroo industry (how did our national icon become part of an insidious industry?)
We need to install CCTV in all intensive farms and abattoirs. In order to protect ALL animals, we must also establish an Independent Animal Protection Officer ~ who can then enforce appropriate punishments for acts of animal cruelty. You also cannot allow industries to self-regulate. History has shown that it simply does not work!
Above all, the Animal Justice Party is guided by our core principles of kindness, equality, rationality and nonviolence, When considering any policy or reforms ~ we will always use these values to determine a positive outcome for the animals, the environment and vulnerable humans. We will advocate equality and safety in areas including gun use, violence, health, education, and mental health. Please consider voting for the animals, the environment and the people.
DEAN BOWMAN, Liberal
I have grown up in the local area and have spent my career managing organisations that assist vulnerable youth and people living with a disability.
While I may be new to politics, I have extensive experience managing some of NSW’s most significant not for profit organisations. If elected, I will bring that experience to the job and continue to be an advocate for my local community.
Top 3 priorities:
1. When I’ve been out meeting members of the community, the number one issue they raise with me is cost of living. The NSW Liberals & Nationals have made taking the pressure off your household budget a priority, through our $100 Creative Kids and $200 Active Kids rebate, $200 energy rebate for self-retirees, and a $50 weekly opal cap.
2. Swansea families want their kids to receive the best education in the world. The NSW Liberals are hiring more teachers, building more schools, clearing the school maintenance backlog, and providing before and after school care for every public primary school students.
3. I know the people of Swansea want to get ahead, which is why the NSW Liberals & Nationals are creating more jobs and investing in more skills and training, so that there are opportunities for you and your family to get ahead.
YASMIN CATLEY, Labor
I’m proud to serve the Swansea community as the local Member of Parliament. I grew up in Summerland Point and my husband and I have raised our children locally. We love living on Lake Macquarie — it’s a fantastic place to raise a family, but I know our community can be even better.
NSW Labor has a strong plan to put people first. My priorities as your Member of Parliament are to make sure every child gets the best education, to make sure our hospitals stay in public hands and to get the right funding for local roads and infrastructure.
We’ll make public transport free for all school kids, no matter how far you live from school, we’ll offer over 600,000 free TAFE courses, we’ll find a solution to the mess at Carters Road (and get on the job with fixing it) and much more.
Labor won’t be spending billions on stadiums when our schools and hospitals should be the number one priority.
DOUG WILLIAMSON, The Greens
Recently qualified as an Environmental scientist, one of my links with this area was assisting my uncle, a former warden at the Hunter Wetlands Reserve, carrying out maintenance and after-hours guardianship for this struggling critical waterbird nursery.
During and since retiring from teaching in the Public education I have worked on a number of
campaigns to: End Logging in NSW Forests; Stop Nuclear and Timber ships coming into Australian ports; Disarmament; No Coal Seam Gas; Transitioning out of Coal mining and Coal Power generation; Public Education; Public Transport before Tollways and NSW Government corruption.
These and others are issues I will continue to fight for in Swansea and the greater Newcastle
region once elected. The other major issue for Swansea is the Offshore Seismic blasting program currently planned by Advent Energy from 9 April this year to occur every 3-4 seconds for 24 hours a day. This will kill and injure Humpback Whales at the end of their migration to their breeding areas on the Great Barrier Reef, dolphins and other marine life by deafening them at a time when we are only becoming aware of the high dependence of marine creatures on noise signals off our Eastern seaboard.
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