Hinkler election candidate Jason Scanes appears to have support of Fraser Coast Mayor

The ALP Federal Election candidate for Hinkler appears to have the support of the Fraser Coast Mayor after a series of Facebook posts showing the two spending time together discussing the region’s issues.

Hinkler’s Labor hopeful Jason Scanes appears to have an ally in Fraser Coast Mayor George Seymour as he fights to win the Federal seat at the upcoming election.

Mr Seymour has shared a number of social media posts from Mr Scanes’ Facebook page in the past few weeks, including one which showed the Mayor and the candidate meeting at the Hervey Bay Hospital to discuss a range of issues, including access to doctors, mental health and aged care services.

“It is vitally important that all levels of government come together to discuss issues that are impacting both demand and supply of services with a common goal of delivering the best outcomes for their communities,” Mr Scanes wrote in the post.

Other posts showed Mr Seymour meeting with the Hervey Bay Basketball Association and Mr Scanes late last month, and another in March in which the Mayor wrote “I always enjoy hearing from people about how they want to contribute and serve the community and it was great to catch up with Jason Scanes who is running for the seat of Hinkler in the upcoming federal election”.

The Chronicle contacted Mr Seymour to ask if he was endorsing Mr Scanes’ candidacy.

“A few candidates for Wide Bay and Hinkler have contacted me asking about local issues,” Mr Seymour said in response.

“What has really impressed me about Jason is that he didn’t just want to hear about problems, he wanted to get out and meet with individuals and groups to discuss how we can all work together for the good of our community.

Labor candidate Jason Scanes, incumbent MP Keith Pitt and Fraser Coast Mayor George Seymour.

“There are six candidates running for Hinkler. Whoever gets elected I am sure we will have a productive working relationship with them, as we have had with the different Hinkler and Wide Bay MPs in the years that I have been on the council.”

Mr Scanes said he had “absolute respect” for Cr Seymour, who he said had work tirelessly during the flood events that hit the region.

“Whether he supports me or not would be question you would need to put him,” he said.

“I have stated previously that part of my role, if elected to represent the people of Hinkler, would be to work closely with all levels of government to deliver federal government support to projects that would benefit our region.

“I have had great discussions with many people from different organisations right across the region, including the council, to get a deeper understanding of the issues facing Hinkler and how we can work together to solve those issues.

“Some of the issues we have discussed include water security, roads, unemployment, education, homelessness, aged care and health.

“Many of these issues will require all three levels of government working together to ensure future demand for our region is met.

“If elected, people can expect me to remain proactive in this space and remain engaged with community members, groups, local government and state representatives to ensure that future funding requirements for projects and services are delivered for our region without delay.”

Incumbent Hinkler MP and LNP candidate Keith Pitt said he would have no problem working with Mr Seymour if re-elected, no matter his political affiliation.

“Mayor Seymour has never hidden his political affiliations and it’s not my role to determine if it’s appropriate or not; that is up to the ratepayers who elected him as their representative,” he said.

“Proper use of ratepayer funded resources is overseen by the Queensland State Labor Government.

“I have always worked closely with Mayor Seymour to get the best outcomes for Hervey Bay.

“The Hinkler Regional Deal is an example of this – with transformational, once in a lifetime projects, underway in Hervey Bay right now worth over $161 million.”

Originally published as Hinkler election candidate Jason Scanes appears to have support of Fraser Coast Mayor