Jenny Leong (Greens )
Jenny Leong has just
completed her term as President of the University of Sydney’s
Postgraduate Program and understandably tertiary education is one of her key
election platforms. Leong says the Greens propose to “repeal HECS and forgive
all HECS debts.”
“The
Greens estimate that the abolition of HECS would cost $2.5 billion per year. To
put that figure in perspective, the Government has earmarked $70 billion over
the next four years in tax cuts.”
The
second of Leong’s platforms is the Work Choices legislation.
Leong
said that the Greens are the only party that will rip up Work Choices. “Beazley
and Gillard said they would tear up Work Choices but now we have Forward with
Fairness.
The
Labor Party has sold out on a massive union campaign on workers rights. Labor
is moving away from its support base of unionists and now they are getting
involved in the Greens. People don’t want a light version of Howard – they want
a complete change in direction.”
The
third key election issue for Leong is climate change. “While Plibersek is a
member of the Left she still has to vote with Labor.
The
Greens policy is to phase out polluting industries and retrain workers in
sustainable industries such as solar and wind power. If this transition is not
made, then jobs in the tourism industry, such as at the Great
Barrier Reef, will be lost.”
Tanya Plibersek (Labor )
Tanya
Plibersek is the incumbent member for Sydney.
Plibersek’s three main campaign issues are the housing affordability crisis, education
from early childhood to university, and indigenous issues.
Plibersek
says, “There are three issues in terms of what’s happening locally in the
housing affordability crisis – the private rental market, home ownership and
public housing.
There
is also the related issue of homelessness. Around 100,000 people in Australia sleep
without a roof over their heads every night: half of them are under the age of
24 and 10,000 are children.” Plibersek says that in the past ten years the Government
has reduced the public housing budget by $3 billion. In contrast, a Rudd Labor
Government will increase emergency and public housing for people in need. In response
to the Greens policy on repealing HECS, Plibersek says that the money would be
better spent increasing housing affordability.
“There
are issues in education from early childhood to university. There are people
who can’t work or study because of lack of childcare facilities. There is going
to be a 240,000 person skills shortage in trades over the next few years and yet
TAFE has turned away over 300,000 people from courses over the term of the
Howard Government.
It
is best to invest in TAFE now to avoid the skills shortage.
The
third key campaign issue for Plibersek is indigenous affairs. “There is a
significant indigenous population in this electorate who have benefited from
housing programs and yet funding has been withdrawn.” Plibersek says vital
programs such as the Redfern Community Development Employment Program also had their
funding withdrawn. While a national approach to indigenous affairs is needed,
Plibersek contends that the confrontational approach of the Howard government
is not the solution.
Georgina Anderson (Liberal)
Mortgage
broker and actor Georgina Anderson is the recently announced Liberal Party
candidate for Sydney.
Historically Sydney has voted to the Left, but Anderson is confident she
can secure an increase in the Liberal vote.
Anderson’s
key campaign message is the solid economic management under the Howard
Government and promises that if returned that economic prosperity will
continue.
As
a mortgage broker, Anderson
is acutely aware of the effect of interest rates on people’s lives.
While
interest rates have risen in recent times, Anderson proposes that interest rates are
historically low and lower than what their rate would be under Labor. “Interest
rates were an average of 7.2% over the last 11 years, whereas interest rates
were 12.75% over the course of the last Labor government. By keeping interest rates
low, the Liberal government is creating more affordable housing,” Anderson claims.
Anderson fixes on Australia’s
improved financial situation in the last 11 years of the Liberal government.
“The top tax rate is now $180,000 rather than Labor’s $50,000. Real wages
(accounting for inflation) have increased dramatically by almost 20% during the
Liberal Government, whereas under the Labor government real wages decreased by
1.8%. The number of long term unemployed was 197,800 at the end of Labor, whereas
now the number of long term unemployed is 76,000.”
Regarding
the unpopular Work Choices legislation Anderson
said nineteen out of twenty businesses in a Sensis survey believe the changes
are positive.
Source: South Sydney Herald October 2007