Election spotlight on: Hinkler
The Queenslander is profiling a number of electorates as the federal election enters its final month.
Each candidate will answer five questions in their pitch to you, the Queenslanders.
Hinkler
The federal electorate of Hinkler covers almost 4000 square kilometres and runs from Hervey Bay to Bundaberg.
The seat is named after Bundaberg’s own Bert Hinkler, a pioneering aviator who was the first person to fly solo from England to Australia.
The seat has been held by the National Party, Labor and the LNP.
The current member for Hinkler is Keith Pitt who entered Parliament in 2013 and is currently Minister for Resources and Water.
Jack Dempsey, Independent
What is the thing you love most about Hinkler?
Hinkler is a beautiful region and has generous, amazing people. I call it the Goldilocks region because Bundaberg and Hervey Bay are not too big and not too small. We have fantastic liveability and lifestyle, a great location and an equable climate.
The region is renowned for its world-famous beverages, iconic beaches on the southernmost point of the Great Barrier Reef, sugarcane and horticulture. If it grows, it grows in Hinkler. Our spirit isn’t just in the bottle, it’s in our people encompassing Indigenous and from all over the world, including generations from the Pacific Islands.
What are the three most important issues at this election?
Cost of living, housing and sustainability.
Rising costs, housing affordability and the lack of supply are serious threats to our liveability and lifestyle. I’ve noticed the major parties aren’t offering solutions to the housing crisis. I think that’s because the problem is so huge, they don’t know where to start.
We’ve got working families living out of cars. Doctors and other professionals who move to the region can’t find somewhere to live; they’re boarding or forced to share. Businesses are struggling to recruit people with essential skills because they can’t get housing. The disadvantaged are becoming even more marginalised.
By sustainability I mean protecting and preserving our natural environment while growing the economy and population. That includes addressing climate change, developing a circular economy, planning for more extreme weather events and investing in disaster mitigation.
Why should Queenslanders vote for you?
I’m genuinely independent and look at every issue on its merits without an agenda of any kind. I’m experienced in life and politics.
How will you grow jobs in Hinkler?
I’m a proud advocate for growing the regional economy to create jobs. We have strengths in agriculture, agricultural technology, bio-manufacturing, renewables, tourism, health and community services which should be targeted for vocational education and higher education through partnerships between government, industry, schools and universities. At Bundaberg Regional Council we established the Bundaberg Jobs Commitment, which links secondary school students with employers to gain mentoring, life skills and practical work experience to boost their confidence and self-esteem. The Federal Government should be leading programs like this and helping to fund them.
What is your vision for the economy in Hinkler over the next 5-10 years?
My vision is for a fairer society which looks after its most vulnerable, champions innovation and creates careers for young people. We can be a world leader in bio-manufacturing and renewables. For too many decades, Hinkler has been one of the most disadvantaged regions in Australia.
I see a future where young people don’t leave Bundaberg and Hervey Bay, they come here to study, live and work. We’ll be an agricultural technology powerhouse, leading the nation in research and development, best practice and innovation. We’ll have a tourism industry that’s clever, agile and properly resourced.
Businesses will invest and create jobs because we have skilled personnel, motivated educators and an enviable lifestyle.
Keith Pitt, LNP
What is the thing you love most about Hinkler?
The Hinkler electorate is renowned for many things: turtles, whales, ginger beer, rum, macadamias, sugar cane, growing 25 percent of the nation’s produce and being at the southern tip of the Great Barrier Reef. But it’s much more than that. It’s a fantastic place to raise a family or run a business. There are wonderful communities who pull together in times of natural disaster or difficult times, and there are endless opportunities ready for the taking.
What are the three most important issues at this election?
Ensuring cost of living is affordable and providing opportunities into the future for our youth through growing our local economy; ensuring the Queensland State Labor Government invests more of the Commonwealth’s support in our local public health system in Hinkler; and maintaining water security and reliability.
Why should Queenslanders vote for you?
I’ll be standing on my record of delivery and standing up for our region’s fair share of funding which has included Australia’s first Regional Deal, securing up to $600 million to restore Paradise Dam, millions for upgrades on local roads and the Bruce Highway, as well as delivering the essential services we all rely on.
How will you grow jobs in Hinkler?
I want local businesses to have the confidence to invest, take on more workers and support them to train the next generation of tradies, as well as expand local manufacturing. All of this leads to more local jobs.
What is your vision for the economy in Hinkler over the next 5 – 10 years?
I will continue to look at ways to strengthen the economy and make it easier to do business, not harder. It could be adding another string the bow of existing businesses and industries such as tourism, agriculture, manufacturing, exporting, or bringing an entirely new industry to the region. There are jobs that don’t even exist yet, so we need to ensure we have training programs and the skills to adapt.
Jason Scanes, Labor
What is the thing you love most in Hinkler?
I love the lifestyle and diversity that is in the electorate, from the many wonderful beaches, to the vibrant marine life including the turtle hatchery in the north to the whales in the south. We have a good mix of agriculture, tourism and industry, allowing for a place to work, live and play.
What are the three most important issue at this election?
The most important issues this election will be on areas that have been neglected by the Morrison Government. The lack of investment in our region to drive economic prosperity and create opportunities has seen our region being taken for granted. Cuts to education, housing and health have had a profound impact on our region and has seen workers; pensioners; and our young people being left behind. The issues I will be focused on beyond the establishment of a Federal Integrity Commission will be:
- Reducing the cost of living pressures;
- Investing in our health care services (access to GPs and better aged care services);
- Creating education opportunities for our future workforce.
Why should Queenslanders vote for you?
As a Fellow of the Institute of Managers and Leaders, I know that ‘service to others requires leadership, integrity and determination’; I will listen, I will be focused on delivering and I will relentlessly and unapologetically pursue the interests of the people of Hinkler in parliament. I have an excellent understanding of business and issues affecting the economy through my Masters in Business from the UNSW and recent work in the region.
How will you grow jobs in Hinkler?
Labor will deliver and secure, well-paid jobs, by investing in the skills Hinkler needs to drive future economic growth.
Our Future Made in Australia Skills Plan will close this gap and boost these critical workforces by providing 465,000 Free TAFE places, including 45,000 new TAFE places across Australia. It will deliver up to 20,000 new university places, helping to fix areas of skills shortages and fill future skills needs by training Australians in jobs including engineering, nursing, tech, and teaching.
What is your vision for the economy in Hinkler over the next 5 – 10 years?
My vision for the economy is to ensure that Hinkler benefits from Labor’s investment plans to build a better future. Investments like the $15b National Reconstruction Fund to ensure that our agricultural, forestry, fishing and tourism sectors thrive; delivering water security projects through investments like the $600m to restore Paradise Dam. That we improve communication and exploit opportunities in emerging technologies and renewable energy for the future and to make sure that everyone has the security of a home through Labor’s $10b Housing Australia Future fund that will deliver 30,000 homes over the next 5 years while creating more than 21,000 jobs.
