The grass would certainly be greener in Dubbo if Matt Parmeter got across the line in the upcoming Federal election.
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The motivation for Mr Parmeter, who announced his candidacy as the Greens candidate for Parkes, began at home.
The 45-year-old civil engineer said he threw his hat into the ring for the sake of his children’s future.
The father of two works for State Water in Dubbo and ran as the Greens candidate in the 2007 election but admits he is not a “media expert”.
“The reason somebody runs is to make things better, to make change and to have a better future for our kids. It might be a cliché but that is why I am doing this,” he said.
“I am proud to stand for a party that has the know-how and integrity to provide a sustainable future for our children.”
Renewable energy will be the main policy platform Mr Parmeter will push during the campaign.
“The Parkes electorate has great potential for renewable energy and that means a lot of jobs,” he said
“Does society have to invest money in coal or can it invest money into something sustainable and actually provide benefits especially to this electorate?”
Mr Parmeter said the Greens would unveil a renewable energy plan for Parkes closer to the election. Having worked on water supply projects in the region for two decades Mr Parmeter, who settled in Dubbo in 1996, said the resource was a major concern for the electorate.
“The seven years of drought has stressed the entire region. The rain since last Christmas has been very welcome, but many effects of the drought are still with us. I have been working with councils on drought issues since 2003, dealing with this one-in-100-year event,” he said.
“The Greens are also about caring for people. In Parkes our priority is to ensure isolated communities and low income families have access to services and that aged residents and carers receive full support from the Government.”
The candidate was aware of the political David versus Goliath bout it would take to win Parkes but he sounded keen to step in the ring.
“The election is like a race. You’ve got to be in it to win it and we’re in it to win. Some start as favourites, some start as long shots. Given the history of the electorate we are a long shot but we’re in it, we’re running and we’re getting our ideas out there”