Political Party: Australian Labor Party (NSW Branch)

Age: 24

Family: Both my mother and father passed away before I was 18, I still live in the home I grew up in in Coonabarabran.

Where do you live? Coonabarabran

What do you do for a living? I work as a teacher's aide at the local high school as well as a farm hand on the local property.

How long have you lived in the Parkes electorate? All my life.

What is the best part of living in the Parkes electorate? Community and all that it brings to your life.

Why are you running for the seat of Parkes? I want to see the regions get their fair share. Whether it is an extra 34 million for the schools across the electorate or rebuilding TAFE and ending the abuse of 457 visas. Protecting our water resources from mining and mismanagement. Together we can achieve so much for our communities.

What is your political experience? My political experiences comes from the distilled knowledge of my two dear friends, former NSW Premier Bob Carr and former Senator John Faulkner. I have spent many evenings listening to these giants of Australian politics and have learned an enormous amount.

The crippling effects of the drought continue to be felt by the electorate's farmers. What kinds of measures would you fight to install to drought-proof the region? Is the creation of more dams part of the solution, and if so, where should they be located? If elected we bring industry leaders, family famers, economist and ecologists to Canberra to worth in establishing a Farm Profitability and Sustainability Plan. This plan will ensure that the industry has security in knowing exactly what the supports will be during hard times, rather than the current model hoping for a cash hand out.

Do you support the proposal to relocate immigrants to regional centres as a means of relieving pressure on metropolitan infrastructure and increasing the population of and diversity in country towns and cities? This is an idea worth exploring. We need to ensure however that we equip those immigrants with the skills needed to settle into regional communities such as good English language skills. Further we need to assist communities in welcoming those people who we may relocated to the regions.

Many primary producers in the region lament the lack of seasonal workers to pick their crops because of restrictions with the current visas system. If elected, what changes would you push to make to alleviate this concern? Currently in Australia there are over 1 million people working on 457 visa, we don't believe this is right. Where possible we want to see that Australians are employed in Australian jobs.

How should the federal government increase the export potential of Parkes' primary producers and manufacturers? Transport links are key! That is why we will hold a public inquiry into the construction of the inland rail to ensure that the $10 billion project is done once and done right.

Do you agree with the idea of decentralising government departments to regional areas, and, if so, which departments would you like to see be relocated to the Parkes electorate? This is another good idea. Not all departments are suitable for such relocation so it would have to be decided on a case by case basis.

What's your vision for our region and how will you encourage more people to live here? My vision is to do all we can to ensure that our regions are maintained and grow. This means ensuring we have top quality schools and hospitals and that we protect and properly manage our water resources to keep agriculture alive. Without water we are not.

What is the best way to improve links between Sydney and the Central West? Do you support a Bells Line Express Way? Do you support upgrading the Great Western Highway including tunneling through the Blue Mountains? Should the federal government favour (and fund) one approach over the other? If so which approach should be the priority? Ultimately we must improve our links to major centres and ensure that people can afford to take advantage of those links.

What are you plans with the Inland Rail? Do the concerns of some residents who are impacted by the potential train track concern you? What infrastructure do you want to see built or fixed in the electorate over the next three years? We have serious concerns in regards to inland rail that is why we will hold a public inquire into the project, with hearings in each of the towns currently effected. When you plan to spend $10 billions of tax payers money you have the responsibility to ensure it is done once and done right.

What is your stance on the future of coal mining for the region? We should prioritise renewable energy projects in the region and protect and enhance our agriculture sector.

Do you support renewable energy? If so how do you believe Parkes is positioned to take advantage of the renewables market? I do support renewables and believe Parkes is well places to take advantage of this industry, the prove in the project we have already seen installed across the electorate.

What policy do you have to reduce power bills? Labor has a plan to directly regulate power prices ensuring that they are reduced.

What policy do you have to deal with climate change? We want to see that Australia has a reduction of 50% in net emissions by 2030. One of the way we will achieve this is to offer $2000 rebates to home that install battery storage and roof top solar. This is one of the greatest issues facing our nation and our region - we will act!

What are your plans to improve mental health services for the Parkes electorate? We will invest and extra $200 million into headspace plus with a particular focus on youth mental health.

What do you think needs to be done to improve youth employment in the region? We have two major polices on this issue. The first in to offer small business a tax cut of 30% when they employ locals under the age of 25 or over the age of 55 who have been out of work for at least 3 months. Secondly ensure that 1 in 10 employees working on government contracts are local apprentices.

What will you do to help reduce crime in the electorate? How are you proposing to curb the rates of drug use, particularly ice? I believe we need to take a tougher approach to those who deal drugs in our community and ensure that we have the facilities to rehabilitate those who have used drugs so as they can contribute to our society once more. Crime is an every present issue and we must continually reassess our approach.

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