The one, paramount issue I want to tackle should I be re-elected local member for Katherine is:
To remove problem drunks and anti-social behaviour from our streets. This singular issue affects the locals’ lifestyle and enjoyment of the town and seriously affects our tourism industry. The people of Katherine deserve better.
The following three personal qualities make me the best person to represent Katherine:
Focussed, tenacious, compassionate
If elected I am going to make a positive change
- for the entire community by:
Engaging in a strategic planning process that will see Katherine become a more significant hub for transport, cattle and tourism. Katherine has been ignored for too long. As a part of a government that will spread its focus beyond Darwin, I will ensure Katherine receives a better deal in terms of infrastructure investment, local support, funding and all the opportunities to grow to meet its potential.
- for young people by:
Ensuring our young people have a voice. I will re-introduce the Chief Minister’s Round Table for youth. I will divert resources into the activities that youth need, including a Youth Hub or drop in centre. But more importantly, I will focus on the underlying issues that lead our young people off the right track and address them.
- for seniors by:
Reintroducing activities for Senior that include those previously offered by Community Connections. I will ensure that the cost of living for Seniors is brought down through improved concessions. Importantly, I will also be a part of a government that will provide encouragements to employers to re-engage older Territorians in the workforce to take advantage of their knowledge and experience.
- for local business owners by:
Cutting Red Tape and changing the culture of the public service back to one that provides real service to small businesses. Government departments will be rationalised and “one stop shops” within the government framework will make sure that businesses can go about their work of contributing to the Katherine economy.
- for volunteer and not-for-profit groups by:
Recognising the vital part that volunteer and not for profit groups provide in Katherine. Funding applications will be simplified in line with my moves to cut red tape for businesses.
- for sporting groups by:
Making available automatic grass roots funding for sporting clubs. In recognition of the hard work that volunteers do in this arena, their job should be made easier by making sure that funding is available to them more directly. All students engaged in sport through clubs will receive a $75 voucher to ease the cost of registering for the sport. I’m all about reducing the cost of living for struggling families.
- for the arts and crafts community by:
My support for this sector in Katherine is unquestionable. I commit to ensuring that groups such as Katherine Craft are well-funded and are not chopped back, as they have been in recent years of the Labor government. I advocated vocally for an appropriate level of ongoing funding for the Cultural Precinct. My position of this has not changed and I will support not only ongoing operational funding, but the expenditure required to continue with the capital works.
- for tourism in the Katherine region by:
Removing the eyesore on the main street – the problem drunks. In a government that recognises the value of tourism to the Katherine economy, we will create a three-hub economy in the NT with Tourism being one of those. As a strong advocate of tourism in Katherine, I can assure you that Katherine will become a key location within our economic model for the Territory.
- for the beautification of our town by:
Working with the Katherine Town Council in a partnership on the town’s natural beauty and enhancing infrastructure around the Low Level, Giles Street, just as examples. I will ensure the main street is kept clean, tidy and chewing-gum free by ensuring appropriate cleaning of footpaths occurs regularly.
- for the environment in the region by:
Ensuring both energy and resources are applied to protecting the most beautiful asset of the town, the Katherine River, through enhanced weed management programs and support of land care operations.
My stance on Opal fuel in Katherine is:
Far more resources need to be allocated to early intervention. I support the roll out of opal under circumstances where change cannot be achieved through other interventions and only if a regional model, including Darwin, is adopted.
Each candidate was given a catalogue of questions relating to the life in the Katherine region.
In next week’s Katherine Times:
Read what the candidates have to say to public drinking problems and crime in Katherine, what they think the future holds for our town, how they would improve the quality of living in Katherine, what they think key weaknesses of their opponents in this election are, and what their plans are if they don’t win the election.