The housing crisis and a pay rise for frontline workers and teachers are important to Wollindilly Greens candidate Jason Webster.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Find out what Jason stands for with a Q and A with the Southern Highland News.
SHN: Why have you decided to run for the seat of Wollondilly?
Like everyone in the electorate, I experienced the extreme flooding events that destroyed so much property and especially the roads. I remember telling my wife after the first flood; "don't worry, we only ever get one flood and the next one will be several years off."
After that, the floods kept on coming and coming and it was then that I knew we had to do something about the climate and very urgently.
SHN: What is your experience?
In politics, absolutely none! I have never been politically active before and so this was a steep learning curve.
I come from an accounting background and hence my answers to questions are very precise. I find answering electorates questions difficult as candidates' answers are usually woolly, so I prefer to refer back to the Greens policy with my answers. That means what I say can easily be checked, as the Greens policies are published online and are easily referenced. But I prefer this approach as it means we are accountable - open and fair government is very important to me.
SHN: What are your priorities for Wollondilly and Wingecarribee?
This really has to be the housing crisis. I am a tenant so I know first-hand the difficulties tenants are facing. There are many tenants that are finding it difficult as I write this, as many landlords have their houses for sale and tenants are being forced to move. I am one of them and trying to find a new property, often within just a few weeks is very stressful and can also mean an increase in the rent.
SHN: What is your stance on health in the region?
We have a very real shortage of hospital space and a shortage of healthcare professionals. We are proposing a 15 per cent pay rise for frontline workers and badly needed funding to upgrade existing hospitals as well as an urgent care centre in Wollondilly.
SHN: What is your stance on education in the region?
We have a shortage of teachers and we have been asking teachers to take a real wage pay cut. We need to end the public sector wage cap and give teachers the pay rise they deserve - 15 per cent is what we are proposing, this will bring in more teachers and resolve the shortage.
SHN: What is your stance on the state of the roads in the region?
The Wollondilly residents would be great contenders for a new Olympic sport - pothole dodging! This is a really serious issue and it is made worse by having major roads, such as Remembrance, Menangle and Silverdale roads, which should be state roads but are currently council roads. This reclassification is a priority should I win the election.
SHN: What will you do for the people of Wollondilly and Wingecarribee?
Honest, open fair representative government. A member that engages with the community and really listens to their concerns. The residents of Wollondilly and Wingecarribee have a right and a need to be in contact with their member and to see results.
SHN: How will you help tackle the cost of living affecting residents?
This is a very real issue that needs real long lasting solutions. Tokens handed out at election time don't help, but the Greens solutions do. Take community gardens, where people are assisted by government to grow their own food, inflation busting pay rises for our public employees, free public transport to really cut out the rising price of fuel, capping rent increases, take power assets into public ownership and reduce the cost of energy bills.
SHN: What makes you stand out?
The simple fact that we can't be bought. We won't take donations for the rich or corporate and that means all our policies and our government are for the people. I will work for the people and represent their needs in government.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content:
- Bookmark our website
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Google News
Make sure you are signed up for our breaking news and regular newsletters
