Each candidate who has announced their intention to nominate for electorates touching the City of Logan has been asked to submit a profile, all of which will be available prior to the election at mycitylogan.com.au. Edited versions are published here. Springwood takes in Rochedale South, Springwood, Daisy Hill, Shailer Park, Priestdale, Sheldon and Mount Cotton. Sitting member is ALP’s Mick de Brenni who chose not to submit his profile.
Name: Judy Rush (Animal Justice)
Age: 50
Profession: Local Business Owner
Website: animaljusticeparty.org
What makes you a good person to represent the people of your electorate?
As a local business owner for the past 24 years and Logan resident of 29 years – I can relate to businesses and the issues they face.
I believe it is our responsibility and duty to come together to create a kinder Queensland – for the animals, for nature and for humans – it’s time to demand accountability from other parties regarding their decisions around land clearing, urban sprawl, habitat loss and animal cruelty. I will promote our core values of Kindness, Equality, Rationality and Nonviolence.
What are the three key election issues in your electorate and how will you address them?
Covid19 (and its connection to Animal Exploitation / Factory farms) – Our fight against COVID-19 must be more than hygiene and social distancing measures; we must prevent the next pandemic if our economy is to survive and for the survival and success of our local businesses.
The Animal Justice Party advocates to restore the natural world, whilst other parties are supporting the destruction of it. Animal agriculture is a leading driver of a range of environmental harms. We must not only stop environmental destruction but undo it through rehabilitation. When we restore ecosystems we also help people, improving resilience to disease and drought; improving soil quality; and ensuring vital food security.
One of our points in our 10 point plan for a kinder Qld is to “Review government grants, loans and concessions to examine how best to redirect funds and benefits to growers away from less sustainable enterprises. We support the urgent and necessary transition towards plant-based agricultural systems.
Animal experimentation – this needs to be exposed and banned. The public need to be made aware that this is happening locally and products tested on animals should be labelled accordingly. This industry is not only unnecessary but also cruel. It is time to advance science and start using experimental methods that do not involve using animals.
Puppy Farms – the public need to know where their puppies are coming from, chances are they are unaware that they actually supporting an extremely cruel industry. Pet shops need to be held accountable and show evidence of where they are sourcing their puppies from. Puppy farms hide in the dark with the help of the State Government. It’s time to put an end to that.
Name: Janina Leo (Greens)
Age: 42
Profession: Psychologist, Manager of Clinical Practice
Website: https://greens.org.au/qld/person/janina-leo
What makes you a good person to represent the people of your electorate?
I am a psychologist, mother to 4 children and have lived in the Springwood electorate for over 10 years. I have experienced and met many of the difficulties that families face such as struggling to pay bills, maintain a mortgage, navigate the NDIS and ensure quality of life for my family. I firmly believe in ensuring that the community is consulted and informed and that their views are represented in parliament. For those who want a fair go, I am a compassionate voice who will advocate on behalf of everyone in our community, not just the wealthy few.
What are the three key election issues in your electorate and how will you address them?
- The most pressing issue is the economy is in recession which we aim to firstly address by massively investing in crucial public infrastructure such as building 100000 public housing homes over the next four years and 20000MW of publicly owned electricity generation.
- Public services desperately need the injection of funding that will also stimulate the economy at this critical juncture. We plan to fully fund Queensland state schools with an extra $7 billion over four years ensuring smaller class sizes, more teachers and better resources. Additionally we would invest in health by providing 21,000 more hospital beds and at least 1,000 more ICU beds.
- To address cost of living we want to make public health and education genuinely free. We would build 200 Community Health Clinics with bulk billing GPs. We would make hospital parking free. We would introduce genuinely free public schools abolishing all school service fees, excursion costs and textbook costs, free school breakfast and lunches, and free sport for kids. We would also invest in publicly owned renewable energy generation and retail to bring down electricity bills by 46%, free public transport to get more cars out of traffic.
- How we pay for it. Queensland is a wealthy state but at present ordinary people will pay for this crisis rather than corporations. Over the last 10 years mining corporations have exported over $480 billion in resources but only paid 7% in royalties. Banks and developers made billions in profit. So the Greens think big corporations should pay by increasing mining royalties to raise $55 billion over four years, introducing a 0.05% levy on the big banks to raise $4.6 billion over four years and taxing developers on land value gains from rezoning, reducing corruption and raising $7.8 billion over four years.
Name: Ian Sganzerla (MPA)
Age: 79
Profession: Retired
Website: www.no-tolls.org
What makes you a good person to represent the people of your electorate?
I have lived in and around the Logan area for most of my life, and I came from a background of ordinary every day people. My past employment began as an apprentice fitter and turner, before being self employed in earthmoving and mechanical work, but I am also guided by my Christian faith, struggles in the school of hard knocks, along with some education in matters of law and the Constitution.
What are the three key election issues in your electorate and how will you address them?
- Eliminate tolls on roads, bridges and tunnels along with the links to SPER, immediately and permanently.
- Offset toll “revenue” by ditching Government Corporation interest bearing loans and debt, in the same manner as Iceland. Iceland debts grew so high from borrowed interest bearing “credit”, that it was impossible to repay, so they threw out the “lenders”. Is not credit or loan “money” manufactured from nothing, by little more than simply adding blips to a computer debt ledger? If the railway line across the Nullarbor Plain was opened debt free, then why can’t we do likewise today without loan sharks gaining the benefit?
Interest on Queensland debt money amounts to over half a million dollars hourly, or about $84 Million weekly, which would buy a lot of roads, schools and hospitals. (3) Family values and freedom can then be better restored by reducing multiple taxes when we are no longer slaves to loot merchants.
Name: Kirrily Boulton
Age: 49
Profession: Head of Corporate Affairs
Website: kirrilyboulton.com.au
What makes you a good person to represent the people of your electorate?
I have worked in a range of industries including media, hospitality, community, health care and infrastructure construction. My past jobs include pizza delivery driver, short order cook, waitress, small business owner, disability support worker, journalist, media and communications advisor, manager and disability sector advocate. This diverse career history, combined with my life experience as a wife and parent, means I can listen and understand the changes people want to see. To respond and act, be a voice for locals, represent your needs and make decisions that incorporate your views, are the best ways I can represent our community.
What are the three key election issues in your electorate and how will you address them?
I am concerned about the lack of support for small business and decline in our commercial areas, which means we are losing out on jobs and the goods and services available to us locally. As a former small business owner, I understand many of the challenges business operators face. I will support small business and seek out ways to revitalise our commercial zones. If elected as part of an LNP Government on October 31, I have committed $1.5M to help kickstart the proposed Springwood Town Centre development by Logan City Council. This is a landmark development that will create contemporary public, commercial and community spaces and I would be proud to partner with the council to get it started.
For too long our suburbs have been treated as a place to drive through rather than somewhere to live, and as a result we put up with worsening traffic congestion every day. We will address this through the LNP’s $550m commitment to get on with building a Second M1 as soon as possible. This is a practical way to improve our everyday lives, stimulate our economy, and create desperately-needed jobs.
I have listened to members of our Volunteer Rural Fire Service who are concerned about the serious risk of bushfire, with more than 1,000 hectares of fuel load in Mt Cotton and surrounds. I applaud the men and women who volunteer to help protect our communities from bushfire. Many of them have gained extensive experience as volunteer rural firefighters interstate. I have made a $500,000 commitment to a firetruck, shed, training and equipment for this brigade to fight bushfires, and the remit to do so. Like in other states, they would work in partnership with the hardworking urban fire brigades in our region.
