Name: Warren Mundine
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Political Party: Liberal Party
Age: 62
Family: I'm the ninth of 11 children. I'm married and my wife and I have 10 children between us.
Where do you live? Bomaderry
What do you do for a living? I've had a very diverse career I started my working life as a factory worker and labourer and later got my first office job at the Tax Office. I've worked on gas pipelines and as a CEO. And I've started small businesses and hosted a TV show. Most recently I ran my own business but I've divested that and now I'm concentrating 100 per cent on the election campaign.
How long have you lived in the Gilmore electorate? I moved to Gilmore in January this year. My grandparents also came from this area. My mother's family are Yuin people from the South Coast. My grandfather was born in Moruya and my grandmother in Kiama and they married in Broulee.
What is the best part of living in the Gilmore electorate? The people. Down to earth with a no-nonsense approach and will tell you what they think.
Click on the name to be taken to the profile. If the name is in black the candidate has not returned the profile.
- Carmel Mary McCallum, Greens
- Grant Schultz, Independent
- Milton Leslight, United Australia Party
- Fiona Phillips, Labor
- Serah Kolukulapally, Christian Democratic Party
- Katrina Hodgkinson, Nationals
Why are you running for the seat of Gilmore?
When the Prime Minister approached me about running for the Liberal Party at the election, it was important to me that I run in a regional seat. I've always been passionate about seeing economic growth and creating opportunities in regional Australia. I've lived over half my life in regional NSW and my work has taken me all over Australia's remote and regional areas. My ancestors through my mother have lived in this region for thousands of years. So when Gilmore was proposed I jumped at that opportunity. I want to see this region thrive with more jobs and economic opportunities.
What is your political experience?
It's no secret I used to be in the Labor Party. I was Deputy Mayor of Dubbo and ran for Labor in the state seat of Dubbo and in the Senate. I was elected to Labor' Presidential Panel in 2003 and was National President of the Labor Party from 2006-7. I left Labor in 2012 because I believe it's turned its back on working class families and on regional Australia by cosying up with the Greens. Scott Morrison persuaded me to join the Liberals and I believe they understand better the concerns and aspirations of working people and regional Australia.
What are you doing to address the plight of dairy farmers who say they are not paid enough for their milk?
I've met with Gilmore dairy farmers and have written to the Prime Minister with a detailed proposal which focusses on outcomes and what is achievable. We need to fast-track the implementation of the ACCC recommendations, including the Mandatory Code of Conduct, and I personally believe there should be a Federal Dairy Commissioner to implement and enforce it. Ideas like a floor price have emotional appeal but won't work in practice for a number of reasons. And Labor's policies will increase costs for businesses which will put even more pressure on our dairy farmers.
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?
Australia's population is heavily concentrated in the cities. Nearly half of all Australians live in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. We see the consequences in things like housing prices and congestion. There's also a lot of unmet demand in regional areas and some industries struggle to find workers. The Morrison Government's will create two new regional visas for skilled workers requiring them to live and work in regional Australia for three years. I'm not aware of any proposal to relocate immigrants to regional areas. This is about having a portion of new work visas tied to regional work.
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 Gilmore electorate?
There are good reasons to base government departments in regional areas, one being it creates jobs and another is that the department staff are drawn from areas other than capital cities which can give a broader perspective. The NSW state government has a presence in Gilmore with the Office of Local Government based here and also a local office of the Department of Primary Industries. It's a bit different but the Navy is a similar example.
What will you do over the next four years to ensure more funding for the Princes Highway? Name your priorities for urgent safety improvements on the Princes Highway.
I'm not waiting until the election. I've already had discussions with State and Federal Ministers. I've secured $500m in Federal funds for the Princes Highway to add to the $960m NSW government commitment. That's just a start. Parts of the road south of Nowra are simply not fit for purpose. We need divided highway all the way and a Nowra bypass to support a growing local population and millions of holiday makers. The NSW and Federal governments have invested in the Pacific Highway with an 80/20 funding split and with high levels of local employment. I want the same here.
What's your vision for our region and how will you encourage more people to live here?
Jobs, jobs and jobs. Gilmore's unemployment rate is over twice the state average. Jobs are primarily created by business, and in Gilmore especially by small business. In everything I'm campaigning for in Gilmore - whether it be fixing Princes Hwy or finding a solution for dairy farmers or fighting Labor's billions in extra taxes or fighting Labor's industry destroying energy policy or fighting Labor's policies that will favour unions and hurt small business - all of these come back to increasing job opportunities and creating the conditions for business to thrive in Gilmore.
Do you support renewable energy? If so how do you believe Gilmore is positioned to take advantage of the renewables market?
I'm not into "picking winners" on energy technology. We need cheap, reliable energy for a strong economy. If that comes from renewables then that's fine.
The South-East is seeing a big community push for significant renewable energy investment and opportunities. It is also a region partly dependent on employment opportunities in logging, and struggling with increasing power costs. How do you stand on those issues, or plan to reconcile them?
We need more jobs in Gilmore. But regional Australia is under threat from urban, Green-left activists who are fighting industry in regional areas every step of the way, consistently opposing new projects and undermining existing business. It's a mindset fundamentally founded on the idea Australia shouldn't be touched beyond its current level of development. The BANANA ideology - build absolutely nothing anywhere near anything. We're used to seeing it in areas where mining occurs. But the mindset also attacks agriculture, infrastructure and other initiatives. The failure of the Yerriyong motorsports park proposal in west Nowra is an example.
What policy do you have to reduce power bills?
The Morrison Government has already taken steps to require power companies to provide better deals, secure priority gas supply for Australia and put downward pressure on network costs by stopping the energy networks from gaming the system. Further steps include a price safety net to protect customers and big stick legislation to stop energy company rip offs. Power prices doubled under the last Labor government and if Labor is elected again it will adopt a 50% national renewable energy target and 45% emissions reduction target which independent modelling shows will increase wholesale electricity prices by more than 58%.
What policy do you have to deal with climate change?
Australia is on track to meet its global emissions target (of 26% to 28% below 2005 levels by 2030). The Morrison Government has a Climate Solutions Package which includes a $2 billion Climate Solutions Fund, Snowy 2.0 and a second interconnector to bring more renewable power from Tasmania. The package has been designed to both protect our environment for future generations and also ensure a strong economy, so the next generation can find jobs.
The South-East and Far South Coast would have to be among the most enticing places to live (no bias of course!) but it also one of the most unaffordable according to recent data. What are your plans and party policies surrounding housing affordability - for buyers and renters?
When my parents first married they lived in a tent by a river. They overcame many obstacles and made many sacrifices to buy their first home. I worked three jobs as a young father to buy mine. The key to home ownership is jobs and a strong economy that provides opportunities for people in work and business. And not slugging people with higher taxes so they have more money in their pocket. Labor's emissions and renewables targets will send bills up and wages and jobs down. Labor's housing tax will result in fewer homes available to rent and higher rents.
Click on the name to be taken to the profile. If the name is in black the candidate has not returned the profile.
- Carmel Mary McCallum, Greens
- Grant Schultz, Independent
- Milton Leslight, United Australia Party
- Fiona Phillips, Labor
- Serah Kolukulapally, Christian Democratic Party
- Katrina Hodgkinson, Nationals