Key community priorities were the topic of discussion at the Federal election Community Q&A event hosted by Cardinia Shire Council on Tuesday evening.
Almost 150 people attended the session in person or tuned in to the livestream to hear what the Federal election candidates for La Trobe had to say in response to questions submitted by the community ahead of the event.
Strategist and futurist, Simon Waller, moderated the session. Candidates in attendance included Gregory Thomas Hardiman (Trumpet of Patriots), Jeff Springfield (Australian Labor Party), Jason Wood MP (Liberal party), Jamie Longmuir (The Greens) and Leo Panetta (Pauline Hanson's One Nation). All candidates for La Trobe were invited, however Ron Malhotra (Family First) was unable to attend.
Questions were put to candidates regarding:
- Cardinia Shire's key advocacy priorities and where these sit on candidates' list of priorities.
- The role they see for themselves and the Federal Government in addressing the need for more investment in Cardinia Shire.
- Their priorities to ensure residents have access to reliable transport.
- Drivers of cost of living pressures and their plans to address this.
- Climate change and their plans to mitigate the effects of extreme weather events locally.
- The role of the Federal Government in investing in key sport and recreation infrastructure, and their priorities to improve the health and wellbeing of the community.
- Candidates' long-term vision for Cardinia Shire over the next 25 years.
In his opening address, Cardinia Shire Mayor Cr Jack Kowarzik highlighted the shire's key advocacy priorities and the significant community support for each project.
"Cardinia Shire is one of Victoria's fastest growing local government areas. We welcome an average of three new households to our shire every day, and our population is expected to increase by almost 40,000 over the next 10 years," Mayor Kowarzik said
"Unfortunately, the shire's infrastructure just isn't keeping up with demand. Growth areas like Cardinia Shire require greater investment to ensure our roads and community facilities can meet community needs, now and into the future."
Mayor Kowarzik said Council was unable to fund these critical projects on its own.
"We need support from all levels of government to deliver these essential projects to improve safety and amenity, and to ensure our residents have access to the facilities and infrastructure they need and deserve.
"It's so important that we ensure our local residents – both existing and future residents – have the same quality of life as people in more established local government areas."
A recording of the Q&A session is available online for those who missed it: https://youtu.be/GmKx8StR0Jg?si=SMMpr09zEOLHYWrV
