Small Business Owner

Lives in Youngtown

I believe that a good politician is someone who can listen and understand people. Someone with real-life experience who can relate to a broad range of people from different facets of life.

I wish I could say that our current state politicians fit that bill. But the truth is that they don’t. I constantly feel that the Tasmanian Government is out of touch and not listening to us. They are too busy playing politics to represent the people who elected them. That’s why I’m running to represent you in Bass.

I've always been determined to go after what I've wanted in life, professionally and personally. As an employee, I have always been top of my game. As a small business owner, I have always run a profitable and successful business. As a mother, I have a structured household that provides security and nurtures self-confidence giving my children the freedom to create and explore.

I have over 15 years’ experience as a Pharmaceutical Business Consultant leading the way in generic sales and distribution in Tasmania. This job was important as it gave all Tasmanians better access to affordable medicine.

Being a mother of three young children, I want to create a better Tasmania for the generations to come. I've personally been let down by the health system and understand the shortfalls in the way our government supports business.

Healthcare is not affordable:

I have a young son. The other week he was up all night with an earache. I took him to the local medical centre in Launceston where he was treated by a doctor for five minutes and I was billed $99. When you have to fork out that amount of money every time you see a doctor, many people won’t go, because it’s just not affordable.

Our medical specialist system must be fixed:

My son was born with a heart condition. He needs continual care and specialist check-ups to ensure that his valve is working. The wait time to see a specialist in TAS is ridiculous. I had a routine check-up in Tasmania which was referred by my son's paediatrician. My mother's intuition kicked in at that appointment and the next day I took my son to Sydney demanding to see a cardiologist. Within a week he was having open heart surgery in Sydney.

I rang my son's paediatrician to inform her of my son's surgery and asked her if she received the report from the heart check-up in Tasmania. The Paediatrician was still waiting for the report of his check-up in Tasmania. If we waited in Tasmania for his report and action for open heart surgery my son would probably be dead. I know I’m not alone with this experience. It’s not okay, fixing this should be treated like an emergency, but instead our government is doing nothing. We deserve better!

 Land tax:

Why do Tasmanians have to pay an annual tax for the land that they own? We are taxed on the income we earn to save to be able to buy the land. We are taxed a percentage of the value of the land on purchasing it. We are taxed on the income we make from the land investment. Tasmanians should not then have to pay an additional annual tax just to own the land. This is just another tax that is contributing to the huge cost of living pressures that face Tasmanians. Land tax should be abolished.