The Outsider

As today is International Midwives day, I'd like to firstly thank and celebrate all midwives for their service to our community – it’s fair to say that most of us wouldn't be here without your care and support.

Nominating as a Senate candidate has been largely a rewarding experience but not without some unexpected curveballs. If elected, I will provide advocacy for everyday South Australians impacted by abuse and neglect, and the treating medical clinicians, first responders and witnesses supporting them. Whilst I will vote on legislation and engage in other parliamentary processes, my primary focus will remain on timely engagement with repeated, serious incidents of physical and psychological harm in South Australia.

A number of readers have recently asked for my thoughts on what I would do in the event of a hung parliament and if that will distract me from my priorities. I consider it extremely unlikely that I would be distracted in such a situation purely because I am running for the Senate and the government is formed by a majority of members in the House of Representatives. I am also realistic about my chances of being elected given this is my first time running as a candidate. This said there have been a number of unprecedented circumstances occur in recent times and there is no way to confidently predict anything given the last decade of instability in our parliament. So with all these caveats, any major party that is going to genuinely consult with victims and their advocates, and commits to legislating enforceable laws informed by such consultation - will have my support.  Other than that, I will not engage in horse trading about issues on the fringes, I will simply continue focusing upon supporting and engaging with clearly identified and repeated incidents of physical and psychological harm occurring in South Australia.

Whilst writing this post, another scenario arose in my thoughts - not one generated by any readers of my blog. Given the increasing presence of independent members of parliament in recent years, it is again - unlikely but possible - that a block of independents could unite and prove quite significant in determining the next government. Again, if elected, my role will not as be as pivotal as those decisions to be made by the elected members of the House of Representatives. However, if I do chose to join such an alliance, the same conditions would need to apply as those detailed above, namely a commitment to legislate enforceable laws informed by consultation that protects our community from clearly identifiable harm in a timely manner.

This week has seen many candidates being disendorsed and dropped from their party like hot potatoes. It has made me consider any further skeletons in my own closet. Having already provided details regarding the two occasions where I have been dismissed, it is accurate to state that my biggest regrets from my past hint at the widespread problems relating to intimate relationships in Australian society. Whilst certainly not criminal nor violent, I have unnecessarily caused emotional distress to a small number of women that I had relationships with when I was younger, generally at the time when these relationships were ending. To these women I say sorry and I wish them every happiness. I feel Australian men - myself included - need to take greater responsibility to create a safe space - at home, at work, everywhere in our community. This need not be an overly politically correct statement, it's simply about a time and a place - if your opinions or behaviour has the potential to cause harm - then the appropriate space for such conduct or statements is not in public, and with clear consent if required. We all need to recognise the harm that we all can inflict on each other, and it is not simply men who are capable of inflicting emotional, psychological and physical pain. However the burden of serious physical and psychological harm in family violence settings primarily impacting on women, children and the workloads of law enforcement agencies is at epidemic levels. For nearly a decade, I have been fortunate to be in a stable, loving relationship with Vanessa and my campaign has been very much personally informed by an incident where my family were subject to harassment at home one night by an individual known to me. I had repeatedly witnessed and heard accounts of this individual and their working unit inflicting harm upon myself and a number of former colleagues over the preceding six years.

Whilst the prevalence of family violence is concerning, of equal concern is our longstanding issues around racial discrimination and abuse in Australia. Stories recently aired in the media have highlighted that whilst police records confirm thousands of incidents of hate crimes, there have only been a handful of convictions, and none in South Australia. In some states and territories, racial vilification is not even regarded as a criminal offence. When our political leadership routinely offend diverse and valued groups in our community, the time has clearly arisen for everyday people like myself to stand up and demand change. If elected, I anticipate that I may need to support individuals from a range of diverse ethnic backgrounds who have been targeted and subject to repeated serious physical and/or psychological harm.

Here are some brief responses to some other issues raised by readers and advocacy groups:

*Liberal and Labor supporter wanting to support my campaign - Being a Liberal or Labor supporter does not preclude you from voting for me. Whilst at a Pre-poll centre last week, one self-confessed longstanding Liberal voter mistakenly believed that they couldn't vote for me and the Liberal Party given the Liberal Party's how to vote material encouraging electors to vote above the line. Any elector can choose to vote below the line, provide their first four preferences to any major party of their choice and then continue numbering any other boxes up to 6 at a minimum for the vote to be regarded as formal - more on this below.

*Australian Electoral Commission - Whilst the AEC have presented me with a number of unanticipated challenges, the AEC commissioner and the AEC's own printed how to vote material seems to be providing challenges to all Australians. The AEC commissioner's recent interview on ABC radio left many confused and some demanding apologies. Further adding to the confusion, the AEC scrutineers’ handbook clearly details on page 41 that the numbering of boxes one through to six below the line will result in that ballot being regarded as a formal vote. The AEC's how to vote material instead emphasises (frequently in bold) that you need to number one to twelve at least below the line. It's unfortunate that we need further reforms to remove the confusion surrounding above and below the line voting in the Senate, and I propose that we simply list all the candidates, grouped by party or as ungrouped independents with no above the line option. We then advise electors to number boxes one through to six at a minimum in a regular Senate election (to elect 6 senators), or number boxes one through to twelve at a minimum in a double dissolution election (to elect 12 senators). This is not the only unnecessarily confusing issue around the AEC's communications to arise recently, it appears that wilful misinformation is not purely the domain of politicians.

*Keith & District Hospital - Yet another temporary fix was provided to the Keith hospital this week with the SA government agreeing to step in and advance more funds from next years budget to ensure its operation until the end of this financial year. As previously mentioned, if elected, I will donate $5k to Keith Hospital in the 2019/20 financial year and I also intend to call on all SA based senators and the member for Barker to match my donation. The ongoing use of the hospital as a political football is a disgrace; it's time to resolve this issue and for the staff and the broader upper south-east community to be valued and treated with respect.

*Normanville Abattoir - The City of Victor Harbour recently contacted me asking for my support for a Federal Government loan for capital upgrades of the Normanville Abattoir. Whilst concerned about jobs and services in regions, the focus of my campaign is centred upon safety and wellbeing issues but if elected, I commit to further consultation with the City of Victor Harbour regarding this matter.

*Why aren't you a member of the Greens? Whilst it's fair to state that some of my opinions are closely aligned to those of the Greens, I don’t agree with all their policies. Please compare my smartvote profile with that of current SA Greens senator Sarah Hanson Young to gain an insight on the areas where our opinions differ. I also wish to highlight that the smartvote questionnaire didn't include any questions directly focusing upon small business – a policy area where my views are most out of step with the progressive side of politics.

*What are your infrastructure priorities? I support the transportation projects that have already commenced within South Australia, namely the Flinders Rail Link and Electrification of the Gawler line, and the next stage of the South road upgrade. The completion of the NBN is an important issue and whilst I live in the inner suburbs of Adelaide, my family home is still not connected to the NBN. I'm eager to investigate economic and environmental modelling into the increased funding and expansion of public transport services in Adelaide. I see the expansion of such services and reductions in the price of fares as having the potential to drive significant environmental benefits and provide a more sustainable solution to traffic congestion issues. For the record, I am a regular bus commuter.

*Do you support a full fibre NBN? Do you support the NBN remaining in government's hands and being seen as an essential service? Would you support NBN being made available for free to unemployed people so they can search for a job? It is unfortunate that the original NBN rollout plan was not followed - that is fibre to the premises, which would've been a truly forward thinking infrastructure project. Once the current fibre to the node rollout is complete, it is incumbent on the next government to address blackspot issues where businesses and households are suffering from regular downtimes and slow speeds, prioritising affected regional areas in the first instance. At this point in time, unemployed people can access internet services for free in their local communities but I do foresee a time in the future where internet connectivity will be provided free to all homes, as it seems likely that we all will become more dependent on being connected in the future. 

*What are your views on privatisation of government assets? I do not support the privatisation of any government assets.

I've received a large number of emails and stories whilst campaigning regarding my thoughts on prioritising inclusive policies around disabled people and those suffering from mental illnesses. Thanks to the many people who shared their personal stories with me and I'd like to highlight the frustration that many feel regarding the NDIS - a system designed to support the vulnerable which has instead left many languishing without appropriate support. If elected, this is an issue that I anticipate engaging with on behalf of many South Australians. I have been asked the following questions:

*Ensure benefits and housing policy enables everyone with mental health issues and disabilities to have a place to call home. AGREE

*Support the provision of effective employment support to people with mental health issues and disabilities who want help with work. AGREE

*Create a single cabinet level ministerial post with responsibility for mental health and disabilities across Government. AGREE

I've been contacted by the Australian Federation of Disability Organisations (AFDO) and asked to for my views on the following commitments:

*Commitment to a Royal Commission to address violence, abuse, exploitation and neglect of people with disability across all settings and encompassing all matters raised by AFDO and its members that are not currently in or are lacking sufficient weight in the Royal Commissions Terms of Reference as well as conflict of interest issues with two of the appointed Commissioners. AGREE

*Commitment to funding the National Disability Strategy and progressive achievement of measurable outcomes at a federal level as well as ensuring this applies to all levels of government. AGREE

*Commitment to set aside, as a clearly defined reserve fund, the full and ongoing funding of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and to provide any necessary legislation to this effect. This to be at the level required for full Scheme each year, including any funds remaining in the reserve fund from any budget underspend in any given year. This is to provide certainty for all approved participants and for the long term security of the Scheme. AGREE

*Commitment to people with disability who are not part of the NDIS for continued access to services and relevant supports provided at a Federal and State/Territory level through COAG and other agreements or arrangements. AGREE

*Commitment to funding national Disability Representative Organisations. AGREE

*Commitment to funding disability advocacy and its Peak body. AGREE

I encourage readers to visit the AFDO website which provides further details regarding these commitments, given my focus on health and safety of vulnerable people, my wholehearted support for the AFDO's position should be unsurprising.

I have been contacted by The Australian Society for MedicalResearch (ASMR) who have called on me to make health and medical research a key priority by committing to ASMRs evidence based strategy:

*Invest 3% of total health expenditure on health and medical research. AGREE

*Commit to full capitalisation of the medical research future fund. AGREE

*Protect the integrity of peer review for research funding. AGREE

*Support the office of the NHMRC. AGREE

STAR AM, a Canberra based English-Chinese radio station, have asked me the following questions:

*Do you live in your electorate? If not how do you connect with your electorate? Yes, I live in Adelaide.

*From your point of view what are the most important matters for your electorate/state and Australia? Whilst Australia is confronted by many different challenges, I believe the majority of Australians, across the broad spectrum of political beliefs, support addressing incidents of serious abuse and neglect with greater urgency. If the true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members, we are clearly failing.

*If you are elected how do you address or solve those issues? If elected, I intend to focus on incidents of repeated, serious psychological and/or physical harm impacting on everyday South Australians that are not being addressed by law enforcement agencies and health and safety regulators. I hope to bring about a focus upon this systemic failure, change the conversation and create the political will from within the major parties to pass legislation that will strengthen in law everyone's right to be safe from serious and clearly identified risks.

*What's your view about tackling the climate change?  I acknowledge and accept the scientific evidence that human activity is negatively impacting upon our planet and I’m frustrated by the unscientific arguments against climate action made by many current parliamentarians. I am also pragmatic that if elected, I will be but one voice amongst many and my focus will be on addressing incidents of harmful behaviour between individuals. It is possible that further inaction in addressing climate change may make this an even more pressing safety issue, and have far greater overlap with my stated priorities than is currently the case. It is fair to state that this is a distinct possibility given the increased frequency of extreme weather events in Australia.

*How can Australia government manage the Australian economy and budget thoughtfully? If elected and given that I am one independent senator, I can best support our economy by offering my in-principle support on Appropriation and Supply bills before the Senate to the government of the day - if they have a clear majority in the House of Representatives. Whilst frustrated by the instability that has characterised the last ten years in our nation’s parliament, I will respect and support the wishes of the majority of Australians. Given my focus on supporting the most vulnerable in our community, I do hope that the next government can prioritise addressing the growing gap between the rich and the poor in our community.

Stop the Traffik Australia have contacted me and asked:

*Are my campaign shirts slavery free? The t-shirts I have purchased are slavery free - manufactured by AS colour and printed by ProstitchEmbroidery.

I'd like to dedicate this post to my high school English teacher Mr Richardson, who taught at Banksia Park High School in the late 1980's. He was a unique character who significantly influenced my communication style, critical thinking, sense of fairness and justice whilst opening my mind to a great many authors. The Stranger (my copy is titled The Outsider) by Albert Camus, recommended to me by Mr Richardson, was the first great book I read as a young man. To balance out referencing a French philosopher and author, I'd like to wish all Star Wars fans a belated and happy May the fourth be with you, and close with a quote from the opening of Camus' essay 'Create Dangerously':

Today everything has changed and even silence has dangerous implications.