What I stand for

The Upper Spencer Gulf is vital to our nation's industrial and manufacturing future. But for too long, our communities have been caught in cycles of uncertainty with the Whyalla steelworks and Port Pirie smelter in constant turmoil. We’ve seen time and time again the local impact of decisions made by big companies based overseas, the short-term crisis responses by governments, and our communities left feeling like they are nothing more than collateral damage. It needs to change. 

I'll push for a direct government equity stake in our steelworks and our smelter to safeguard our country’s steelmaking and critical minerals processing and provide the certainty and support for the communities of the Upper Spencer Gulf to grow and flourish.

Everyone deserves good healthcare, no matter where they live. Yet many towns in Grey don't have a GP at all, let alone one who bulk bills. Our communities shouldn't have to wait weeks to see a doctor, travel hours to access specialists, or be forced to move away from their home town for aged care. It’s not fair.

I'll work with local healthcare providers to find solutions that actually work for our communities, not one-size-fits-all policies from Canberra. This means fighting for funding that reflects our unique regional needs and better support to attract, train and retain rural health workers.

Our region has the worst access to childcare in the country. That's not good enough. The lack of childcare impacts families financially and emotionally, while employers lose skilled young parents who can't return to the workforce.

I'll work directly with local communities to solve access to childcare across our region. Our towns often know exactly what they need—whether that's infrastructure for new centres, better collaboration between governments to implement more sensible and practical policy or better access to local training to grow the number of qualified early childhood educators in our region.

Access to reliable transport infrastructure and services is critical in a region as vast as Grey. Yet we've seen funding for the Augusta highway duplication cut, the loss of rail on the Eyre Peninsula resulting in more trucks and safety issues, and air services to regional communities held to ransom by airlines. We deserve a fair share of infrastructure funding.

I'll push to increase road funding across the region and reinstate the commitment to the Augusta highway duplication, secure our regional air services and support Eyre Peninsula communities in their push to restore rail.

With Adelaide continuing to sprawl into farming land, South Australia is now one of the most city-centric, urbanised populations in the country. Yet our regional centres and rural towns have huge potential for growth. We have a great lifestyle and abundant jobs, but attracting and retaining people remains a significant challenge. We must have high quality health, education and recreational facilities, along with more housing, childcare, aged care, transport and community support services. 

I'll advocate for more funding and more sensible policies to help our towns to grow, improve our liveability and encourage more people to live and work in our region.

Unlike other states who are still grappling with the transition from coal, South Australia has already moved on. We are leading the way with renewable energy and our region has even more potential to be part of our energy transformation. But we must make sure renewable energy projects avoid sensitive environments and landscapes.  Big energy companies must  do right by our communities. That means paying their way by investing in local jobs, local training, and local services.  

I'll fight to make sure communities hosting renewable energy facilities have a much stronger say in decisions about where energy projects should be built, and make sure a fair share of the profits stays in the community.

Access to tertiary education and completion rates are significantly lower for regional communities than for those living in the city. In the midst of a skills shortage, improving local access to relevant career advice, trade training and university education will be critical to the growth of our towns and industries, now and into the future. As CEO of Uni Hub Spencer Gulf, I’ve seen first-hand the difference locally based and locally supported training and education can make to regional communities.

I'll advocate for a different approach to education and training—one that's tailored to our industry and workforce requirements and delivers what we actually need, not a one-size-fits-all solution from the city that doesn't work for us.

Our land, oceans, water resources and natural biodiversity underpin our economy, our health and wellbeing and our way of life. Many of the native plants and animals in this region are found nowhere else on earth but many are under threat of extinction. Our water resources are precious, and under pressure and many communities and industries across the region are without a secure water supply. We need to prioritise the sustainable management of our environment and water resources to ensure a thriving future for our communities and safeguard our natural heritage for future generations, especially in the face of a changing climate and the impact of more droughts, bushfires and extreme weather events.

I'll work with local farming systems and environmental groups to access more funding for local initiatives that support land managers and communities to care for our land, coasts and water resources; and advocate for more practical support to strengthen environmental stewardship, engage with carbon and biodiversity markets and adapt through climate-smart agriculture.

From young families to pensioners, everyone's feeling the squeeze. We need real solutions that help bring down bills right now - and fix the long-term problems. This includes better access to childcare, housing and transport and fighting to get the services and infrastructure that actually meets our needs in the region.

I'll put community needs before corporate profits. Address long-term issues – housing, childcare, healthcare. End price gouging by supermarkets and ensure farmers are paid fairly.