Based on Esperance Weekender’s Your Thoughts section from last week, we asked some of O’Connor’s Federal election candidates to explain their views on the four key election concerns of our Esperance readers – cost of living, housing affordability, community division over marine preservation issues and HECS (student fees) relief.
Their opinions may surprise you.
HEIDI TEMPRA – Nationals WA
Heidi Tempra is a Manjimup school teacher and farmer who has lived in the region for 30 years. She is a highly qualified educator: M. Ed (Education), M.Ed(Early Childhood), B.Ed and B. Arts(Primary Education). She has been teaching for 15 years.
1. Cost of Living
It’s clear that families are struggling with the cost of living and need real action that will help their back pocket now, not in 15 months. By halving fuel excise, we will provide immediate relief to those who need it most, saving most people up to $1,200 per year. Our gas plan will contribute to a balanced energy mix that will provide cheaper energy to Australian homes, while The Nationals will rein in wasteful spending that fuels inflation.
2. Housing Affordability
Owning your own home should not be something that people in regional WA have given up on. We will continue to look for ways to assist first home buyers by investing in essential infrastructure for housing and to boost supply and ease demand.
3. Community divisions regarding marine preservation/ South Coast Marine Park
I fully support the current Member for Roe, Peter Rundle, and the points and concerns he has raised regarding the South Coast Marine Park and the lack of transparency of the project. The Government has failed to consult effectively with the community and understand the impacts on local communities.
4. HECS Relief
HECS relief is a concern because someone ultimately has to pay this bill, if not the students, then the wider community, no doubt. What I would like to focus on, for real-time support and financial assistance, is ways we can ensure regional students are not disadvantaged by wanting to attend university. We need to ensure that they have continued financial, housing and practical support if they need to relocate to the city for their studies.
GIZ WATSON – Greens
Long-time Albany resident Giz Watson is a former Greens MP who served the North Metropolitan community in Perth from 1996 – 2013. She has helped on multiple standing and select committees and Royal Commissions during that time. She is a qualified environmental consultant (BSc) and a registered builder. She has been appointed to the reference panel for the current Special Inquiry into the handling of the WA Election.
1. Cost of living
The cost-of-living crisis isn’t happening in a bubble, it’s being caused by the very corporations who are donating the most to our major political parties, all while making record-breaking profits and not paying their fair share in tax. The Greens’ plan includes a suite of reforms that will dramatically improve the cost of living, by pushing to make big corporations and billionaires pay more tax, raising over $514bn to fund the things we all need.
The last time the Greens held the balance of power, we got dental into Medicare for kids. Now, it’s time to finish the job. We’ll make Medicare take care of your whole body, by including dental and mental health care, so people can get the care they need for free. We’ll also open 6 free public health clinics in O’Connor, staffed by a team of doctors, nurses, dentists and psychologists, in addition to bringing back bulk billing at the GP.
We’ll lift the pension and lower the retirement age, meaning more people will be able to afford to retire comfortably and without financial stress. We’ll subsidise solar and batteries for homes and businesses to bring down power bills, cap unlimited rent increases and stop the banks ripping you off on your mortgage.
We’ll break up the supermarket duopoly, and make price gouging illegal, whilst supporting small businesses and cooperatives, and making sure our farmers get their fair share by making the Food and Grocery Code of Conduct mandatory, with significant penalties for unfair conditions and pressure on producers.
Only The Greens have a solid plan to bring down the cost of living, and unlike the major parties, we don’t take corporate donations, so we’re not afraid of upsetting big business.
2. Housing affordability
It’s no secret that housing affordability will be a major issue at this election, with more than 75% of O’Connor identifying it as a problem in their community. For too long, the major parties have been siding with wealthy property investors, showering them with tax breaks and handouts whilst ignoring the plight of first home buyers, mortgage holders and renters.
We can tackle this crisis head-on—not with half-measures. We’ll stop a whole generation from being locked out of homeownership by making billionaires and big corporations pay their fair share to fix the broken system. We’ll bring down mortgages by regulating the banks to deliver fairer, lower rates and not rip people off on their home loans, and we’ll stop unlimited rent increases that are placing incredible stress on our renters. We’ll build public and affordable homes, by establishing a government-owned developer.
We can end homelessness, too, but the major parties are tinkering around the edges, not taking the real action we need to break the cycle of recurring homelessness and keep a roof over everyone’s heads. We’ll invest $5.2 billion over the first four years in a housing first model that will include immediate access to permanent housing with no strings attached, and the wrap-around support services people need to stay there long-term.
3. Divisive problems regarding marine preservation
The Greens are committed to protecting our oceans, recognising their role in supporting biodiversity, livelihoods, and a liveable planet for future generations. It’s clear that Labor have failed to bring the community along with their plans to create the South Coast Marine Park.
We know that local communities often have the answers to the problems they are facing. Unlike Labor and the Liberals, who prioritise the interests of large corporations, the Greens are driven by science and the needs of people and communities. We know that it’s important to preserve the marine environment and biodiversity for future generations, and strike a balance between community, environmental, and local community, environmental, and local commercial interests.
We are working to safeguard marine biodiversity, expand protections, and take meaningful action on climate change to ensure our oceans remain healthy and resilient in the face of growing threats.
The Greens will always act with the community and the environment’s best interests at heart.
4. HECS relief
Education is a basic human right and a public good that should be accessible to all. But for too long Labor and the Liberals have allowed rising fees, crushing student debt and insecure conditions that have undermined our higher education system. By investing in students, staff and sustainable infrastructure, we can create a system that prioritises learning, equity, and public good over profits.
No one should start their working life burdened by tens of thousands of dollars in student debt. The Greens are focused on making university and TAFE free for everyone, ensuring equal access to education regardless of background and ending decades of student debt.
We’ll abolish all student debt, including HELP, SFSS, and VET, starting 1 July 2025, ensuring students are no longer saddled with decades of repayments, and make TAFE and university free, for everyone.
Successive funding cuts have turned higher education into a corporatised enterprise, limiting access and sustainability. We are working to increase base funding and investing in sustainable infrastructure to ensure universities and TAFEs remain accessible and environmentally responsible and can perform valuable research as they once did.
We acknowledge that rampant casualisation and wage theft in universities undermine staff and directly impact student learning, so we are committed to securing long-term, fair jobs for university staff by tying funding to targets for reducing insecure work.
GEMMA JOHNSTON – One Nation
Gemma Johnston is an Esperance-born, former Esperance Shire council member. She has a background in small business, and, like Labor’s Darren Moir, she has a long family legacy of farming. It is her first attempt to run for parliament. Her family is involved in the local business community in Esperance.
Pauline Hanson & Gemma Johnston
1. Cost of Living
Australians are doing it tough — grocery bills, power prices, and everyday essentials are through the roof. One Nation is fighting to bring down the cost of living by investing in reliable energy like coal and gas, rebuilding our manufacturing sector, and ending wasteful government spending. We believe in putting Australian families first.
2. Housing Affordability
Young Australians are being locked out of the housing market, while foreign buyers and mass immigration drive up demand and prices. One Nation will stop foreign ownership of residential properties, reduce immigration to ease pressure on housing, and back first-home buyers so everyday Aussies have a fair go.
Marine Parks and Preservation
3. One Nation supports protecting our environment
and conservation where it is needed but not at the expense of local jobs and communities.
We oppose heavy-handed marine park restrictions that are rolled out without real consultation. We’ll stand up for fishers, tourism operators, and coastal communities to ensure common-sense decisions that balance conservation with livelihoods.
Marine Parks are effective where there is depletion of stocks and that can be found in areas around large populations, however the south coast of WA is some of the least fished and least populated in the whole of Australia.
4. HECS Relief
Thousands of young Australians are drowning in student debt, with HECS indexation hitting hard during a cost-of-living crisis. One Nation supports freezing or reviewing HECS indexation to ensure students aren’t punished by inflation, and we’ll keep fighting to make education more affordable and fair.
DARREN MOIR
The Australian Labor Party candidate in the seat of O’Connor, Darren Moir, is a farmer from Amelup. He, along with some other candidates, has offered some broader policy responses to our local, Esperance-focused questions. He has a long, family background of farming in the region.
- Cost of living
The Albanese Government inherited runaway inflation from Morrison’s Liberals and has worked hard in this last term of government to bring relief on cost of living, even in the face of opposition from Dutton’s Liberals who said no to every measure taken.
A re-elected Albanese Government will;
· Ensure that all 14 million Australian taxpayers will receive a tax cut, on top of our tax relief that’s already rolling out.
· Deliver more energy bill relief.
· Wipe 20% off student debt.
· Strengthen Medicare with more free GP visits and even cheaper medicine.
· Make Free TAFE permanent.
· Deliver affordable child care, close to home.
· Deliver a $43 billion Homes for Australia plan.
· Make tax time easier with $1,000 instant tax deduction for work expenses, you can still claim the old way or take the $1,000 it’s your choice.
· Legislate to protect penalty rates in awards, to ensure the incomes of around 3 million workers don’t go backwards.
2. Housing affordability
Unfortunately for younger generations of Australians, home ownership feels too far away, and being a renter feels too insecure. Labor’s tackling the housing crisis with a $43 billion Homes for Australia plan. We’re making it easier to buy, better to rent, and we’re building more homes. A good start has been achieved in the last term of government even with the obstruction of the Greens and Liberals.
A re-elected Albanese government would;
· Deliver 100,000 homes just for first home buyers.
· Expand access to 5% deposits to all first homebuyers.
· Lead a national effort to speed up construction.
· Deliver smaller mortgages for first homebuyers.
· fast track the qualification of 6,000 tradies.
3. Problems with marine preservation issues that have divided the community
Under Labor, we now protect 52% of our Ocean, this is well above the 30% under our UN treaty obligations. Of this 24% of Australia’s oceans were “highly protected” and free of fishing or extractive industries, this is important to ensuring a diverse and abundant environment for future generations.
At a State level where most recreational fishers and marine parks intersect, the final zoning scheme has allowed for locals and visitors to be able to continue fishing along 85 per cent of the coast from Bremer Bay to the South Australian border, and in 80 per cent of park waters.
Sanctuary zones only protect 20 per cent of the most biodiverse areas within the marine parks themselves, including breeding areas for threatened species.
Designed to provide significant protection to marine life along Western Australia’s south coast this isn’t a bad thing, we can argue about where the exclusion zones go but we all know it has to be done.
4. HECS relief
A re-elected Albanese Government will wipe 20% off student debt.
A re-elected Albanese Labor Government will wipe 20% off everyone’s student debt and reduce debt burdens for Australians with those loans. This will cut around $16 billion in debt, including all HELP, VET Student Loan, Australian Apprenticeship Support Loan and other income-contingent student support loan accounts that exist. Labor will also raise the repayment threshold and lower repayment rates to help Australians with the cost of living.
RICK WILSON, MP – Liberal candidate for O’Connor
Rick Wilson is the longstanding member for O’Connor, having been elected for the first time in 2013 and returned in each election since then. He joins Giz Watson as the most experienced politicians to be running in the seat in this election. Mr Wilson is a farmer in Katanning, where he was born. He is a qualified agriculturalist (BBusAg) and has assisted numerous parliamentary committees.
1. Cost of living
“A Coalition government will deliver cost of living relief for taxpayers including $1,200 tax offset for low- and middle-income earners and immediate fuel tax relief by halving the fuel excise saving taxpayers 25 cents a litre. Our plan to tackle cost of living also includes reining in wasteful spending to sustainably beat inflation, fixing our energy and housing markets, boosting investment and rebuilding small business and repairing the Federal Budget.”
- Housing affordability
“The Liberal party’s plan to deal with the housing affordability looks at two key areas – building new homes and managing migration. Our plan will look to unlock more than 500,000 new homes by investing in essential infrastructure like water, power, sewerage and roads at housing development sites. We will also clear Labor’s backlog of approvals holding up development of tens of thousands of homes. We will also implement a two-year ban on foreign investors and temporary residents purchasing existing homes, while also reducing migration, including permanent migration from 185,000 to 140,000 for two years. Rebalancing the migration program will free up almost 40,000 additional homes in the first year and more than 100,000 in five years.”
- Problems with divisive marine park/marine preservation issues
“The federal electorate of O’Connor encompasses the entire 1000-plus-kilometre coastline where Labor and the Greens wish to lock up large areas in a ban on commercial and recreational fishing. The flawed consultation process split the Esperance community and Minister Whitby and the DBCA stand condemned for creating such division within the town.”
- HECS relief
“The Coalition will not support Labor’s plan to reduce student HECS debts by 20 per cent. It is our view that the policy only supports those who have chosen to take on further education and disadvantages those 24 million Australians who do not have student loans.”
