How responsive are our candidates to local concerns?
How responsive are the State election candidates to resident concerns about the direct impact of State laws and policies on the quality of life on the Peninsula?
How well will they represent our local community's interests if elected to State Parliament?
The Peninsula has more than half of the population of the Gosford electorate.
As the candidates would know, Peninsula News does not cover regional, state or national news unless there is a direct reference to the Peninsula.
Their parties' policies are usually fully covered by State and regional media.
However, lower house members of parliament are also meant to represent the interests of the constituents of their electorate.
Peninsula News is in a unique position to allow candidates to provide this local perspective that is not likely to be available through the other media.
We gave all Gosford candidates the opportunity to answer questions prepared in consultation with the Peninsula Residents' Association for this purpose.
They were invited to write up to 100 words of introduction and 650 words to answer these questions.
Peninsula News received responses from four candidates: Greens' Ms Hilary van Haren, Labor's Ms Liesl Tesch, Liberal's Ms Dee Bocking and independent Ms Lisa Bellamy.
They are reproduced on the following pages in ballot paper order.
No responses were received from candidates for the Animal Justice Party, the Sustainable Australia Party or the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party.
Only two of the responses, from Ms van Haren and Ms Bellamy, answered the questions asked.
Ms Tesch and Ms Bocking chose not to.
We had hoped that by trebling what in previous years had been a 250-word limit they would be encouraged to answer local concerns.
We have chosen to publish the responses that did not answer the questions or provide any local content, even though this might be seen to be unfair to the candidates who did answer the questions.
Readers should be able to make their own assessment of the degree of responsiveness and willingness that each candidate has to represent residents' specific local concerns in their role as a Member of Parliament.
SOURCE:
Mark Snell, 18 Mar 2023