Independent candidate for Page Dr Hanabeth Luke believes the region has once again been ignored in the 2022 Federal budget, claiming short term handouts were favoured over “addressing our housing crisis and improving our preparedness for future extreme events.”
“We know that our community was already struggling, and there appears to be an expectation that our people should rebuild and just get on with it,” Dr Luke said.
“To fix this, we must first properly identify the problem.
“We are facing a housing crisis at the same time as a climate crisis, and the whole region needs to prepare for what comes next.”
Dr Luke said she was shocked with the Federal budget announcement that fossil fuels come before welfare funding, reiterating that the Government’s priorities are not supporting the needs of the region.
“A budget cut for already struggling teachers in public schools was coupled with a huge boost for private schools,” she said.
“For the vast majority in Page, no wage increase is on the horizon.
“A significant reduction in Centrelink benefits was coupled with an estimated $4-5 billion thrown at coal and gas.
“The LNP’s version of climate action continues to be a trojan horse for coal seam gas, while not one dollar was allocated for a Federal integrity commission.
“Their management of our public purse is nothing short of reckless.
“It’s time that the Australian public take back control of the purse strings by electing an Independent who votes for us, and the needs of our region.”
Dr Luke said at least $2.5 billion needs to be put towards recovery for housing.
“We also need to invest in the wellbeing of our people,” she added.
As communities across Page continue tackling the gigantic task of a full-scale clean up, the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) began forecasting further heavy rainfall for the region.
“The farmers have shown me the impacts of the floods on their farms, and as the waters rose for the second time in a month, I heard a farmer say that he had little left to lose,” Dr Luke revealed.
“We cannot ignore this any longer and I support the establishment of a Recovery Commission representing a cross-section of groups and interests in Lismore and downstream communities.
“We need to bring the community and experts into the conversation, including architects, town planners, hydrologists, engineers, farmers and developers.
“Let’s think innovatively and together we can plan for a future where our people and regional businesses can prosper and cope better with what is to come.”