Climate change, industry, healthcare and agriculture among election hot topics for Durack

Renewable energy, regional healthcare, industry investment, support for primary producers, and Indigenous representation are expected to be the drivers of the Federal election campaign for Durack. Incumbent Melissa Price has held the safe Liberal seat since 2013, with the party currently having a 13.5 per cent margin. This has not deterred others from throwing their hat in the ring, with the Greens, Labor and the Nationals all endorsing candidates for Durack. Mrs Price welcomed the candidates to the contest and said she would be fighting to retain the right to represent the sprawling electorate — the biggest in Australia. “I don’t take the privilege of representing Geraldton, the Mid West and all the people of Durack for granted. I will be fighting for the opportunity to continue being your local member,” she said. “I will spend the campaign travelling around the electorate talking and listening to as many Durack constituents as possible about what matters to them”. Mrs Price said she felt “very positive” about the future of the Mid West and was proud of all she had achieved as Federal Member to date. “I am proud of the support the Mid West community received during the pandemic, with JobKeeper payments in Durack supporting 9200 businesses and 33,900 employees. And the record funding assistance I was able to secure of more than $100 million to assist impacted communities recover from ex-tropical cyclone Seroja,” she said. No stranger to the political rat race, former Geraldton MP Ian Blayney has joined the campaign trail after a 12-month hiatus from the public eye. After his defeat to Lara Dalton, Mr Blayney and his wife Barbara spent time working on her brother and sister-in-law’s sheep farm in Kojonup in the Great Southern. Now one year on, Mr Blayney is ready to re-enter politics and represent Durack as Nationals candidate. After decades of farming in the region on top of his 12-year-stint in State Parliament, Mr Blayney said he knew the needs of the electorate like the back of his hand. “Better mobile communications, further sustainable development of agriculture in the north of the State, increased defence presence and improving access to affordable childcare are all key issues for the electorate,” he said. Mr Blayney said he was looking forward to getting back on the campaign trail and discussing the needs of the electorate. Labor candidate Jeremiah Riley has Durack in his blood and said investment in communities, not just industry, would be at the heart of his election campaign. “Our towns are not just the window dressing of larger primary industries. We need to bring back the care and the local services, the social services we need to keep our engines running — improved health care, aged care, childcare, and Medicare,” he said. “We need to bring back the care. An Albanese government will do just that by bringing back things like bulk-billed Telehealth psychiatry consultations for rural and regional areas, reversing Morrison’s cuts.” Mr Riley slammed the 2022-23 Federal budget for failing the people of Durack, saying local telecommunications, housing, renewable energy, and business sectors were all in desperate need of a funding boost. He recognised the challenge of representing an electorate of Durack’s scale, but said he was determined to ensure all constituents were heard in Parliament. Born and raised in Geraldton, Malgana woman and Greens candidate Bianca McNeair has set her eyes on Aboriginal empowerment, economic equality, and climate policy in the lead up to the election. Ms McNeair said she had seen first-hand how a lack of attention to these issues had affected communities across the electorate. “My community has felt the effects of climate change alongside economic inequality, and I know our politicians can do better by us rather than only listening to their corporate donors,” she said. “I believe that we should all have a safe home, safe places to learn and work, and free medical care. With the Greens, I will fight for self-determination and economic equality, as well as having Aboriginal voices heard in politics.” The election has been set for May 21, giving candidates about six weeks to campaign.