Geoff Ward

If elected as Democrat Member for Peats, my initial focus would be on jobs, transport and greater funding for community support groups.

If these things are lacking, they impact greatest on the under-privileged.

By taking practical steps on these fronts, I would be satisfying my basic political motivation that I believe the underprivileged deserve our support.

Jobs and transport go hand in hand.

The Peninsula has only internal services to provide jobs for its workforce.

Its distance from markets and lack of potential sites inhibits industrial development means that local jobs will remain scarce.

Low unemployment is essential for a healthy community.

A healthy Peninsula community is thus dependent on its members travelling to work outside its borders.

A good transport system is required for this to happen.

The number of commuter cars parked around the Woy Woy Station is one measure of the failure of the bus transport system.

This problem is not confined to the Peninsula.

Bus transport on the whole of the Central Coast leaves much to be desired.

If you don't have a car then you are one of the disadvantaged on the Central Coast.

The poor bus service really impacts on you.

How do you get to work at Berkeley Vale from Umina?

How do young adults get to sport, higher education, to recreation activities outside their neighourhoods?

How do pensioners and those on low incomes afford the high fares?

I would be committed to help the Peninsula break out of this bus transport straitjacket, a straitjacket hampering the proper development of the entire Central Coast.

As both public and private bus systems are subsidised by the taxpayer, the first questions I would ask are:

Are we getting our fair share of the taxpayers dollar?

Is our private Central Coast bus system being subsidised at the same level as the public bus system.

The Central Coast is entitled to know if we are being unfairly treated.

If we are then we must ask the Government why it is so. I would bring pressure to bear to obtain increased bus funding and services.

With regard to greater funding of community support groups, the Democrats believe that prevention is better than cure.

For example, 20 to 30 per cent of persons in jail are mentally, intellectually or emotionally disabled.

It follows that large percent of such persons are responsible for general law and order problems.

With greater funding of the community groups supporting these disadvantaged, many would not be a statistic on police files.

Surely this is a preferred option to increasing penalties for these people.

The reality is that the Labor Government is not committed to funding community support groups.

Almost daily, the media reports on a funding crisis faced by one or another of the 60 to 70 such groups across the Central Coast.

The latest is the cut to the support services working with problem gamblers.

I urge you to consider voting Democrat, for myself and for our Upper House candidate James Lantry.

We represent a party dedicated to giving a fair go to people, the underprivileged and the environment.

Geoff Ward, Australian Democrats