Your issues for candidates

These are the issues some of our Yass Valley residents have wanted our candidates to address in the lead-up to the election…

Ali-Phil Beresford “I want to know about the ads the nursing association has been running about the privatisation of our hospitals and having to pay to be treated like America.

“Is that scare mongering or is any party talking about policies that will move our health system towards a more users pays than medicare?”

John Gelling “Ask about the Liberal proposal to close Yass RMS Office forcing us to go to the NSW Services office in Goulburn. What happens to the jobs of the Yass RMS staff?”

Anthony James O’Mara “What are their views on stopping the sell-off of our public assets for example poles and wires?”

Karen Wilson-Wray “How about after 50 years Yass swimming pool gets a upgrade, not just a paint or a tile here and there. That is, an indoor pool for our elderly, rehab patients and our children. Keep it local instead of people having to go to Canberra or Goulburn.”

Be-Ka Dexies “I think the pool upgrade would make a huge difference to the town. We would use it all year round if there was a heated pool. The car park is dangerous and poorly set up for buses. Children have to negotiate the car park to board buses and there is no room to turn buses around or park them.”

Briony Barac “I’ve heard Labor’s keen to push funding for education and establish a public school in Murrumbateman. How does she plan to go about that when the Department of Education has just said no again? How can Labor magically change that?”

Julie Armstrong “What focus is on regional areas, rather than the city?”

Chris Constance “Barton duplication before I die!”

Joe Morrissey “Would a Labor government direct that an audit be held of funding that the Catholic Education Office has received, with a view to making sure it has been appropriately spent?”

Cecilia Pavlovic “Services for the Aboriginal Community, in particular culturally appropriate mental health programs. Our people don’t access support until they are in crisis and that is just too late.

“So many cuts have been made left, right and centre. We are losing people and I believe it could be addressed by services that are designed by our people, run by our people, for our people. It really is a matter of urgency!”