An electric feeling has reinvigorated the passion of Labor candidate Ross Hart, who is ready to serve the electorate as a strong leader with integrity who will stand up for the issues that matter most to voters.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Mr Hart, a lawyer by trade who has been practising law for more than 30 years, said campaigning for this federal election has an electricity.
"I had a kid chase me down on a scooter the other day, because his mum was desperate to have a sign in her front yard, that excitement is what we're seeing on the doors this time around," he said.
Mr Hart is a former Member for Bass who served the electorate as a Labor member from 2016 when he defeated Liberal MHR Andrew Nikolic. He was defeated in 2019 by incumbent Liberal Bridget Archer.
"It was an easy decision really, I had the support of Anthony Albanese nearly straight away and it was that and the comments I received from people which helped me make the decision to run again," he said.
Mr Hart said Bass deserved a Member who stood for integrity and would stand up for the issues and projects that mattered to this community.
"There are so many projects that have been committed to during the 2019 election that have stalled," he said.
He pointed to the Albert Hall and the Northern Suburbs Recreation Hub as two examples and said if he were re-elected he would fast-track and lobby his counterparts to progress the recreation hub.
However, Mr Hart said major issues that were affecting the electorate included the cost of healthcare, aged care, housing and jobs.
"We don't want to see people who have to hold down three jobs just to pay the rent," he said.
"And the fact that we have had an explosion of homelessness should be alarming to everyone."
Common threads to emerge from canvassing the electorate included the skyrocketing cost of living, which Mr Hart said was inextricably linked to the cost of healthcare in Australia.
"If you are a young family, with a couple of kids, and they need medication, despite the fact the Coalition says 88 per cent of people can access a bulk billing doctor, that is simply not true for Northern Tasmania.
"And what we don't want to see is families who are forced to choose between fuel for their car and essential medication, or who choose to not take their medication because of the cost."
Mr Hart said Labor stood for projects that would support jobs in Northern Tasmania now, not in two, three or four years.
"That's why when we matched the $70 million for the hydrogen hub at Bell Bay, what we supported was the LINE hydrogen project," he said. "That will bring jobs into Northern Tasmania next year."
He said Labor also supported an independent integrity commission, and said if voted in, an Anthony Albanese Labor government would stand for integrity.
What do you think? Send us a letter to the editor:
Caitlin Jarvis
I have worked in the Tasmanian digital/print media for 11 years, spanning two newsrooms. I have developed a keen interest in agricultural, development and education news, as well as issues-based long-form journalism. Contact me at caitlin.jarvis@examiner.com.au
I have worked in the Tasmanian digital/print media for 11 years, spanning two newsrooms. I have developed a keen interest in agricultural, development and education news, as well as issues-based long-form journalism. Contact me at caitlin.jarvis@examiner.com.au
