JOHN HASSELL
The Nationals WA candidate for O'Connor
NATIONALS Federal Election candidate John Hassell's priority issues are to ensure removing the backpacker tax for good, ensuring greater federal investment into telecommunications, health and education and to ensure WA gets a fairer share of GST.
"My highest priority will be to ensure the people of O'Connor have a genuine voice in the nation's parliament," Mr Hassell said.
"It has been a privilege to get out and about to meet with people from across O'Connor.
"It's vital that I listen to the views of constituents and understand their priority issues, so I can best champion them in Canberra.
"Nobody understands local issues better than the residents who live here and this is why I have met with a range of people from small business owners to everyday families."
Mr Hassell said his passion for regional WA had been an enduring one.
"I grew up in Pingelly, and apart from a time away at high school and university and a short stint in the mining industry, I have always based myself in Pingelly as a farmer and member of the community.
"My background gives me a genuine understanding of the issues that country people face every day - I am a passionate advocate for agriculture and have a keen understanding of the government policy framework that is required to help farmers reach maximum productivity."
Mr Hassell said he wants to develop thriving regional communities that are underpinned by strong and diverse economies.
"My goal is to ensure O'Connor can reach its full potential," he said.
"To achieve this we must ensure the region is considered a priority at the decision making table in Canberra.
"This is not the case at the moment as the region is largely taken for granted by the Liberal Party which focuses its attention on attracting votes in metropolitan centres on the east coast."
Mr Hassell said one of his major priorities is for people living in O'Connor to have equitable access to reliable communications.
"Improving mobile connectivity will be fundamental for social and economic development in O'Connor," he said.
"I believe that expanding mobile voice and data services will help to improve government service delivery and support the growth and prosperity of regional businesses and communities."
Mr Hassell said improving regional telecommunications would ensure the agricultural sector was best placed to respond to the changing global marketplace.
"It will also enable farmers to better manage their evolving responsibilities as business owners," he said.
"I recently welcomed an election commitment from the federal National Party that an additional $60 million will be invested into the Mobile Black Spot Programme to address mobile black spots across Australia.
"While this complements the incredible work done by the State government through the Royalties for Regions-funded Regional Telecommunications Program, and is a welcomed contribution from the federal government, there is still work to be done.
"To do this we must secure a fairer share of GST revenue so we can continue to invest in vital telecommunications infrastructure.
"Eliminating mobile back spot locations will unlock opportunities for primary producers and businesses impacted by a lack of mobile connectivity."
Mr Hassell said securing a fairer share of GST revenue in WA would make sure O'Connor is a great place to live, work and invest.
He said investment into infrastructure was still required to meet the changing needs of regional communities - to evolve and reach their full potential.
"I believe a key challenge facing O'Connor is the reduction in services as local residential populations decline," he said.
"This can be attributed to the ongoing widespread use of FIFO (fly in, fly out) on resource projects."
With his experience in the resource sector, Mr Hassle understood the Australian resources sector was an integral part of our national economy and identity.
"But it shouldn't continue on a widespread basis at the expense of regional development," he said.
"This is why I believe it is essential that we reform the Fringe Benefits Tax by removing the exempt status of FIFO and DIDO work camps that are co-located with regional towns.
"This will attract people back to the bush which will in turn attract services back to the bush."
Mr Hassell said too often regional WA was not treated as a priority in Canberra when decisions were made about funding needs and service provision.
He said reliable services were vitally important in attracting and retaining families and businesses to regional WA.
"Just because a family lives outside the metropolitan area doesn't mean they should receive a lower standard of health care and education," he said.
"Having lived in regional WA all of my life, I understand the frustration experienced by regional West Australians when the provision of these services is lacking.
"Securing a fairer share of GST revenue will enable greater investment into health and education by governments - for too long WA has been short changed on its share of GST revenue.
"I won't tow the party line on the GST issue and I'm not afraid to cross the floor on behalf of all West Australians to ensure we receive our share."
Mr Hassell said farmers were no longer just farmers, they were also small business owners.
"With such significant opportunities ahead for Australia's agriculture industry we must do everything possible to ensure farmers are best placed to seize these opportunities," he said.
"This will mean, where possible, removing extra administrative and taxation burden and unnecessary regulation that impedes the way farmers operate.
"Reforming pay roll tax and removing the Backpacker Tax are some examples."
As a farmer Mr Hassell understands the significant role trade plays in the success of Australia's agricultural sector.
"The live export trade has my unwavering support because it is such an important market for WA's livestock producers," he said.
"It's an industry that contributes approximately $1 billion in export earnings to the Australian economy every year and I believe we should have a policy framework that encourages growth and expansion to meet the growing Asian market. "
