Talk:Wikinews interviews Sandra Jephcott, Sustainable Australia candidate for 2020 Groom by-election

Notes

Sustainable Australia Party 2:28 PM (2 hours ago) to me

Hi [REDACTED]

Thanks for the opportunity.

We worked through this with Sandi and came up with the responses below.

Let me know if you need anything else and when it is published, so we can share.

Kind regards

[REDACTED] Sustainable Australia Party www.SustainableAustralia.org.au

1. Why are you running to be Groom's local MP?

I am a veterinarian and farmer and live on a 4000 hectare property west of Toowoomba. I have a broad range of experiences that I can bring to the role of federal MP. When approached by the Sustainable Australia Party to run and help to raise awareness for our party, I was very happy to contribute.

I believe that the Groom by-election offers voters an opportunity to send a message to the two major parties that we’re not happy with business as usual politics - including rampant overdevelopment and systemic political corruption that negatively impacts on the environment.

2. You've said that you want to act on climate change- what would your plan be?

There is no silver bullet to addressing climate change. Sustainable Australia Party has a holistic plan to act on climate change, including: Funding and subsidising research and development into renewable energy technologies and energy efficiency initiatives; Net zero or net negative Australian greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 (or ideally sooner); Imposing a moratorium on all new coal mines in Australia such as Adani (and all major coal mine expansions such as New Acland); Imposing a moratorium on all new fracking, including for coal seam gas; Phasing out fossil fuel subsidies; Adopting a globally consistent carbon pricing mechanism that does not unfairly penalise Australian industries; Promoting the environmental benefits of plant-based food; and Lowering population growth pressures.

3. What do you think needs to be done in Toowoomba to properly protect the environment and water?

Despite holding a Carnival of Flowers each year, Toowoomba came in last nationally for its resident's access to green space [1]. It is therefore important that areas in and around Toowoomba – including Mt Lofty – are protected and where possible expanded. Housing sprawl and density is a key contributor to destroying tree canopy and green space, so stopping overdevelopment is a key priority.

In terms of water, we need to better manage Toowoomba's water security, including through lower wastage, an expansion of water tank usage and the revisiting of recycled water options. Strong action on climate change will also be vital to the long-term viability of Toowoomba’s water supply.

4. What are your thoughts on the COVID-19 response plan federally from the Morrison government?

Overall, the Morrison Government’s response has been reasonable, after initially being very reluctant to prioritise health and wellbeing over economic growth. Also, there were major gaps in coverage for affected workers and industries. For example, casual workers and the arts were not adequately supported throughout the pandemic.

5. Why did you decide to join Sustainable Australia?

I come from a science background. It was very important to me that Sustainable Australia Party is from the political centre with an evidence-based, science-based approach to policy. For example, Sustainable Australia Party is the only party in my view with a holistic plan to address our various environmental crises. It was important for me that this plan not only includes strong action on climate change but also stabilising population in Australia and globally.

6. Why do you think that foreign ownership of farms, housing and land is an important issue to combat?

Australia is a sovereign nation. We need to be able to both manage our natural resources sustainably and ensure that we maintain profits, jobs and taxes in Australia for the wellbeing of Australians. Selling off our resources undermines our capacity to achieve these very important economic, environmental and social objectives.

7. How have COVID-19 restrictions impacted your ability to campaign?

I’ve been able to comfortably work at early voting centres and do media interviews, so there has not been much restriction at all.

8. What's one key issue in Groom that you think needs acting on?

Sustainable Australia Party has three big priorities in this by-election: Protect our environment; Stop overdevelopment; Stop corruption. But number one is protecting our environment, including strong action on climate change. Of the four parties running - the others being Labor, Liberal National and Liberal Democrats - only Sustainable Australia Party advocates for a moratorium on all new coal mines and major coal mine expansions. Locally, this means no to the proposed expansion of New Acland Mine on the Darling Downs.
--LivelyRatification (talk) 05:40, 26 November 2020 (UTC)

Forwarded the email correspondence to scoop. --LivelyRatification (talk) 06:38, 26 November 2020 (UTC)

Review of revision 4594063 [Passed]

Revision 4594063 of this article has been reviewed by Pi zero (talk · contribs) and has passed its review at 14:51, 27 November 2020 (UTC). Copyright: Passed Newsworthiness: Passed Verifiability: Passed NPOV: Passed Style: Passed Comments by reviewer: In combination with partial review by User:Acagastya. The reviewed revision should automatically have been edited by removing {{Review}} and adding {{Publish}} at the bottom, and the edit sighted; if this did not happen, it may be done manually by a reviewer.

Revision 4594063 of this article has been reviewed by Pi zero (talk · contribs) and has passed its review at 14:51, 27 November 2020 (UTC). Copyright: Passed Newsworthiness: Passed Verifiability: Passed NPOV: Passed Style: Passed Comments by reviewer: In combination with partial review by User:Acagastya. The reviewed revision should automatically have been edited by removing {{Review}} and adding {{Publish}} at the bottom, and the edit sighted; if this did not happen, it may be done manually by a reviewer.