Alexander Andruska – Liberal Party of Australia
Alexander is a financial controller. He grew up in Canberra where he obtained a Bachelor of Commerce from the Australian National University, becoming a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in 2010. Alexander has a great affinity for the electorate – he and his wife Linda married at the Grounds of Alexandria in 2015 and are looking forward to having a family of their own. With his extensive experience as an accountant for family-run small businesses, Alexander said he was in an excellent position to help the community get ahead. He plans to assist small business by addressing state taxes. He is also a longtime supporter of international humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders.
Sydney is the city with the third most expensive housing market in the world. What housing policies does your party have to address the problems that face people who are not adequately catered for by the commercial market?
The NSW Liberals and Nationals Government has delivered comprehensive first home owner initiatives, including stamp duty concessions. More people in Heffron are looking to build new properties on old blocks and the $10,000 First Home Owner Grant for new properties is a great initiative.
How should planning responsibilities be organised between the City of Sydney Council and the state government, so that the communities can have a greater say in the development changes in their local area?
Councils’ Local Environment Plans are paramount to sensible development. New Local Character guidelines introduced by the Department of Planning supplement the LEPs and include advice from local character experts.
With redevelopment projects throughout the inner city, how will your party identify and fund infrastructure that needs to be provided to accommodate the increased population density?
This Government has more than tripled the annual investment in roads and public transport compared to Labor’s time in office. Plans in the Greater Sydney Commission’s Eastern District Plan outline even more as the population grows. If elected I’ll work with the community to see those projects through.
How will your party balance residential amenity and safety within recent proposals to develop Sydney’s night time economy?
The electorate of Heffron stands to benefit from an increase in its night time economy. Commercial, retail and hospitality hotspots in Alexandria and Rosebery are already changing the community for the better. We need to encourage well-planned and vibrant hubs and in doing so engage the local police and community groups, listening to their needs and concerns.
Kym Chapple – The Greens
Greens representatives can give a powerful voice to the community who have been locked out of decision making by corporate interests and big developers. We recognise that housing is a human right, and will push for more public housing, more dedicated First Nations housing and improved rights for renters. We will introduce $1 fares, upgrade Green Square and Mascot stations, and expand and improve our bus network. We must make it easier to get around with safe accessible footpaths and connected cycle paths. We will campaign for pill testing, the legalisation of cannabis and plain packaging for MDMA.
Sydney is the city with the third most expensive housing market in the world. What housing policies does your party have to address the problems that face people who are not adequately catered for by the commercial market?
The Greens believe housing is a human right.
We will build 300,000 new social houses to address housing waiting lists and provide families and individuals a place to call home.
Improve renters rights especially by removing no fault evictions, giving renters easier paths to repairs for their properties, and a default right to have pets in rentals.
How should planning responsibilities be organised between The City of Sydney Council and state government, so that communities can have a greater say in the development changes in their local area?
The Liberal National Government have undermined the rights of local councils with forced amalgamations and the imposition of planning decisions.
The Greens plan empowers local councils to consult with communities from the beginning, so that community consultation occurs throughout a project, not just on a finalised plan.
With redevelopment projects throughout the inner city, how will your party identify and fund infrastructure that needs to be provided to accommodate the increased population density?
All decisions much be underpinned by strategic planning of infrastructure across the inner city. It’s clear that developments continue to be approved without consideration of the cumulative impact on services including public transport and that this needs to urgently change.
How will your party balance residential amenity and safety within recent proposals to develop Sydney’s night time economy?
We can have a vibrant nightlife in Sydney where live music and festivals play a significant part in our cultural landscape. We need to end the lockouts while ensuring local communities have protections from adverse impacts.
Michael Dello-Iacovo – Animal Justice Party
As a scientist, I want to ensure that the policies implemented by our government are based on evidence. Combining this with our party’s values of kindness, equality, rationality and non-violence, my focus is on protecting animals and preserving the environment in a way that is mutually beneficial for all of us. My local focuses are on improving public transport to reduce pollution and make a more livable city, assisting people with companion animals in rental properties and on public transport, and ensuring that urban development projects and planning are based on evidence and are not politicised.
Sydney is the city with the third most expensive housing market in the world. What housing policies does your party have to address the problems that face people who are not adequately catered for by the commercial market?
I want to ensure that developers have requirements for the minimum amount of available apartment space for social and affordable housing based on the needs of the community.
How should planning responsibilities be organised between The City of Sydney Council and state government, so that communities can have a greater say in the development changes in their local area?
Our planning laws are a mess. Over the last 20 years we have had multiple changes to the process, and it has become increasingly politicised. It has become focused on allowing large developers to cut through red tape. We need to stop this and ensure that local councils have a greater say in development, with increased community engagement.
With redevelopment projects throughout the inner city, how will your party identify and fund infrastructure that needs to be provided to accommodate the increased population density?
We need to go back to a depoliticised public service, with experts in town planning making the decisions about long term plans. Housing development and population growth should be accompanied by adequate schools, public transport, parks and other infrastructure development to ensure a livable city. We should also take increased consideration of the local environment and how it affects animals when we plan redevelopment.
How will your party balance residential amenity and safety within recent proposals to develop Sydney’s night time economy?
We want to keep Sydney open and ensure a sustainable and successful night time economy, while also ensuring we keep the residents of Sydney safe. This can at times be a difficult balance which needs to be managed in an evidence-based approach with proper input from experts.
Ron Hoenig – Australian Labor Party
Ron Hoenig has served as the State Member for Heffron in the NSW Parliament since his election at the August 2012 by-election. Prior to entering parliament he was the Mayor of the City of Botany Bay, a position he held continuously for almost 31 years. He is regarded by many as one of the most progressive and accomplished mayors in NSW. He is a barrister and, prior to entering parliament, was a Public Defender and Acting Crown Prosecutor in NSW. He lives in the electorate with his wife and two children.
Sydney is the city with the third most expensive housing market in the world. What housing policies does your party have to address the problems that face people who are not adequately catered for by the commercial market?
NSW Labor has a plan to deliver 25,000 more affordable homes every year through a 25 per cent affordable housing target on redevelopments of publicly owned land, as well as a 15% target on rezoned private land. Labor will give renters more security of tenure by abolishing no-fault evictions, and introduce lease agreements of up to five years.
How should planning responsibilities be organised between The City of Sydney Council and state government, so that communities can have a greater say in the development changes in their local area?
Decisions on developments should only be made by “local experts”, being the representatives of the people. Labor will return planning powers back to the local community, and abolish spot rezonings, which allows developers to rort local planning policies.
With redevelopment projects throughout the inner city, how will your party identify and fund infrastructure that needs to be provided to accommodate the increased population density?
The solution to problems of planning is the proper implementation of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act. I believe we need to repeal the last 30 years of amendments to that Act, keep track of the increase in population and the demand it will place on infrastructure, and then plan and fund accordingly.
How will your party balance residential amenity and safety within recent proposals to develop Sydney’s night time economy?
Labor will invest up to $10 million to create a new Music Development Hub in NSW.
Labor will provide grants to help venues promote themselves as live music venues, to contribute to soundproofing venues, and invest in infrastructure to support live music performances, including audio and lighting equipment.
And we’ll deliver more and better public transport to make it safer, easier, and more attractive to enjoy the city after dark.