MEDIA STATEMENT
After the federal budget was handed down on October 6, I ran a survey of Indi residents to hear what issues are most important to them and what their priorities for recovery are.
An astounding 1,231 Indi residents took five minutes to respond to my call. Today I am publishing the results of that survey.
The message is clear. The government must do much more to invest in the economic recovery of our region.
While people gave the federal Government credit for schemes like JobKeeper, the survey responses revealed that the economic and health costs of the bushfires, pandemic and border closure are an inescapable fact of daily life – and the consequences are close to the surface.
Overwhelmingly, people in Indi believe the Government should be doing much more to invest in critical services like aged care, mental health and childcare.
The report shows that of the Indi residents surveyed:
- 84% believe the government should do more on aged care
- 82% support my Local Power Plan for locally-owned renewables
- 72% support the government’s measures to help small business
- 71% believe that JobSeeker should either remain at the current rate or be increased
- 71% believe the government should do more on mental health
- 70% believe that JobKeeper should remain at the current rate
- 60% believe the government should do more on childcare
- 58% believe that the JobMaker hiring credit should be extended to people over 35
- 42% support the government’s income tax cuts.
As a community independent I listen to my community and put their views first. These results will inform my work over the coming months: how I vote on Bills, the policies I advocate for and my work with Ministers to secure funding.
The decisions made now will affect what type of community we live in for many years to come. I am determined to see that Indi bounces back from the challenges of 2020 stronger than ever.
