Federal Election 2019/Preselection Meeting 2018-09-16

16th September 2018

Start time: 17:30 AEST Finish time: 19:16 AEST

= Candidate Q&A =

The unedited IRC transcript is available here.

Generic questions asked:
 * "What do you think is fairly rare about yourself that makes you a worthwhile candidate?"
 * "What would you like the focus of your personal electoral campaign to be?"

Candidates were permitted to add answers to existing questions and to expand on their existing answers over email in the following 18 hours.

John August

 * Nomination Biography
 * Alex Jago seconds John's nomination
 * Question: "What do you think is fairly rare about yourself that makes you a worthwhile candidate?"
 * Answer: "Mildly unique about me: my interest in ip and secular issues and critical approach to how politics in engaged with."
 * Question: "What would you like the focus of your personal electoral campaign to be?"
 * Answer: "In my case ip and secular issues. Furthermore both major parties do not provide engagement with the problems we face and we need to move beyond them."
 * Question: isn't there an interesting tension between the universalist aspect of it, but the necessity to limit it to Australian residents?
 * Answer: "there is broader conflict between the idea of universal human right and the fact that in reality citizens have more legally enforable rights and obligations."
 * Question: "how do you see secularism fitting into your platform?"
 * Answer: "voluntary euthanasia but also religiously inspired policy generally from the major parties."

Joe Furi

 * Nomination Biography
 * Alex Jago seconds Joe's nomination
 * Question: "What would you like the focus of your personal electoral campaign to be?"
 * Answer: "The failings of the two-party system. Economic Reform: Tax, Stopping government waste and rorts, civil liberties and the Right to Privacy."

Sara Joyce

 * Nomination Biography
 * Alex Jago seconds Sara's nomination
 * Question: "What do you think is fairly rare about yourself that makes you a worthwhile candidate?"
 * Answer: "I joined the PPAU in 2013 after a couple of years of working on the Gonski Campaign for the teachers federation working with Gillard and Rudd and many others. After Abbott appointed himself minister for Women I ran a hard campaign to get him to appoint someone else to be appointed garnering 13.000 signatures. I since have worked for local and state governments in IT and have been a campaigner for change with lgbti rights, indigenous rights and Women’s Rights. I would also be the first Trans Woman in the senate if elected."
 * Question: "What would you like the focus of your personal electoral campaign to be?"
 * Answer: "my primary focus in line with the party will be around transparency of government with a focus on issues ranging from lgbti issues to creating a disaster fund for things like drought for farmers and homelessness. I also have a keen interest in issues with limiting copyright laws and keeping gun control laws intact ever though I love to pew pew a bit."

Kate Bowman

 * Nomination Biography
 * Andrew Downing seconds Kate's nomination
 * Question: "What do you think is fairly rare about yourself that makes you a worthwhile candidate?"
 * Answer: "Well, I dunno about rare but I do think that the PPAU has a worthy policy platform and I would like to help get the message out there. I think many people are looking for an alternative to the two major parties and this is an opportunity for PPAU to step up. I would be honoured to represent the party."
 * Question: "What would you like the focus of your personal electoral campaign to be?"
 * Answer: I think climate change should be high on the agenda including supporting clean energy solutions and better land and marine management. I’m also behind long-overdue recognition for ATSI peoples. I want to ensure people in aged care and on the NDIS get the care they need and I would support Medicare and harm reduction generally. I would love to strip funding from private schools and funnel it back into public education and finally I would like to make sure public broadcasting is well supported to counter the negative influence of the commercial networks and their biased reporting.

Tania Briese

 * Nomination Biography
 * John August seconds Tania's nomination
 * Question: "What do you think is fairly rare about yourself that makes you a worthwhile candidate?"
 * Answer: "Fairly rare about me......I like to listen and understand before I speak. Sadly, this seems all too rare."
 * Question: "What would you like the focus of your personal electoral campaign to be?"
 * Answer: "I am not coming into this with a particular personal agenda to push. I nominated for the party because I feel that the Pirate Party has a broad range of good policies, and I want to support that. Some of my interests include alternative energy, asylum seeker/refugee policies that are inhumane, aged care, and promoting the Universal Basic Income."
 * Question: "your bio makes you sound very mature and sensible (probably more than most of us). how do you see tech issues and tech usage fitting into your platform?"
 * Answer: "Thanks, I think! I was introduced to the Pirate Party by my son, who is a keen tech person, and who actually nominated for the Pirate Party in Qld in the last election. I use technology in my everyday life, and my kids have grown up with technology that wasn't imaginable a few years ago. So I appreciate that technology, both the responsible use of it, and the need to regulate the use of it in at least some situations, is very important. In terms of things like the online Health Records, I am opposed to the way it is being introduced, and the potential for misuse, (and I have opted out of it). My son is studying Law and IT so we have frequent conversations about how technology is developing and implications for the future."

Shannon Smith

 * absent
 * Tania Briese seconds Shannon's nomination
 * Note: Shannon is available to run as a candidate if need be.

Brandon Selic

 * Nomination Biography
 * Sara Joyce seconds Brandon's nomination
 * Question: "What do you think is fairly rare about yourself that makes you a worthwhile candidate?"
 * Answer: "I've worked as a community lawyer for the majority of my career, so I'm used to advocating for the positions of people in the community who might otherwise not have their voices heard. I feel I can take this experience to represent the varied positions of the people of Queensland."
 * Question: "What would you like the focus of your personal electoral campaign to be?"
 * Answer: "Last time I campaigned because I wanted to show voters that there were alternatives to the two major parties. That hasn't changed, and the situation has only gotten worse. Last time I focused on mariage equality, offshore detention and environmental issues in Queensland. We got one of those. I still feel offshore denetion is a big issue; it's dominated nearly 20 years of election cycles. But we still have to look at environmental issues in Queesnalnd, and energy issues throughout the country."

Miles Whiticker

 * Nomination Biography
 * John August seconds Miles' nomination
 * Question: "What do you think is fairly rare about yourself that makes you a worthwhile candidate?"
 * Answer: "I think the variety of political and non political community work i do gives me a unique perspective on society. I have experience in working with people of all ages, demographics, political/religious persuasions and interests. In particular i am mostly interested in grass roots movements and community organising."
 * Question: "What would you like the focus of your personal electoral campaign to be?"
 * Answer: "I'm interested in my core electoral platform being UBI/JG, copyright and government for the people including direct democracy, transparency, anti corruption, pro privacy"

Clive Myers

 * Nomination Biography
 * Miles Whiticker seconds Clive's nomination
 * Question: "What do you think is fairly rare about yourself that makes you a worthwhile candidate?"
 * Answer: "I think that common sense and the ability to analyse situations is actually fairly rare. My maturity gives me the ability tolook atthings based on extensive experience."
 * Question: "What would you like the focus of your personal electoral campaign to be?"
 * Answer: I am very keen on Universal Basic income have been talking about this to any one who will listen for years now. I have discussed this extensively on my blog and think this is essential for the future."
 * Follow-up question: "Are you familiar with our new JG policy and how it meshes with a UBI?"
 * Follow-up question: "Isn't there an interesting tension between the universalist aspect of it, but the necessity to limit it to Australian residents?"
 * Answer: "Obviously we can only be concerned with Australia at this time as social norms (and acceptance) are very different between here and there."