THE Caz 4 Cowper team arrived in Nambucca Heads on Sunday 20 March to locally launch Carolyn Heise’s campaign for the upcoming Federal Election for the seat of Cowper.

Finding a car park at the Nambucca Heads Island Golf Club was not easy, owing to the fact that there were over 150 attendees at the launch.

Dr Jon Fergusson, a GP from the Urunga Medical Centre, MC’d the proceedings and opened the meeting by introducing Gumbaynggirr elder Uncle Micklo Jarrett who conducted a Welcome to Country.

This opening reflects a policy priority of Carolyn (Caz) Heise, who said, “I will consult broadly and take the time to understand the issues affecting First Nations people in Cowper.

“I support self-determination and culturally appropriate resourcing to improve health, education and employment outcomes, and wholeheartedly agree with the Uluru Statement from the Heart.”

Dr Fergusson introduced Ms Heise, detailing her long work history in the Mid North Coast Health District.
Her work ethic, according to Dr Fergusson, reflected “responsibility and equity at the heart of all that she did”.

Following Dr Fergusson’s endorsement of Ms Heise, the crowd heard from the Independent running for Cowper herself.

Ms Heise spoke of her strong belief in the grassroots movement, and her passion for running a respectful campaign with her aim to bring back the trust of the Australian people.

She shared that she had been researching Nambucca and learning about the diversity of the community in the Shire, including that the average age was almost nine years older than the state average.

Ms Heise discussed the concerns that she had heard from the community so far that reflected worries relating to increasing living expenses, high petrol prices, and the cost of housing that is pushing some local people out of the area.

She presented her stance for solutions such as providing secure housing, jobs growth and regional security.

“We have to act now to protect our families and our beautiful environment.”

According to Ms Heise some community members can no longer afford to go to the GP because they cannot afford to pay the gap payment.

Saving Medicare is one of Ms Heise’s priorities.

Ms Heise spoke of “bringing the resources to the region that we need”, including ensuring that the region is provided with proper telephone and internet connectivity.

Action on climate change was a key aspect discussed in the campaign launch, with Ms Heise stating there needed to be a better response to national emergencies like the recent devastating floods on the North Coast of NSW.

She said, “We need a government that acknowledges climate change is actually happening.”

She assured the attendees that if she is elected she will work with local communities to do risk assessments of local areas, and that she will “rattle cages on the communities’ behalf, so that you truly have a voice”.

Providing Aged Care services with dignity and responding effectively to reviews that have been carried out on Aged Care were also listed as a priority by Ms Heise.

Find out more about Caz Heise, including her campaign timetable, visit https://caz4cowper.com.au.

 

By Rachel MCGREGOR-ALLEN