A few years ago, our rates jumped by around 20%. Before that, I saw rates as just a part of owning a home. But after that increase, I started noticing "the basics" slipping. The potholes got bigger and stayed longer. Suburbs got three bins, while rural areas got nothing. I noticed parent rooms with broken change tables and unshaded play spaces in the middle of summer. Individually, I might not have noticed, but combined, I got the feeling ratepayers simply weren't getting their money's worth. I am running because I want to get the basics right so our community can grow confidently together.

I strongly believe the Burnie City Council must prioritise buying from Burnie businesses first and foremost for everything, even if it costs slightly more or takes a little longer. If a local business cannot fulfil the need, we must look to Tasmanian suppliers before spending money on the mainland. It makes absolutely no sense that Council chose a "French Fries" art installation from a mainland artist when we have our own Burnie Regional Art Gallery and incredible local art groups right here. Furthermore, when major State projects roll in, Council must be vocal about using local talent to build local skills so our people can bid on the next project.

In my 20 years in technology and cyber, I have learnt how important it is to focus on "The Basics"—things like server replacements, updates, backups, and antivirus. They aren't pretty or sparkly, but they set the foundation you build from. The Burnie City Council is currently partway through a multi-million-dollar Digital Transformation Strategy. I advocate for "(Super Boring) Digital Governance." I want to bring my skills to Council to help find solutions that actually suit our needs, ensure they fit with State policies, and guarantee they are secure enough to keep our private information private.

Every decision we make as Councillors is a decision my wife and son will have to live with, which is why I believe Council needs to be fair, reasonable, and use common sense. It is not reasonable that families in Highclere have to haul their rubbish to the tip when they go to get their groceries. It is not fair that private ratepayers get slapped with abatement notices while the grass near our public roads is left waist-high and completely dry by the Council. We are one council and one community, and we need a fair standard across the entire municipality.

While I support the Burnie Active Transport Strategy, I do not support removing on-street car parking in the CBD to build on-road bike lanes. Burnie is located at the start of Tasmania’s primary freight corridor, making our roads too narrow and heavily utilised by trucks for dedicated bike lanes to be safe. Furthermore, we are a car-dependent community, and removing limited CBD parking will hurt our local businesses. Instead, I prioritise safe, separated off-road infrastructure. The CBD already has a number of bike racks just a short detour off the Coastal Pathway. I will prioritise extending this shared pathway east of Burnie to link up with the Central Coast Council, keeping riders safe without sacrificing the parking our local economy relies on.

No. I am a fully independent candidate. I strongly believe that local councils should consist of local people focused on local issues, reserving party politics and affiliations exclusively for the state and federal government levels.