Surbhi Snowball (she/her)

1. Climate change -The Mornpen Council has declared a climate emergency. We need bi partisan, non-political action. We need strong, national leadership urgently. Labor will provide this leadership. The national part is the most important, because we need immediate and large scale invest and mobilisation to have the right infrastructure to get to net 0 by 2050.

Labor has a comprehensive, fully costed plan to address the climate emergency and it’s called – Powering Australia. It will ensure that finally, decisive action is taken on climate change at a national level - in a way where we collectively work with state governments, local governments, communities, business and all Australians, who have been required to do the heavy lifting in relation to decarbonisation. The Morrison government isn’t just guilty of inaction, they seem to be actively trying to stop any progress that has been made by the rest of us.

I want, - the Labor party wants-, Australia to become an international renewable energy superpower. Not only will this help us get to net 0 (or earlier), but it will be an opportunity to create jobs, to build infrastructure and to resurrect local manufacturing. This plan will:

• create 604,000 jobs (64000 direct and 540 000 indirect)( 10k Apprentices)
• invest $20 billion upgrading the electricity grid
• co-invest $100 in solar banks across the country
• install 400 community batteries (I would advocate to secure funds for our very own community battery, currently already being championed on the MornPen)
• Investments in development and commercialisation of emission reducing livestock feed
• Improved carbon farming opportunities. (like Volt farm on Mornpen).

I am an active member of MP LEAN – Mornington Peninsula Labor Environmental Action Network which has input to Labor platform and policy development, advocating for strong environment commitments and climate action.

I recently attended an EMpower forum, and I think this is a fantastic and innovative initiative. I can see clear links between Labor’s climate action strategies outlined in Powering Australia and the priorities and efforts of EMPower. Powering Australia will be the top down approach and Empower is the policy from the bottom up to drive decarbonisation to Net0 as quickly as we can.

2. We still need to improve access to health services throughout Australia. Improving incentives for health providers to practice LOCALLY. We know living on the Mornpen, many do not get the same access to health and mental health care and that this contributes to vast health inequalities. Telehealth has changed the landscape for the better, really rapidly. This should be extended beyond the pandemic, where in-person services are not available. Labor will support highquality aged care services being available in local communities. We are committed to implementing the finding of the royal commission. Labor will make sure that the supply of high-quality aged care services meets current and future demand. Labor will work with local governments providing high-quality home and community care to ensure that these arrangements continue and there are no disruptions to care currently being provided.

3. Labor will work to rebuild, modernise and diversify Australian manufacturing with an active approach to government programs, collaboration with industry, unions and institutions at the sectoral level and supporting industrial development, particularly in local Australia. Labor will invest in sustainable manufacturing, and in particular those new technologies which will enable Australian industry and Australian workers to gear up for the future

The MP is a unique and treasured environment. It has it’s own specific needs and its own profile. Ultimately what counts are two things:

1.  Meeting the specific needs of all the people who live on the MP – especially health and educational needs
2. Preserving the precious environment of the MP – in environmental and planning terms that means preserving the Green Wedge.

I was surprised to see that the report commissioned by the committee did not address the broader socio-economic needs of people on the MP, particularly in relation to health and housing.

I was not convinced that the unique needs we have on the peninsula are going to be solved by arguing about our planning status. This puts our green wedge at risk. I do not want to see this compromised in any way. My conversations with members of this electorate indicate that the vast majority share this view, and I would side with our council which wants us to be peri urban.

Labor will use all the tools of government in driving an integrated approach to generating growth and prosperity. Labor will work with business, industry, universities and research institutes to boost Australia's investment in research and development as a percentage of GDP, getting it closer to 3 per cent of GDP achieved in other countries.

Labor will properly resource Australia's publicly-funded science and research agencies and ensure they are given the independence they need to support their critical contribution to society, productivity, industrial capacity and economic growth. The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, Defence Science and Technology and the Australian Institute of Marine Science are critical to this goal.

Labor will ensure all Australians get fast, reliable and affordable broadband, no matter where they live or do business. We will leverage and improve the National Broadband Network to advance economic and social outcomes.

Labor wants all Australians, no matter where they live, to enjoy the benefits of rising national prosperity. I believe this area hold enormous potential for future economic growth and prosperity and that requires sustained effort and investment. We will therefore continue our proud history of supporting development and economic decentralisation.

Labor recognises the important role of local government in delivering infrastructure and will work with all levels of government to identify and deliver infrastructure solutions across Australia. Under Labor

Labor recognises the major contribution of the micro and small businesses sector. To help small and micro businesses grow further, Labor will pursue tax assistance and simplification and seek to lower regulatory burdens.

As a social-democratic party, Labor will pursue inclusive growth. We reject the false choice between growth that is strong and growth that is fair. Labor believes our economy is strengthened when more people can contribute to it and have a stake in its success.

If we want real action to protect our precious environment and to achieve improved economic development through real jobs and fair wages, the best way to do that is to elect an Albanese Labor Government in May. The current Government has shown with the recent budget that they have no plan to address debts no plan to improve the daily life of the electorate. An Albanese led Labor Government has a plan to address jobs, health, education and the environment and has demonstrated that it will listen to the concerns of the electorate.

There is a housing crisis. The Mornington Peninsula has been identified as one of the top areas in Victoria for inaccessible rental prices. We understand the impact this is having on local businesses who have trouble recruiting staff, particularly in areas like hospitality, because there is no affordable accommodation for potential staff. The current Federal government has no plans to address this other than to suggest allowing more people to buy their first homes will free up more properties for rental. Anyone with a basic knowledge of money knows that the current idea is fundamentally flawed. That is not a plan.

An Albanese Labor Government will create a $10 billion off-budget Housing Australia Future Fund to build social and affordable housing with principles of universal design which enable access for people with disability. over 5 years, and create jobs now and in the long term.

The Fund would be managed by an independent body -Future Fund Board of Guardians (chaired by Hon Peter Costello AC).

Each year investment returns will be transferred to the National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation (NHFIC) to pay for social and affordable housing projects.

Similar to Social and Affordable Housing Fund (SAHF), in NSW, a proportion of the investment returns will fund annual service payments, paid to community housing providers over 25-years to bridge the gap between rental revenue and operating costs.

This will directly support 21,500 full-time jobs across the construction industry and broader economy, per year, over 5 years, nationwide - one in 10 direct workers on site will be apprentices.

A portion of the investment returns will be available to fund acute housing needs in perpetuity. This funding will be used for additional crisis, transitional and long-term social housing in parts of the country with the greatest need.

In the first 5 years these investment returns will fund:

A total of $1.7 billion dollars will be allocated to women. $1.6 billion for long term housing, and an additional $100 million for crisis and transitional housing options for women and children fleeing domestic and family violence, and older women on low incomes who are at risk of homelessness.

• $200 million for the repair, maintenance and improvements of housing in remote Indigenous communities, where some of the worst housing standards in the world are endured by our First Nations people.
• $30 million to build more housing and fund specialist services for veterans who are experiencing homelessness or at-risk homelessness.

All of this obviously can only be achieved with support and co operation from all levels of government. I am looking forward to being able to do that. I would also look forward to being able to do it in a timely manner, because no one can wait any longer.

Labor will create the $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund which will build 30,000 new social and affordable housing properties in its first five years and create thousands of jobs. Each year investment returns from the Housing Australia Future Fund will be transferred to the National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation (NHFIC) to pay for social and affordable housing projects. Over the first 5 years the investment returns will build around 20,000 social housing properties and 10,000 affordable homes for the frontline workers like police, nurses and cleaners who kept us safe during the pandemic. This will directly support 21,500 full-time jobs across the construction industry and broader economy, per year, over 5 years, nationwide.

I want to acknowledge the efforts of the local state member for Nepean, Chris Brayne, in negotiating much improved bus schedules for residents of the MP. He is working hard in this area. At a federal level there is a key contribution to be made.

Labor established Infrastructure Australia (IA) to take the politics out of infrastructure planning. Under Labor, IA will be charged with identifying a long-term strategic pipeline of projects and be at the centre of a Labor government's investment decision-making process. Labor will work with all levels of government to identify and deliver infrastructure solutions across Australia. Labor will work with local governments, businesses and community leaders to identify and deliver meaningful development programs that stimulate economic activity and support communities and sustainable jobs. Labor will properly fund infrastructure investment. Under Labor, communities will receive the major infrastructure project funding they need to grow industries, and improve opportunities for all Australians. For the MP, all of this will involve careful consideration of the ways in which an Albanese Labor Government could improve access to reliable, affordable and sustainable transport options.

We need to be very clear about the funding commitments of the current Federal government: money has been promised, but it has not been delivered. The billions have been promised for urban and rural infrastructure have failed to materialise. Barnaby Joyce controls the regional infrastructure fund of $7.1 billion. In the budget handed down last week, none of these funds were allocated to Victoria.

So my view is that we need to bring integrity and a spirit of co-operation back into the infrastructure funding process. Vital projects should be assessed independently on a nonpartisan political basis. By voting for a Labor Government next month, Infrastructure Australia will operate as it was intended to function, enabling all levels of government to work together to deliver meaningful development.

When asked what he would do to help small business during the pandemic, Scott Morrison flatly refused to help because it was “a matter for the states”. Labor will not abandon communities and businesses on the MP.

These are the ways in which an Albanese Labor Government has pledged to assist communities and businesses:

1. On the issue of staff shortages, Labor will

1. fund 465,000 Fee Free TAFE places for sectors facing skill shortages.
2. make childcare more affordable for workers – making it easier for small business to offer more hours to their key workers without them incurring a penalty.

2. Here are four other ways Labor will assist businesses:

1. Labor’s plan for cheaper renewable energy will reduce energy costs for small businesses.
2. Labor will reduce the cost of Electric Vehicles – providing the opportunity for small businesses to upgrade their fleets and reduce their fuel costs.
3. Eight out of ten small businesses find government regulation far too complex. More needs to be done to reduce the time small businesses spend on paperwork by exploring opportunities to reduce red tape through simpler administration and better systems.
4. Sixty-two per cent of small businesses have experienced a cyber security incident in the last year. Labor will establish a National Anti- Scam Centre bringing together law enforcement, banks, telecommunications providers and consumer advocates to harden national defences protecting Australian small businesses.

An Albanese Labor government has pledged to work with local governments.

If I make it to Canberra, I will be a junior member, and my role will likely mostly be only as a representative of my community. I commit to being present and being available in the community. I personally commit to having regular community forums and letting you all know what I have been doing and plan to do further. I plan to be actively involved with our local and state government and, community groups to bring about better outcomes for our community.

Mornpen is a very special place – It was officially a part of greater Melbourne since 1964. But as of 2014/15 we now have areas classified as both urban growth and primary production. Essential service upgrades and some new services are needed regardless of where anyone lives, – better public transportation, Internet connectivity, green energy, infrastructure for better water management. I will be advocating for all of these to make our community carbon neutral. This is an excellent area for community and local government consultation ABOUT THE INFRASTRUCTURE WE NEED IN OUR UNIQUE ENVIRONMENT.

I’m hoping it will be a long term for starters! I want, in our lifetime, to see our climate stabilized. I want to see our country united. I want to be able to bring back trust in our institutions. I want our communities strengthened, financially and physically. I want to be able to see progress in innovation and I want to see strong laws in place to protect what we have.