Greens WA candidate Nerilee Boshammer was born and raised in Cervantes and now calls Busselton home.
Ms Boshammer holds a Bachelor of Science (Environmental Management) and has spent the last 15 years in the South West, working with farmers in sustainable agriculture initiatives, developing employment and enterprise opportunities in collaboration with Aboriginal people and undertaking extensive work in community engagement and behaviour change.
She worked in the not-for-profit sector for 14 years and now runs her own consulting small business.
Given her background as a cray fisherman's daughter from a largely farming family and where her work has taken her, Ms Boshammer understands firsthand both the joys and challenges of living and working in the country.
She is dedicated to ensuring rural and regional areas not only survive, but thrive, and are environmentally, socially and economically sustainable as they grow and change.
How will your party's policies benefit the Forrest electorate?
It is clear that communities in Forrest have been largely forgotten in federal politics.
The major parties have created a system that prioritises big corporations, instead of providing opportunity for economic diversification and local business entrepreneurship that benefits all of us in Forrest.
But The Greens have a plan to turn that around that will benefit all of us in Forrest.
Education, health and other essential services - The Greens plan for regional services is about better public education for all, including free childcare, TAFE and undergraduate university degrees.
We will prioritise regional healthcare and in particular, access to mental healthcare, support for our critically important regional hospitals and local emergency services, and improve our regional public school system.
Real action on climate change - what will that look like for Forrest?
A lot more rooftop solar, support for local renewable energy hubs, more trains, buses and cycle ways, plus kick-starting the electric vehicle revolution.
Climate change modelling indicates that Forrest and the wider South West will be hit with the most significant and rapid decline in rainfall in Australia.
This has significant implications for farming, tourism, fishing, and our very way of life. The time to act is now.
Fortunately, we have so many opportunities to do this in Forrest, building on the great work already being done locally by the Transition Towns initiative, local renewable energy initiatives and the great work being done by local governments like the Shire of Augusts-Margaret River to combat climate change.
Better waste management - The Greens plan to invest $500 million in infrastructure and programs across the country to better manage waste, including phasing out single use plastics, tackling marine plastic pollution, and introducing a national container deposit scheme.
We know that rural and regional areas in particular struggle with resourcing recycling and other waste management programs and our plan takes this into account.
Speaking of rubbish, we will clean up politics. The Greens have a comprehensive plan to stop the $11 billion a year tax avoidance industry.
Right now, corporate influence in politics is getting in the way of progress on everything from tackling climate change to housing affordability.
Since 2012, the major parties have taken over $100 million in donations from big corporations. Unlike the major parties, the Greens refuse to take donations from corporations trying to buy influence.
That means we are entirely focused on outcomes that are good for our community, not outcomes that suit big donors.
What infrastructure projects would you like to see up and running in Forrest?
NBN improvements - these days, a fast and reliable internet service is essential for people living in Forrest. It keeps our small businesses running, ensures that we can access on-line services and it keeps us connected to the people we love.
It isn't enough to keep the NBN as it is. The Abbott-Turnbull 'multi-technology mix' disaster has left many Australians without affordable or reliable services.
The Greens are committed to a forward-looking NBN that uses fibre to the premises, fibre to the curb, and 5G fixed wireless to prepare us for the future and bring us in line with the capabilities of other countries.
Under our plan, the NBN will be finished using the best long-term technology solutions and make it available to all Australians.
Road safety and sustainable development - this is critical, as part of a truly strategic blueprint for our region.
We are still seeing mass residential development with no forward planning for how to manage a rapidly increasing population.
Our road network is buckling under the pressure and it's putting our community safety at risk.
We need holistic and sustainable planning for how Forrest is going to look in 50 years, factoring in intelligent roadway design, investment in public transport, wildlife corridors, public open space, access to service deliverers, and safe passage to schools. And the resources to implement this planning.
Waste management works - in addition to The Greens recycling initiatives, I wouild love to see innovative infrastructure projects for waste reduction, such as waste to energy plants.
The recent groundwater contamination s a result of leaching from the Busselton waste transfer station shows that we cannot just keep digging holes in the ground and filling them with rubbish.
Local Governments across Forrest are already making fantastic progress here and I want to work with them to further this.
What are the issues most affecting people living in Forrest?
The NBN - it is an issue I am hearing about time and time again when I am talking to people in the community and to business owners.
There are so many examples where it is barely functioning, like Kingston, and many others where it is intermittent at best, including in large commercial centres like Busselton and Bunbury.
This is having a massive impact on our day-to-day lives and needs significant infrastructure works to get it to an appropriate standard.
Road safety and lack of public transport - many of us in Forrest are worried that unsustainable and reactionary urban development is impacting on our natural landscape and water resources, displacing productive local agricultural land and placing impossible pressure on our healthcare, education and transport services.
I am getting a lot of emails from residents concerned about the Busselton to Bunbury transport corridor for example, a symptom of poor and short-sighted planning.
Access to essential services - we must invest in, and improve access to, quality education and healthcare services in regional and rural areas, support opportunities for sustainable growth and economic diversification, while ensuring our valuable agricultural land, tourism industry, natural environmental assets and way of life are protected and managed sustainably for future generations.
When I am out and about door knocking, or on the phone to Forrest residents, issues with aged care facilities and access to disability and mental health services are mentioned often.
Cost of living - people are really concerned about ever increasing electricity prices, especially pensioners. Contrary to what the Morrison government will have you believe, it's not investment in renewable energy that is driving up prices.
Investment in locally based renewables will bring the cost of electricity down, while maintaining the status quo in WA (where Synergy have a monopoly on the market) is what is actually driving price increase.
The Greens plan means addressing the inequity in the current system, cheaper energy bills, and support for renters and small business owners to access clean and reliable renewable energy.
How would you address these issues in the House of Reps?
I am committed to ensuring our regional and rural areas are great places to live, providing opportunity for economic growth, community capacity, longevity and resilience. We deserve the same opportunities as people living in the metropolitan area.
As your local Greens MP, I will ensure the people of Forrest can access the essential regional services they need for a good quality of life, including fast, affordable and reliable NBN, quality public healthcare, services for our elderly, and investment for our regional public schools.
I will ban corporate donations to political parties, increase transparency in politics and implement taxation reform to make corporations pay their fair share of tax so that we are able to better invest in essential services.
Anything else?
We must be vigilant to continue to protect Forrest tourism, agricultural land and our very way of life from gas fracking in any form.
The Labor party, the Liberals and even the Nationals say they care about our regional areas, yet none of them will provide a solid commitment that fracking won't ever take place in our area. We've already seen the State Labor Government backflip on their election commitment on this.
The Greens are the only party who has said emphatically and repeatedly that there is no place for it here. We will continue with this message, so that farmers, tourism operators and residents can feel confident that their livelihoods, water resources and very way of life are not at threat.
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