According to a recent Roy Morgan Research poll the top three issues in this electorate are: Improving health services and hospitals 31%, fair workplace and employment regulations 27%, reducing crime and maintaining law and order 23%.
Major contestants for the seat are Belinda Neal, Australian Labor Party; Mira Wroblewski, The Greens, and The Hon Jim Lloyd, incumbent Member for Robertson.
The furore over Jana Horska’s miscarriage in a toilet at the Royal North Shore hospital last September has seen cheap political point scoring over the incident giving little dignity to the plight of this woman and her husband.
Closer to home, Gosford Hospital is not without its critics on the level, or lack of, service provided to patients. Healthcare is very much on the agenda in the seat of Robertson especially with its high level of elderly residents and increasing population.
Interestingly the Trends in Recorded Crime Statistics, 2002 to 2006 conducted by Lawlink NSW shows crime particularly in Gosford as ‘stable’. Yet 23% of those surveyed showed concern. Member for Terrigal, Chris Hartcher, in a report to the NSW State Parliament in March 06 mentions a sorry state of policing in Gosford.
Kincumber police station especially comes in for some of his ire on its lack of manning. Taken in context Chris Hartcher wants to see the Brisbane Area Command with greater support from the State Government. One may therefore assume this embraces Federal Liberal policy.
At the Gosford Chamber’s October luncheon the Shadow Minister for the Service Economy, Small Business and Independent Contractors, Craig Emerson, was the guest speaker and suggested that 40% of small business failure was due to lifestyle change and the cost associated with it in less time spent with family. He also said, “A Federal Labor government would expand more local jobs, create a better lifestyle and improve the quality of life”. He went on to mention that under Labor every high school would have vocational training.
On superannuation Labor would pool and disperse the accumulated funds, and on the GST he said that Labor would look to introducing a ‘BAS easy’ scheme where business would only need to action their Business Activity Statement twice a year. This may miss the mark as many small business operators have financial difficulty in meeting the current quarterly payments. Making them six monthly would mean they might fill in less forms, and make meagre savings from accountancy fees, but have a greater amount pay when due. One wonders if the Shadow Minister for small business actually understands the plight of some small businesses!
Running for election in the seat of Robertson is Federal Liberal incumbent Jim Lloyd, Labor candidate Belinda Neal and Greens candidate Mira Wrobleski.
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