A RETIRED cyber security expert has put his name forward to contest the seat of Farrer for Labor.
Tocumwal-based Glen Hyde made his first visit to Wentworth, Dareton and Balranald this week to pitch his party’s election talking points.
He said the two most pressing issues for the Farrer electorate were health outcomes, and the fate of Rex Airlines.
“When Rex started to get into trouble we went forward and said to the Opposition join with us in trying to keep them in the air, and we were laughed at,” Mr Hyde said.
“For this part of the seat and Albury, it’s about maintaining competition with Qantas and getting value for money for people.
“In the other areas, Griffith, Narrandera, Leeton, it’s the only air service they have. If Rex goes, there’s no connectivity to anybody else in the electorate, and pretty much Sydney or Melbourne, you’ve got to drive.”
He criticised the current sitting member, Deputy Liberal Leader Sussan Ley, and said she had neglected the people of Farrer.
“I can tell you this, the most consistent disappointment is people haven’t seen Sussan Ley, she’s just invisible,” Mr Hyde said.
“I know how to talk to people, I know how to engage with government, with public servants of course, I’ve been one for nearly 40 years, so I know how to bring people together and I know how to get solutions.
“I don’t see that with Sussan.
“I see a lot of her grandstanding on Sunrise, I see a lot of her jumping into her own private plane to buzz around to different pubs in the electorate, what I don’t see is delivery and that’s one thing I want to change.”
Mr Hyde visited Wentworth Public School to acknowledge the government’s increase to public school funding across the next decade.
He also visited Mildura Airport to discuss the future of Rex Airlines, and spoke to people in Dareton about health accessibility.
“Of course cost of living pressures, everyone’s feeling them,” he said.
“Being able to reassure people the tax breaks that we’re giving, taking the stress off people with fee-free TAFE and in an environment where we’re short of tradies and we’re short of people that really need to have that opportunity given to them in a way that doesn’t overburden them, I think is a really important thing.
“We’ve heard nothing from Sussan about it, in fact quite the opposite.
“She doesn’t support fee-free TAFE, she doesn’t support anything of it.”
He said a decision to put the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party candidate Peter Sinclair in third on his ‘how to vote’ card above Independent Michelle Milthorpe in fourth was due to positive experiences Labor had had with the former.
“Whilst Michelle has got the Climate 200 money and the backing of (Simon) Holmes à Court, we really don’t understand what it is that she stands for and what sort of policies she’s prepared to put forward,” he said.
“That makes it really hard to give her a preference above a party like the shooters who have people in government in NSW, that’s the main reason we’ve gone that way.”
He said he was excited to be on the hustings, and not launch a major campaign assault on people, but speak with them face to face.
“I just want people to understand that whilst they might not see a lot of me around the place by way of corflute signs or massive advertisements on the back of trucks and on pieces of fences,” he said.
“I am here, I am listening.
“People can get a hold of me if they want to provide any information they think might be useful, feedback on some of the things that Labor has gone out with by way of policies and costings.
“I’m here to listen and I’m here to support the people of Farrer.”
