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At age 68, I am recently retired and live in Engadine with my wife and two teenage sons.

I commenced my career as a trainee draftsman and later as a computer programmer (specialising in PL/I and Cobol application programming) at Sydney Water Board until being retrenched in the early 1990s. For some years after that I did contract programming for various companies, organisations and a state government department in Sydney. Then, in the late 1990s I joined EDS (computer services company) to work on the Commonwealth Bank’s Year-2000 computer code conversion project, before moving into various management roles in EDS. Prior to retiring, I was an administrator and manager in a federal government department and a not-for-profit organisation in Sydney.

I have become more and more politically active in recent years, joining the Australian Citizens Party (ACP) two years ago, and now contesting the seat of Hughes in the federal election.

I am especially passionate about ACP policies to solve the housing and rental affordability crisis, to return integrity to public governance, to return to energy, fuel and food security, and most importantly, to establish an Aussie Post Bank, which is a win-win-win proposal, benefiting the post offices, the community and the government through increased revenue.

The phasing out of cash and cheques is also a big issue for me. Twelve months ago I started a petition (which now has almost 12,000 signatures) to reverse the phase-out of cheques.  It angers me that the major banks can apparently dictate to the government and the community that the long standing, safe and proven method of making large or remote payments by cheque, that many people rely on, would end. This disregard and contempt for senior citizens, residents of rural and regional areas, businesses and anyone who does not, or cannot, use electronic banking, is outrageous and cannot be tolerated.

One of the things I admire most about the Citizens Party is their advocacy for citizens to take responsibility for better governance of the nation, day in and day out, and not just around election time. The major parties put their own survival and interests ahead of the common good, but the ACP has been incredibly successful in helping shape the political agenda by enabling ordinary Australians to participate in and influence politics. (See Who are the Australian Citizens Party and what have they done for you?)

We need more courageous, intelligent and independent representatives in Parliament who will put the people first and that is why I ask for your support.