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I’m Stephen Burke and I am contesting the seat of Lyne for the Australian Citizens Party. My wife Linda and I have been married for 41 years and we live on a property in Wootton, 56 kms south of Taree where I run a wholesale plant nursery. I started my nursery many years ago in the Hawkesbury region of Sydney, and have recently relocated. In my earlier years I also spent time teaching in the TAFE system.

 I have always been concerned about the lack of representation that ordinary people have in our political system which overwhelmingly favours vested and powerful interests. This dissatisfaction with the major parties led me to a One Nation branch meeting in the mid 1990’s and I went on to serve on the One Nation executive and ran as a candidate twice, helping to build a vigorous party branch at that time. Whilst no longer associated with One Nation, I wish to use my experience to help grow the Citizens Party in Lyne.

 The majority of political parties and independent candidates are content to react to the symptoms of failed policies and incompetent or corrupt government, rather than address the root causes. They make empty promises especially in the lead up to an election, effectively arguing about how to run the ambulance station at the bottom of the cliff! The Citizens Party thinks differently: we want a fence at the top of the cliff and a framework to prevent and reverse the suicidal economic and geopolitical policies of the past.

I oppose the outsourcing and relegation of power to consultants and unelected entities that exercise far too much influence over our government. These unaccountable decision makers want a cashless economy instead of a crash-proof economy, and they are increasingly usurping our rights and freedoms which are under siege. As regards saving the environment and real sustainability, if we are serious, we must reverse the planned obsolescence mentality and return to quality manufacturing, making things to last, so we are not piling up landfill with junk.

As a Christian, the policies of the Citizens Party reflect the principles that I hold dear: a commitment to promoting peace, justice, prosperity and the general welfare of all citizens equitably.

The other reason I identify with the Citizens Party, is because I have a great affinity to their policies of old Labor, especially National Banking. My father’s family were friends of Dr Evatt and I have taught classes on Frank Anstey and Ted Theodore. I was disgusted at the treatment of Whitlam and Rex Connor, and how their great ideas were trashed. I believe the Hawke/Keating government was the best Liberal government we ever had!

If we aspire to have better political representation, then voters must be consulted and properly informed on issues that are before parliament and we, the citizens, must take responsibility. This is what the Citizens Party stands for.