Current Federal Member for Riverina, The Honourable Michael McCormack from The Nationals party, has lived and worked in the Riverina all his life. Prior to becoming a politician, McCormack was a journalist with The Daily Advertiser in Wagga Wagga in 1981. At the age of 27, McCormack was appointed as the editor of the newspaper, being the youngest editor of a daily newspaper in Australasia at the time. McCormack was raised on family farms in Marrar and Brucedale, before first being elected as The Nationals’ Member for Riverina in 2010. During this time, he served on the Parliament’s Regional Australia Committee. Following the 2013 Federal Election, McCormack was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance. He was then appointed Assistant Minister to the Deputy Prime Minister in September 2015. A reshuffle of The National party in February 2016 saw McCormack become the Assistant Minister for Defence. After the 2016 Federal Election, McCormack was appointed Federal Small Business Minister and had responsibility for the countries 3.2 million small businesses. In 2017, McCormack became the Minister for Veteran’s Affairs and Defence Personnel, while also being appointed Deputy Leader of the House. In February 2018, McCormack was elected as the 14th Leader of The Nationals and was sworn in as Australia’s 18th Deputy Prime Minister, as well as the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport. McCormack has been the Riverina’s voice in Federal Parliament for some time now and hopes it continues for yet another term following May’s Federal Election.
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Mark Jeffreson is Labor’s candidate for the upcoming Federal Election on May 21st. Jeffreson has lived and worked in Wagga Wagga for more than 30 years. Jeffreson is a father of three and knows how crucial health and education is to the community. Jeffreson has seen how “The Nationals cuts to health and education has hurt our community” in recent years. Jeffreson wants to make the Riverina a better place to work, live and raise a family. He is passionate about helping those struggling with the rising cost of living and standing up for those who can’t keep up with inflated costs. He is a critic of the Liberal Party, saying “Scott Morrison and his Government have done nothing about soaring house prices, climate change and the increasing cost of child care. The only job he cares about is his own and he’s focused on spending your money to get himself and his mates across the line. Labour has real policies to address the cost of living, regional jobs growth and housing affordability.” As a small business owner in the financial services industry, Jeffreson has been made aware first-hand of the pressures on local businesses. “The Nationals supported giving away $80 billion in corporate tax cuts to the big end of town, while at the same time slashing funding for our schools and hospitals.” Jeffreson vows to stand up for the local community and put the people of the Riverina first.
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Michael Organ was the first Australian Greens member in the House of Representatives, where he worked closely with Senators Bob Brown and Kerrie Nettle. Organ focused on anti-discrimination, anti-war and environmental protection. Organ was the only member of the House to oppose the Howard’s governments prohibition on same sex marriage in 2004. But now, Organ’s full focus is on becoming the Riverina’s next Federal Member in the upcoming election. Organ is passionate and optimistic what the Riverina Green’s can achieve in Parliament, using the pillars of honesty, accountability and good governance. I believe in the power of community activism and truly listening to the community. I am passionate about heritage and environmental planning and protection having researched and written on these topics extensively. “I have published books on Indigenous history and on the koala where I explore the history of these complex policy challenges. I am a passionate advocate for self-determination of First Nations people and for the conservation of threatened species such as Koalas,” Organ said. “With just a small change in the vote, we can kick the Liberals out, put the Greens in shared power and push the next Government to go further and faster to a national process of truth telling and healing for First Nations people and to introduce strong environmental laws such as a ban on destroying threatened species habitats such as koalas.” Organ calls for voters in the Riverina to Vote 1 for The Greens to hold the next government to account.
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Richard Orchard has worked in Regional Australia for all his life, including in government, emergency services, education, Federal Parliament, as well as his own small business. “I’ve worked all over the Riverina as an educator for the NSW State Emergency Service for 15 years, as well as in my own small business in automotive trades for the past 10. I know first hand – you just can’t get workers to fill jobs. Try employing a mechanic! But it’s in so many areas – healthcare, trades, and professional jobs,” Orchard said. “Businesses just can’t get people. Try employing a mechanic! University is the new Year 12 leaving certificate, and the TAFE sector is hopelessly inadequate to train the workforce we need. The connection between government funding, industry and workforce needs, and the training and education provided — it’s just not coming together. “I’m the man to help make a better education and training system that trains real students and apprentices to do real jobs. That, with One Nation’s policy of apprentice wage subsidies of 75% for the first year, 50% for the second year, and 25% for the third year — we can fix this absolute failure by the major parties.” Thanks to his Emergency Risk Management background, Orchard is aware of what is required in an emergency and what actions to put in place to stop them from happening. Orchard also vows to help improve the education system in Australia. “I’m the man to help make a better education and training system that trains real students and apprentices to do real jobs. That, with One Nation’s policy of apprentice wage subsidies, we can fix this absolute failure by the major parties,” Orchard said. Orchard has worked as an assistant to the former Member for Hume, Alby Schultz, and developed a stronger understanding of what is required in the electorate. “I will be a great local member. I will run a commonsense, respectful, and caring government. I will clear the decks on some of the craziness we’ve been flogged with for years, such as Coronavirus, Climate Craziness, and Woke PC madness. We can have a One Nation Government, but I need your support!”