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Speaker 1: I believe we are joined on the line right now.

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Speaker 1: Hopefully I've got the line correct. Joining us on the

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Speaker 1: line right now is Billy Barton, the Greens candidate for Johnston.

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Speaker 1: Good morning to you.

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Speaker 2: Billy, Morning Katie.

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Speaker 1: All right, we've got seven minutes, Billy, and a series

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Speaker 1: of questions to get through.

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Speaker 2: Are you ready, I'm ready.

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Speaker 1: Let's do it, all right, Billy? Why did you decide

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Speaker 1: to put your hand up to run for the seat

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Speaker 1: of Johnston.

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Speaker 2: Thanks for the question, Katie. Like many people, I've just

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Speaker 2: felt so exhausted and set up with the major parties

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Speaker 2: for years. It felt like they haven't been making decisions

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Speaker 2: in the best interest of the public, and it's been

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Speaker 2: sort of baffling to me. I thought, I've got two choices.

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Speaker 2: I can completely disengage from politics like a lot of people,

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Speaker 2: and I totally get why they do that. I mean,

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Speaker 2: it's hard to tell the difference between the major parties sometimes,

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Speaker 2: or I could put my hand up and offer an alternative.

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Speaker 2: Politics affects all of our lives, whether it's grocery prices,

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Speaker 2: rent controls, or bigger choices that are made on behalf

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Speaker 2: of all of us. So I couldn't just sit on

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Speaker 2: the sidelines anymore. So I can't afford to have career

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Speaker 2: politicians or people who see themselves as entitled to these

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Speaker 2: positions make decisions for us anymore. And look, Katie, I'm

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Speaker 2: a small business owner, I'm a renter, I'm an engineer

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Speaker 2: with a massive hex set. I know what it's like

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Speaker 2: to not think you might not ever be able to

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Speaker 2: afford to buy your own home. And it's not just

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Speaker 2: theoretical to me. I need policies to work better for

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Speaker 2: me as well. And I love our community in Johnston

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Speaker 2: and I want to offer them broader representation and be

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Speaker 2: their alternative to the major parties.

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Speaker 1: So, Billy, based on your sort of work experience and

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Speaker 1: also your experience in the community, why do you think

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Speaker 1: you're the best person for the role?

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Speaker 2: Put simply, Katie, we're in an integrity crisis in the

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Speaker 2: territory laboring the colp are both funded by gambling, gas

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Speaker 2: and alcohol companies as well as property developers. I mean,

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Speaker 2: we have no lobbyist register. It makes me wonder whether

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Speaker 2: they're really acting in the best interest of our community

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Speaker 2: or simply acting for their donuts. I think we need

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Speaker 2: real people like me who are connected to their community.

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Speaker 2: I mean someone who's facing the same issues. I love

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Speaker 2: the territory. I love living in Milna, I love going

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Speaker 2: to the market Plains footy, but I can't deny we've

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Speaker 2: got some more challenges to work out. Like ideally we

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Speaker 2: can do this together and bring the community along. That's

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Speaker 2: just not what's happening with our current representations. So I

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Speaker 2: know that I can be a genuine voice for the

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Speaker 2: community because I'm so engaged with the community. I play

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Speaker 2: for a local team, I'm heavily involved in our credible

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Speaker 2: art scene up here, and I think it's time we

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Speaker 2: had someone who is actually in touch with the needs

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Speaker 2: of the people they'll be representing. But we don't just

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Speaker 2: need real people. We need better rules, and that means

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Speaker 2: a ban on corporate donations, a public diary for politicians

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Speaker 2: so we know who they are meeting with and who's

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Speaker 2: influencing the choices they make. And we need a lobby register.

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Speaker 2: I mean last year we had a gas lobbyist working

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Speaker 2: for the Chief Minister. That just doesn't pass the pub test.

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Speaker 2: The Green's policies are informed by evidence and the community

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Speaker 2: and not corporate influencers. We don't take donations from corporations

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Speaker 2: looking to buy influence. We honestly act for just the community.

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Speaker 1: Billy, what do you see as being the biggest issues

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Speaker 1: in the electorate Based on the door knocking that you've done.

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Speaker 2: Well, based on all the conversations we're having at the

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Speaker 2: Rapid Creek Markets, I know it won't come as a

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Speaker 2: surprise to hear that one of the biggest issues we're

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Speaker 2: facing in Johnston is community safety. I've been broken into

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Speaker 2: we've had cars stolen. I know exactly how it feel,

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Speaker 2: and we have to have compassion for people who don't

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Speaker 2: feel safe. But I also know that people in our

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Speaker 2: community are really struggling. Something needs to change, and it's

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Speaker 2: just not as simple as locking people up. I mean,

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Speaker 2: we can't punish people out of poverty, homelessness, hunger and trauma.

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Speaker 2: And when people talk about crime, there's a massive focus

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Speaker 2: on property crime, but the reality is sixty five percent

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Speaker 2: of the men in jail are there for domestic violence offenses.

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Speaker 2: You know, in the MT we're breaking all the wrong records.

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Speaker 2: I'm talking highest rates of DV, highest rates of homelessness,

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Speaker 2: and the public housing weightlist is up to ten years long.

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Speaker 2: If we want safe communities, I think we need to

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Speaker 2: focus on what the people need right now. Our green

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Speaker 2: S team has a tangible plan to start to address this,

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Speaker 2: and it's better use services, it's more crisis beds, it's

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Speaker 2: rent controls, the actually investing in breaking the cycle of incarceration.

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Speaker 2: These are the things that we can put in place

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Speaker 2: now that will make a real difference to the people

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Speaker 2: of our community.

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Speaker 1: Billy, in terms of Saint Vinnie's moving into coconut growth, now,

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Speaker 1: I know that it doesn't fall into your electorate now,

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Speaker 1: but it is something that's been raised with us as

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Speaker 1: a concerned by some of our listeners that do live

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Speaker 1: in your electorate that you've put your hand up for.

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Speaker 1: Do you support that move of Saint Vinie's into coconut growth.

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Speaker 2: Look, I really understand the concerns that the people have

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Speaker 2: and that they fear if they haven't been listened to

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Speaker 2: on this issue. But again, Katie, if we want to

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Speaker 2: increase community safety, we need good services for people who

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Speaker 2: need the most. We need them to be close to

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Speaker 2: transport and community services. Like the site of Osenhen House

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Speaker 2: is right near Alarician Nation, the shops and the buses.

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Speaker 2: But I mean it's so important for them to be

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Speaker 2: proper community consultation so we get the best outcomes for

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Speaker 2: everyone Ultimately. Ultimately this is likely to be decided before

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Speaker 2: the electro and so I think it's more of a

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Speaker 2: question for Brent Potter and Natasha Files well.

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Speaker 1: And look, we have spoken to them about it and

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Speaker 1: we will continue to do Billy, I want to ask

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Speaker 1: a big one for the electorate as well as do

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Speaker 1: you support the development of gas, particularly on shore gas.

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Speaker 2: Look, I don't support onshore gas expansion at the moment

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Speaker 2: we have on your gas, but I don't think we

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Speaker 2: should be letting foreign gas companies take our gas and

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Speaker 2: pay barely any tax or royalties. We're subsidizing them with

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Speaker 2: tax payer money. Three point five billion is going to

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Speaker 2: Middle arm when we have the worst homelessness rate, the

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Speaker 2: worst domestics, family and sexual violence rate, and as I said,

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Speaker 2: a public housing weight list it's almost ten years long.

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Speaker 2: I think we need to use that money to transition

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Speaker 2: to solar, and we need to do it cleverly so

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Speaker 2: that those workers who are currently employed in the gas

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Speaker 2: sector so they're not left behind. It's clear we can't

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Speaker 2: we can't really afford to open up any new fossil

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Speaker 2: fuel projects. If we're to avoid climate cystastrophe. And at

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Speaker 2: the moment, when I play footy in ninety percent humidity

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Speaker 2: on a thirty five degree day, I honestly wonder how

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Speaker 2: much longer it's possible for people to play sports in

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Speaker 2: the territory.

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Speaker 1: Billy, we've only got thirty seconds left, very quickly. Have

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Speaker 1: you decided your preferences yet?

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Speaker 2: Look, I think there's a perception that we need to

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Speaker 2: clear up. People think that parties are trading preferences or

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Speaker 2: giving yours away. But nobody can decide where your vote

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Speaker 2: goes except for you. It's flows in the order you

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Speaker 2: put in the boxes. So if you like me, you

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Speaker 2: should vote for me first, and if I get the

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Speaker 2: least votes and get knocked out, your full vote goes

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Speaker 2: to the person you put second, and so on. So

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Speaker 2: we're really lucky that we have full preferential voting here.

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Speaker 1: Billy, about fifteen seconds, Why should people vote for you?

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Speaker 2: Look, I think that it's time that we, you know,

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Speaker 2: got rid of these major parties. And I'm a small

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Speaker 2: business owner, I'm a renter, I'm an artist and engineer.

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Speaker 2: I know it exactly what it feels like to feel

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Speaker 2: the day to day struggles and I think that we

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Speaker 2: get rid of the old gar and start implementing policies

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Speaker 2: that will work.

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Speaker 1: Billy, we have run out of time. Thank you very

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Speaker 1: much for having a chat with us this morning and

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Speaker 1: all the best.

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Speaker 2: Thanks very much for having me on Katie.

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Speaker 1: Thank you