I was a Foundation Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, a member of the Association of Professional Engineers, Scientists and Managers Australia (and have served for 20 years at Federal officer level, including National President of the APESMA Transport Division - 2001 and 2003, National Secretary 2002), a Director and Deputy Chairman of the Moss Vale Rural Lands Protection Board 1997- 2001, and am a Life member of the University of Wollongong Alumni Association.

I have a Bachelor of Engineering and Master of Business Administration degrees. I worked as a Professional Engineer for the NSW railway system for 27 years, then as a senior transport safety investigator for the Federal Government for five years, and am now self employed as an orchardist and grazier.

I believe that the people of Hume have no confidence that neither Liberal nor Labor will be able to keep their election promises, nor improve on their past poor performances, and I urges the electors of Hume to cast their vote for the

Australian Democrats in both the lower house seat of Hume, and the Senate.

ROBIN SAVILLE (38) – Labor:

Goulburn, high school teacher, married, father of three.

I am a married, 38-year-old high school teacher and father of three children under six.

I know the pressures of life for the ordinary family, including child care costs and worrying about electricity bills.

The central reason for my candidacy in this election is the current Member for Hume’s lack of representation of our electorate.

He has asked one question in twelve months, which is not active representation.

I promise to stand up in Parliament and fight for affordable and accessible health care and dental care for regional and rural Australia, safe and sealed roads, the National Broadband Network, better mobile coverage and the disadvantaged in our communities.

I want to promote Hume as a great place to live and work and attract people and industry here so that we can have better public transport, better tertiary education opportunities and better opportunities for employment.

Our current representation in Hume is inadequate and it is time for a change.

I will be a champion for rural and regional Australia and an approachable member who visits your community often.

I hope that you place a number one beside the name of Robin Saville, a member of Julia Gillard’s team, at this election.

LISA MILAT – Liberal Democratic Party:

Southern Highlands, small business owner, mother of two.

I have lived in the Southern Highlands for 24 years and have two children.

I am a small business owner, servicing the Wollondilly area and Southern Tablelands.

I was a LDP candidate for the Senate in the ACT at the last federal election.

I have been involved in the local and wider community in various heritage and environmental projects.

I ran for Council in the Wingecarribee Shire in 2008 with my own group.

My team’s policies were to fix roads, reduce rates and levies, privatise waste management services and assist business to provide youth and family recreation venues.

I believe too many laws in Australian society restrict law abiding citizens while having no impact on reducing crime.

The Liberal Democratic Party is Australia’s only party that supports both free enterprise and civil rights.

Its policies include low taxes, less regulation, freedom of choice and individual responsibility.

Whereas the other parties all argue about how to spend our taxes, the Liberal Democrats believe our taxes are used best if they remain with taxpayers.

KEVIN WATCHIRS – Greens:

Goulburn, high school teacher, father of four.

I want to secure the regions prosperity for the future, Hume voters want effective policies and real answers.

The Greens in Hume are campaigning for an effective and principled response to climate change, transitioning to a low carbon economy and increased investment to meet the needs of our communities in education, health, employment and environmental sustainability.

I am a long standing resident of Goulburn and am a founding member of the Goulburn Greens, living in the area for over twenty years.

I am a high school teacher, have four grown children of my own and regard the quality education of each generation as the cornerstone of a healthy and stable society.

As a life-long environmentalist, I see the need for genuine initiatives by all levels of governments to create sustainable policies on climate change, waste management and water reticulation.

This election campaign has lost sight of Climate Change as the most important problem facing us and it seems to have been relegated to yesterday’s news with little or no emphasis from the Liberal and Labor parties.

The Liberals are still in denial about the seriousness of the problem and the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme from

Labor could not be supported as it did little to address the problem and locked in failure.

The Greens take climate change seriously and offer policies to deal with it.

Unless we act urgently to decrease carbon emissions our children and grandchildren will pay much more than the cost of action now.

A vote for the Greens at this election will send a powerful message from the people to politicians that climate change is the number one priority.

KAREN BUTTIGIEG (48) - Christian Democrat Party:

Nowra.

I’m located in Nowra. I just turned 48 years young. My husband and I have been married for 28 wonderful years.

We have two beautiful twenties children as well as two fantastic grandchildren.

I attend the Nowra City Church and I work for the church as the catering coordinator.

My Christian upbringing has been in my family for seven generations.

My views on the policies for this election are based on the Christian Democratic Party’s policies.

Climate Change: We will work with the government on such issues and the community and yes we strongly encourage the use of renewable energies.

Health: We support the idea of federally funded hospitals ran by local people.

Education: CDP believes that education vouchers for all students would allow parents to choose which school they would like to send their child.

The CDP seeks to support and promote pro-Christian, pro-family, prochild, pro-life policies for the benefit of all Australians, and to ensure that all legislation is brought into conformity with the revealed will of God in the Holy Bible, with a special emphasis on the ministry of reconciliation.

ALBY SCHULTZ (71) Liberal Party:

Cootamundra and Goulburn, member of parliament.

During a career spanning 30 years in the meat processing industry, I was elected and spent eight years as a councillor in the Cootamundra Shire.

In March 1988 I was elected to the NSW Legislative Assembly as the State Member for Burrinjuck, winning in a three-cornered contest with the Labor and National parties a seat that had been a Labor stronghold for 47 years.

I won the seat of Hume in 1998, 2001 and 2004 Federal elections and was again re-elected at the 2007 election.

As the serving Liberal Federal Member the main issues in this election being reported to me by the people of Hume include:

Improved Rural Health Services, including the provision of more Rural Doctors and the constraints placed upon local fund raising efforts by Area Health services; The spiralling cost of electricity and gas prices; The effect the introduction of an Emissions Trading Scheme will have on further increasing the cost of living for rural people; Deteriorating local infrastructure, rural road, bridges and community and sporting facilities; The spread of noxious weeds such as serrated tussock and the lack of funding to assist in its control; Lack of adequate mobile and broadband services; Weakened border protection policies; and The affects on small business of Labors’ ‘Fairwork’ industrial relations policy.

A Coalition Government has clear policies to address these issues.