Ahead of the May 21, 2022 Federal Election, Glasshouse Country & Maleny News asked all six candidates in the Fisher electorate to tell readers who they are and why they want to be a politician. We also asked the candidates to identify one significant issue facing Fisher and what they propose to do about it. Next edition: The Big Pitch
MY name is Renay Wells. I’m a fashion designer and an offshore production and impact specialist. I grew up in Bundaberg and Brisbane, lived and worked in Sydney, Shanghai and Los Angeles, and finally returned to paradise – AKA the Sunshine Coast – after 17 years.
I’m a beachy South East Queensland girl through and through! I created my own swimwear brand specialising in unconventional materials, and now I’m completing my MBA. Issues around ethical and sustainable business practices in the fashion industry and beyond have me fired up, and I want Fisher to have a representative who’ll do something about it.
The biggest issue for so many people in Fisher right now is the Sunshine Coast’s housing crisis. Families are struggling to find a rental or pay the mortgage, and lots of people – particularly young people – are totally locked out of the housing market.
We live in a beautiful part of the world, but it shouldn’t be impossible to find affordable housing here; and it doesn’t have to be. Unfortunately both Labor and the LNP have taken millions in donations from the property industry over the last decade, and in return they gave big developers and speculators special deals and tax breaks, failed to invest in public housing, and rigged our housing system so it’s easier to buy your sixth home than your first.
We need a plan to house everyone on the social housing wait list, and permanently bring down housing costs so no one’s left homeless or facing overwhelming debt.
The Greens’ housing policy would deliver one million affordable homes across Australia over the next 20 years. Our plan includes public housing, where rent is capped at 25% of income and you get a lifetime right to your home, and a shared ownership scheme where first home buyers can buy a home where they want to live for just $300,000.
We’re also the only party with a plan to take on the rental crisis by capping rent increases, banning rent bidding and ending no-grounds evictions.
The major parties might tell you it’s not possible to fix the housing crisis, but that’s not true. The Greens’ plans are fully costed and funded by finally making billionaires and big corporations pay their fair share of tax. I think it’s only fair they pay a little more so everyone in our community can have a roof over their head!
www.greens.org.au/qld/person/renay-wells
www.facebook.com/RenayWells.Greens/
*Candidates will be published in alphabetical order