Family First candidate Rebecca Scriven is urging voters to support her in the Farrer by-election, so she can have the chance to put the interests of families and the Australian people first. She said voters could hold her accountable to one key promise. “I will support legislation that supports families, every time,” Mrs Scriven said. “For decades now, we have seen bad legislation churned out of our parliaments that has left families behind. “I will fight for policies that relieve cost of living pressures, such as income splitting for couples when it comes to taxation and more choice for families when it comes to childcare, as well as reducing immigration to manageable levels to take the pressure off housing and our public services.” If elected, one of Mrs Scriven’s main aims is to drop Net Zero to help ease the anxiety of families facing increasing utility bills. “My top priority would be to take the pressure off families by cutting the cost of living through dropping Net Zero targets and reducing immigration to manageable levels, which will, in turn, ease housing prices and take the pressure off of our public services,” she said. “I will fight to work towards a sustainable, reliable energy plan that responsibly utilises our natural resources, reducing the cost of electricity and throwing a lifeline to families struggling to pay bills and ensuring our industries become competitive again. “I believe that regional Australia should not be left to shoulder the reality of the renewables’ rollout, which actively destroys natural landscapes and threatens valuable farmland. “I have been actively involved in forming the Save Table Top Action Group, which is currently fighting a Chinese-owned company’s plan to build a wind farm directly next to the Benambra National Park and Table Top Nature Reserve in my local area.” Although Mrs Scriven realises Farrer faces many issues, she believes the biggest ones facing local communities are unaffordable housing, the price of groceries at the check-out and the growing cost of utility bills. “These things affect all families, whether they run their own business, live on the land or in the suburbs,” she said. “The cost of living is out of control due to high inflation, high interest rates and out-of-control government spending that is not improving the lives of everyday Australians. “Supporting families ensures we have a future as a nation. “Living in regional Australia is a great lifestyle for raising children and I believe that this should be promoted. “Families create consumer demand, which in turn drives productivity and economic activity.” Other concerns are high on her agenda. “I will prioritise healthcare by fighting to direct more investment in our regional medical services and hospitals,” Mrs Scriven said. “This would include putting pressure on the NSW and Victorian State Governments to reconsider building a greensite hospital in Albury. “I will also fight to get education back to basics in our schools, scrapping the clutter of woke ideology in the curriculum and returning to an emphasis on real knowledge.” Mrs Scriven believes the Farrer electorate needs to be heard in Parliament. “We need to prioritise making our regional towns places where people can and want to live,” she said. “We need a strong voice in Canberra to direct more government investment and support for our regions to ensure we keep our young people by having good access to tertiary education and employment opportunities. “The agricultural sector and the industries and services that support it, have the ability to offer fantastic careers, so we need to prioritise this as a nation.” Vowing to be a voice for better roads in the Farrer electorate, Mrs Scriven described many country roads across the electorate as being in poor condition. “I drive on our country roads every day and they are in a terrible state,” she said. “Farrer is a crucial part of the Australian agricultural landscape and it is paramount that our roads and transport corridors are up to the job of servicing our agricultural and regional industries and communities that support them.” Growing up in a rural town in the Adelaide Hills, South Australia, among farming communities, Mrs Scriven understands how rural communities tick and the crucial role they play in our nation. “I have lived in the rural town of Burrumbuttock for several years after living in Albury itself when I first moved from interstate,” Mrs Scriven said. “Too often, rural communities are overlooked and forgotten by our city counterparts despite the huge contribution they make towards our nation’s economy. “I will listen to the constituents of Farrer and be a voice that brings their concerns and needs to Canberra. “This is our country and we have a right to have a voice in our parliaments.” Away from politics, Mrs Scriven has a musical background. She studied voice at the Flinders School of Music, sang with the Adelaide Philharmonic Chorus and currently performs with a church choir. “I have also been known to take to the mic for a cover band or a good round of karaoke,” she said. The Farrer By-Election is scheduled for 9 May.
