Is this how this works? I've never actually used Facebook Live before......Oh hey everyone. There we go. How is everyone doing? I've got last year's grass growing championships on in the background there. Serious business let me tell you. Vera Matthews doesn't fuck around. But I thought while I was here I might answer a few questions from my constituents. I hope to be your member once again after this election and I want to get some feedback and some good discussion going. So....yeah....let's get going, just ask your questions in the chat and I will get to a few of them. As many as I can anyway.

Okay. The first here is from Monty....he asks "Why are you not taking part in the debate on Channel Nine tonight? Isn't that a good chance to get your message across?"

That's actually a really good question Monty and I feel like I should probably explain myself a little bit. As I'm sure people have seen during parliament, I have no issue with a good debate, in fact I actually thrive on it, ever since I first entered politics way back when I won the seat of Lalor back when I lived in the suburbs. There's a part of me that almost.....gets off on conflict, there's nothing I like better than a good back and forth, hell that's why BloodyChrome ended up.....well I won't say friends but I have a begrudging respect for him, because we always went back forth and it always brought out the best in me, at least I believe. Granted it sometimes brought out the WORST in me as well. But I still get that rush when I'm standing in Parliament having a good debate or even a good back and forth on Twitter now and then.

So the answer is kind of complicated and it's....probably going to sound like I'm making excuses, but I find the debates during election time to be more about sound bites than they are sound debating and what I mean by that isn't a slight on the hosts. I mean Yala Tamala does a great job as an interviewer, I'm sure she'll do a great job at the leaders debate. I'm sure Alex Monti will do a great job tonight. But you can only be as good as what you get back and in these debates you're not going to get anything, you're not going to get genuine policy arguments for the exact reason everyone is watching, they're not watching to hear the debate, they're watching to someone implode on stage. Which is the main parties rehearse this over and over and over and never leave the message. Because it's been drummed into them, if you lose the message, you lose the election.

That's why I find them to be kind of a waste of time. I'm not saying I won't ever take part in one. I'm still considering an offer from Australia Tonight for the 5th but that's....kind of my mindset. Don't go into these things if you've already made up your mind expecting anything that's going to sway you and if you haven't made up your mind don't expect there to be anything to be there that will help you make up your mind. I'm not saying the debates don't have merit, but the idea of them needs to change. Maybe you get rid of the host....I'm not sure but I don't see them as anything other than basically free advertising for the parties at the moment. Hope that answers the question Monty.

Okay. Let's see. Susan asks Hello showstealer. I've watched your opening speech and you mentioned the importance of rail services, can you elaborate on that on why you think it's so vital and you plan on doing in the next term"

Another great question. We....and when I say we I mean the Nicholls Electorate as a whole, people always think I'm talking like I'm in a party, which I'm not and I have no plans whatsoever to ever be in one right now. But I am merely the facilitator, I'm the one the people of Nicholls have put their faith in to be their representative in Parliament so when I mention what "We" have achieved, I mean the people of Nicholls as a whole, because it's only through their trust and their support that I'm able to represent them and get these things for them.

So, as I was saying, we got a lot for rail in this term, the high speed rail project for one, it's going through some towns that really do need people to head back to those areas, some communities devastated by the bushfires, how soon we forget those now. But there is still a lot we need to upgrade, a lot we need to invest in, especially now, it's easy to say we need to tighten our belts to ensure our economy doesn't collapse, but at the same time those communities are going to need those upgrades, need those services more than ever once the pandemic passes and we are able to get back to our lives.

There are still many things we need proper funding for, the upgrading of the Swan Hill Line is paramount, not only to connect it to the higher spped services from Bendigo and Ballarat but to reopen passenger services to Mildura. No larger rural community has copped it more than Mildura has during this crisis, they've lost passenger flight services, they've lost hospitality, which is the largest sector of employment in Mildura outside of picking, they've lost community health services because of a need for a dedicated coronavirus clinic, they are going to need help out of this and to have more access for people to get to Mildura will get them out of the darkness faster, that's why the continued upgrade Swan Hill line for me will be a major focus for funding should there once again be a need for my supply to either party.

But the Swan Hill Line is not alone, We need to rebuild the services in East Gippsland that were nearly destroyed by the bushfires, they are going to need millions of dollars to rebuild and we need that to connect those communities. That is why Rail, along with health is the key platform of what I'm aiming for in the next term, because without those two things in our communities, there won't be communities left after this crisis.

Oh look. Walter's kikuyu didn't take. He's probably going to have to settle for the bronze. Shame really

Anyway I think I have time for one more question. Let's see....Joshua asks "What's happening with the commission you asked for during the last term? Will that go ahead"

I certainly hope it does Joshua and I will be certainly making sure it does go ahead should I win the people of Nicholls trust again at this election.

This crisis has demonstrated, large and in living color, just why it was so important to have that motion recognised in Parliament, because the rural health system is on its knees right now. Even before this crisis began many communities either had to wait 6 weeks to see a GP or worse, travel hundreds of kilometres there and back just to get professional help if they were sick. We have almost 200 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Nicholls. And I'm positive that number is higher, because the system does not allow mobile testing, people who do not live in one of our major rural centres are forced to drive hundreds of kilometers, possibly exposing people to the disease, to get tested. Or worse if they can't and are forced to be hospitalised, they risk exposing the staff at our rural hospitals to the disease, because they don't know if they have it or not. And that's before we even start with those who are not suffering from COVID-19, who just need that service and can't get it because there are no GP's in their area.

And yes Telehealth can help with this, but only so far, there are only so many GP's to go around, we here in Nicholls are still around 200 GP's short across the electorate to ensure every person living in the electorate to quality healthcare when they need it. And that's before I even go into speciality care, things like physiotherapy, podiatry, specialised cancer treatment.

The Rural Health System is on its knees, if we do not act, if we do not find solutions to this problem, it will be on its deathbed. We're seeing already with this pandemic. That's why the social distancing laws are so important and doubly so in rural communities, because all it will take is one outbreak, one cluster, one hotspot and the entire rural health system goes into meltdown. And once it is gone we will never get it back, and without a strong health system, rural communities will simply cease to be.

I don't stand up in parliament and say this because I like saying and I'm out to cause drama. I say because I've seen it. I heard it. I've talked to people about it. And in some cases I've lived it. I know what is like for some people. I'm one of the lucky ones. I can see a GP relatively easily, Many in Nicholls can't and that's why this is so important. That's why it is my number one priority, that's why, if needed I will run a commission myself, even though I have not the slightest clue how!, because it is that damn important,

We need to save the rural health system before it is too late but we can only do that with the help of professionals and the community at large, only together will we find the solutions for this to work. Only together can we ensure the rural health system is there for all rural communities. That's why it is my number one priority.

Okay guys. I think I'm going to wrap it up here for now. I'm probably going to do it again in the next day or two. I hope you all have a good night. And....uh...vote for me! chuckles