Social Democratic candidate BHjr132 went live on Zoom to speak to voters and share her policies in the lead up to the election.

BHjr132: Hello everyone, I’m BHjr132, your local candidate for the Social Democrats at this election. These are very uncertain times we are in, and in the interests of physical distancing we are doing a meet and greet over zoom tonight. There is a raise hand button at the bottom of the screen so please hit that if you want to ask a question. We hope to get through as many questions tonight as possible but if we don’t get to you, please send us an email and we will get back to you as soon as possible!

BHjr132: I’ll start by introducing myself for those that don’t know me. I was previously Deputy Leader of the original Social Democratic Party alongside Youmaton and served in the Left Coalition government as Minister of Health. I left Parliament towards the end of the Left Coalition government and spent time working behind the scenes in Parliament before moving to Tasmania with my family. After seeing the work of NGSpy and the Social Democratic government, I spent a long time thinking about it and decided that I had the skills to help make this government even stronger and ensure that it continues to be successful. Let’s go to our first question.

A staffer of BHjr132 unmutes a person who raised their hand earlier.

Zoomer: What have the SDP actually achieved in government over the past term? Why should I give you my vote?

BHjr132: The SDP government has achieved so much over the last term. There is a large list in our manifesto if you want to see it all but I’ll briefly go over some of our excellent achievements on environmental issues which is something I care deeply about. We are facing a climate emergency and the SDP is the only party taking it seriously. We are leading the transition to 100% renewable by 2035 and committed to achieving that goal. The government also continues to support efforts such as the Kyoto Protocol, the Paris Climate Accord, and various other international projects, such as the many undertaken by the United Nations. Tasmania’s economy is heavily reliant on agriculture, and nearly 50% of the agriculture industry here is milk and cattle. Cattle produce methane which is a major contributor to global warming. The SDP funded research into methods to reduce the amount of methane production by cows such as having cows eat seaweed. Cows eating seaweed may seem like a mundane issue but it could ensure that Tasmania’s agricultural industry can reduce its greenhouse gas emissions without impacting the size of the industry. Finally, the SDP refused approval to all greenhouse gas-emitting power plants. There is no place for building new greenhouse gas-emitting power plants in 2020, it is time to switch to renewable energies which are cheaper and cleaner than their fossil fuel counterparts.

Staffers unmute another person to ask their question.

Zoomer: What is the SDP doing about the COVID-19 crisis?

BHjr132: The COVID-19 crisis is incredibly serious and the government is treating it that way. All decisions that we are making are based on data and we are being very rigorous to make sure that we are effectively studying the data and collecting the data. A lot of things in this country are happening very quickly and we are making sure that we are always updating our models and making informed decisions based on the data that we have been able to collect and put together. We have the best people doing the best jobs and we have made sure that we have the right people focused on all the things that need to happen to make sure that we can deliver in these unusual times for the Australian people. We are breaking down every barrier needed to make sure that we succeed. This is an effort where the government is doing things that the government doesn’t normally do. We are stretching and we are acting very quickly. The government is fully behind the different people running the different lines of effort to make sure that we get everything done at a speed that is needed in this crisis. Over the last term, the SDP has invested in our healthcare system which has made our country much stronger in the fight against this virus. We have increased funding for vaccinations and invested in the development of a vaccine for COVID-19. We have continued to invest in a strong public healthcare system and the hospitals that power it.

A SDP staffer unmutes another zoom user to ask their question.

Zoomer: I'm interested in what the SDP is doing on healthcare. Do you have any plans to reduce costs?

BHjr132: Well, thank you for the question, it’s a very important one. The SDP believe in upholding the rights of all, one of the strongest being a right to a proper healthcare system. The level of healthcare you get should not be based on how much you earn, or in your case how much you saved, everyone deserves proper healthcare. We will, as we always have, fight for a strong publicly-funded healthcare system. I touched on some of our work in the previous question. We have continued to invest in a strong public healthcare system and the hospitals that power it. We want to continue making more progress on this front next term including progress on mental health and including dental care in Medicare.

Zoomer: Thank you, I’ll be sure to consider you when casting my vote.

Staffers unmute another person to ask their question.

Zoomer: I turned 18 not long ago and I plan to go to university soon but it looks so expensive! Do you have any plans to make university education more affordable?

BHjr132: Of course! The SDP believes that education is a right for all, not a privilege for those who can afford it. Over the past term we have continued to invest in free university and TAFE initiatives. We have also subsidised university accomodation to reduce costs for people attending university. Next term, we are looking at introducing a living allowance for all tertiary students to ensure that their needs are met while they are studying.

Zoomer: Wow, sounds like a great plan.

BHjr132: Thanks.

BHjr132 answered a few more questions before logging off for the night.