Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Hello and welcome to another interview with the one of the candidates for the upcoming Secret Harbour by election which is coming up at the end of August.
And we're very privileged today to have Jane Palmer in with us who's standing as an independent and today we just want to get to know you and what you stand for. So do you just want to give us a brief kind of bio about who you are and where you've come from?
[00:00:24] Speaker B: Okay, so I've been a resident of the area for 29 years since I moved over from South Australia apart from four years where I did remote service up in Kununurra, Newman and Carnarvon for teaching.
Recently when I changed into teaching so I, when I came over I had my Bachelor of Business in Accounting, Applied Economics and I finished my CPA over here I was finance manager. I've worked at BHP Billiton on the ANZAC alliance that was based in Rockingham as a private BAE Systems as a business ops manager, Finance manager, engineering.
[00:01:17] Speaker A: So it sounds like you were a problem solver.
[00:01:19] Speaker B: Yeah. Electrical mechanic. Yes, I very much like problem solving. I don't like the statutory side like so I didn't really do statutory but I was more of a problem solver. So yeah I was an analyst at BHP and I worked for Water Corporation as management accountant to help them out with their systems because they'd sort of with they had made the construction branch compete against private industry.
Yeah so I helped them out there. But yeah, so I live in Port Kennedy.
[00:01:52] Speaker A: Yep.
[00:01:53] Speaker B: I was in Warnbrug, built in Warburgh. Within six months, moving over here I was like wow, this is amazing. So close to the ocean. It's beautiful.
[00:02:02] Speaker A: Beautiful life, isn't it?
[00:02:02] Speaker B: How is this block so cheap?
Yeah, so built. I had a three and a half year old son so had to use the Keystone deposit.
[00:02:14] Speaker A: You know Keystone is so helpful to get people on the, on their ladder, isn't it?
[00:02:18] Speaker B: Yeah, it was really good. I mean it was a high interest rate but at least got you in there and then built in 2003 in Port Kennedy where I am now. So I'm in the electorate, part of the electorate and have been there so for, since 2003. So.
[00:02:37] Speaker A: So with your background like it sounds like you've done a lot of corporate
[00:02:40] Speaker B: stuff and teaching mathematics.
[00:02:44] Speaker A: Mathematics, okay.
[00:02:45] Speaker B: So you and accounting and finance.
[00:02:46] Speaker A: I was just trying to square that because teaching in corporate different.
[00:02:50] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:02:51] Speaker A: What did you get from the teaching when you were doing that?
[00:02:55] Speaker B: It's interesting to see how students are now and the high schools.
I don't Think there's a much support around there and there's a lot of issues and there's just not enough EAs supporting people.
[00:03:15] Speaker A: They need more funding.
[00:03:16] Speaker B: Yeah, there's definitely more funding need requiring in the education system and I, you know, got to access that firsthand.
I worked in Kununurra and when I came down to Rockingham I thought Rockingham was actually behaviour wise and issues wise needed more than what Kununurra is. Yeah. So that. And they were surprised by that. The person that asked me at the school.
So yeah, I've become very passionate and there's a lot of things that doesn't happen. I have elderly parents that have. Are now in an aged care home in the area and have had to use Rockingham General Hospital and they're so underfunded. Rockingham, it's so old.
I was there and ceilings caved in when it was raining.
[00:04:08] Speaker A: Oh, really?
[00:04:09] Speaker B: Yeah. So in the icu they had to close two rooms off in the ICU because my mum was in the ICU because the ceilings collapsed, you know, through the rain. So. And. And there was other parts in the hospital, of course, that I didn't see. But on the way through, even in the hallway there was ceilings collapsed. They don't have an MRI machine. So people in ICU have to get travel to Fiona Stan.
[00:04:34] Speaker A: Yeah, my dad was in that position a few years ago in the hospital and he had to go to Murdoch, I think it was.
[00:04:39] Speaker B: Yeah. I just can't believe how many residents we have here because it's grown substantially since I first moved over. I think there was 60,000 people in the area or something.
And yeah, there's nothing there. And this mental health facility that's supposed to be emergency, which is definitely required. If you go into the ER room and there's lots of weights when you go in there.
My dad gave up after five hours and got a taxi and went home.
[00:05:09] Speaker A: Oh, really?
[00:05:10] Speaker B: Yeah. So there's a lot of issues around that. And the mental health thing, it's been. It seems like it takes so long to get anything done and then it'll extend out space to what, start building end of this year or something and then that will probably take even longer. Yeah. And they always have budget blowouts. So who's looking at these budgets, like.
Because I know from private sector, you know, people want to compete so they go, oh, but we might be able to get extra money, you know, this way because it's not in the scope, you know, instead of saying it's not in the scope.
[00:05:47] Speaker A: So so just turning to the by election.
[00:05:51] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:05:52] Speaker A: What made you stand?
[00:05:54] Speaker B: So one thing is the funding for the. Like that. I think as a Labor seat we sort of get brushed aside.
The Kwinana Freeway. I've been on that. Like I used to have to go on that to get to work because I worked in Belmont and Netherlands at some point and there's always either roadworks on there and then by the time they finished, the problem that they've alleviated is just somewhere else. Yeah. So that needs to be looked at.
Going down there on a Saturday at 12 o' clock and you're in. Stop, start, stop, start. From Thomas Road to Virtue Cockburn is absolutely ridiculous.
It's not peak hour.
[00:06:45] Speaker A: Still causing issues.
[00:06:46] Speaker B: It's still causing issues. And I feel sorry for the tradesmen that live in the area. They have to use the freeway because they carrying ladders and all their equipment and yeah, it's just not good enough. So that's another reason, the funding, I mean, that's more everywhere, I think for education than just specifically to this area.
But what's interesting is since I've started, I'm trying to find out, like I don't really know what goes on with Lakelands and Maduro Bay because I sit in Mandurah.
[00:07:24] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:07:25] Speaker B: You don't really hear much, but there's a smell that people.
[00:07:30] Speaker A: I've seen comments about that.
[00:07:32] Speaker B: Yeah. So mental health is probably not helping because for the people in that area and people are moving out of the area because they have to lock themselves in their houses. They can't go outside at certain times because the smell is that bad.
[00:07:50] Speaker A: Do they know what's causing it?
[00:07:52] Speaker B: Yeah, there's in.
Is it Niribup? What's the. What's the one near that goes on the outskirts of sort of Lakelands and Carnap and starts with nudenups.
[00:08:11] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah.
[00:08:12] Speaker B: Anyway, so that is. There's. There's a piggery but some people think it's not coming from the piggery, it's coming from C C West. Sea wise. Sea wise, that's correct. Sea wise. That has organics. So they're trying to go green, but they, they are using really smelly products and ponds that is wafting across.
They are building another city facility further away, but they haven't really said. This is what I'm getting. Like I'm looking into this.
Residents are saying that, well, what's going to happen to the existing one? Are they going to close it? Are they going to fill in the ponds? Is. Is the Smell going to stop.
Yeah. So I've been getting. Only just sort of started this journey yesterday.
[00:09:00] Speaker A: Yeah, I saw your name come up. I think it was yesterday or the day before.
[00:09:03] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:09:04] Speaker A: Didn't realize how many people were standing in the election.
[00:09:07] Speaker B: Yeah, 16.
[00:09:09] Speaker A: Have you managed to hit the streets yet?
[00:09:12] Speaker B: I went to hit the streets yesterday but fell over and might have broken my nose.
[00:09:18] Speaker A: That's not good.
[00:09:19] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:09:20] Speaker A: So have you had much response from announcing that you're standing?
[00:09:24] Speaker B: So I started up a political page at Facebook, political page on what I'm standing for. And yes, I've got some followers, I've had some engagements, I've put it on local resident pages, you know.
[00:09:38] Speaker A: Yeah. Cuz people are saying people can follow you. Do you have like your email and phone number on there?
[00:09:42] Speaker B: Yeah, so. So there's an email, not a phone number at this stage. I just wanted to keep it, get a separate phone number. So. Yeah, I know what.
[00:09:51] Speaker A: Otherwise you get in and dated all sorts.
[00:09:53] Speaker B: Yeah. And then, you know, once I finish I'll probably still be getting phone calls, so.
Which isn't ideal if my parents are trying to call me or the home is trying to call me and they can't get through. So.
[00:10:12] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah. So we've had some questions from listeners, we've had a lot more but there was a lot of questions which were very similar. So we've kind of lumped them into a few of these ones. So the first one is about Penguin Island.
So do you. Have you been following?
[00:10:29] Speaker B: Yes, I am actually on the page. The Save the Penguin page.
[00:10:33] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah.
[00:10:34] Speaker B: Have been for a few years.
Yeah. I think, I think whilst I was away they stopped the penguin.
The people that the environmental center or
[00:10:46] Speaker A: whatever was on there, they closed it down.
[00:10:48] Speaker B: They closed it down, I think.
[00:10:49] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:10:50] Speaker B: And. But they were still allowing the ferry to go across because it was a business and.
[00:10:56] Speaker A: And they have. They got like boats going through there as well.
[00:10:59] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:11:00] Speaker A: Causing issues.
[00:11:01] Speaker B: So we have a lot of issues with people on jet skis. Like even recently yesterday I saw they were hanging around the whales too close. Like they shouldn't have been that close to the whales that have been in here. So they.
Some people don't respect wildlife.
How do we combat that?
Fisheries. I guess we need to contact fisheries and say these people are too close to wildlife and that type of thing. It's really sad that the penguin population has decreased and that is what we're
[00:11:36] Speaker A: known for really, isn't it?
[00:11:37] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. Like tourism wise, you know, and we used to get a lot of tourism for going across Penguin island was quite hot.
I don't know if you went over in summer.
[00:11:48] Speaker A: I did years ago, yeah.
[00:11:50] Speaker B: Because there's not many trees like where they.
Where they hide under the little decks and stuff.
But yeah, it was.
I thought it was quite sad that our colony has reduced so much and there's nothing happening.
[00:12:09] Speaker A: It's like, is that something that you would jump in if you got in?
[00:12:14] Speaker B: Definitely. If it's, you know, that's falls under state, I presume.
[00:12:18] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:12:19] Speaker B: So do.
I don't know, is it fishing licenses that pay for that or is it state government for that? So I'd have to look into that. But yeah, definitely it's worth fighting for.
[00:12:39] Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah, cool. You've already mentioned this one briefly, but one of the questions was about the. The mental health in the area. There is thoughts on a 18 to 24 hour GP type clinic. So people. I mean, I guess one of the problems when people are really struggling with their mental health is the hospitals are very clinical and if there's like a hybrid in between staying at home in the community and hospital, that takes pressure off the hospitals. Would you. Do you support something like that?
[00:13:07] Speaker B: Definitely. I think that's why they're trying to build this mental health facility next to the emergency centre in Rockingham General Hospital.
But there's a car parking issue there already.
So my dad has an oncology appointment and I can't get a park.
You know, he's not very good on his feet and so they do treatment there for cancer as well. And it's just probably not enough disabled bays around the entrance and then also just not enough bays. People are parked all on, you know, up the medium strip everywhere. So if they build this building, you know, we're going to have more issues with car parking there as well. Have they thought about that?
[00:13:59] Speaker A: You would have hoped that they would have.
[00:14:01] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:14:02] Speaker A: You know, had that kind of discussion.
[00:14:04] Speaker B: But. Yeah, so. But getting to your question, Secret harbour, sure. I'm all for if we can help people outside of the emergency department. I think a lot of people go to emergency department because they can't go to another facility that bulk bills or, you know, there's a lot of private places.
[00:14:23] Speaker A: If there was something in between that might take the pressure off.
[00:14:26] Speaker B: Yep.
[00:14:26] Speaker A: The next one was cost of living, which came up like tons of times.
What would you like to see done?
[00:14:34] Speaker B: So I have a big thing about rates at the moment only because rates have just come out.
So Landgate every three years revalues gross rental value. What you could rent your house out for.
And Rockingham bases their charges on that. So if your house has gone up. So as I said, when I built near, it was really cheap. But if your house has gone up, you have to pay more. So my.
Mine went up 10.5%. My rates, which is quite a lot, especially as a teacher, like I'm by myself, one income and, you know, so mortgage interest rates have gone up. It's something that a lot of people. Yet someone in a. That maybe owns a house that is a lower GRV might only have got 1%, 2% increase, which.
But on a higher income probably could afford more than what I could. So I think that needs to change.
[00:15:40] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:15:41] Speaker B: Yeah. So that would help, I think with cost of living, especially people that lose their jobs fly and fly out. People that might have been on a real high income, they've lost their job really doesn't help.
So that's. That's one. One of the ways.
Definitely. Housing. We need to look at public housing.
There's a lot of things you can do now with housing like that are coming out, even there's quite a few.
[00:16:06] Speaker A: Yeah. I mean, that's actually the next question.
[00:16:08] Speaker B: It doesn't take quite as long to build or.
[00:16:10] Speaker A: Yeah. So the next question is about homelessness. And there's been a.
Quite a big thing recently in Memorial Drive. Yes. And I think someone was saying Yesterday they counted 52 homeless people on Memorial Drive, which is crazy. And some of the people there are working, you know, working full time.
What would you like to see done to try and ease that?
[00:16:35] Speaker B: So I guess there needs to be more availability of public housing. I don't agree with freezing rents because you're talking about people that have invested in property and rent their houses out and costs for them have also gone up, as I said, rates.
And you don't want to have to put the rent all up on, you know, increase. But you can't lose money because then you're doing the same thing. So.
So I don't know what the actual answer, apart from more public housing that they've got to look into as opposed to they took it away and then went private investors. You go do the heavy work.
[00:17:25] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:17:26] Speaker B: So, yeah.
[00:17:30] Speaker A: But maybe looking into more housing that doesn't take so long to.
[00:17:34] Speaker B: Yeah, it doesn't take as long to build. Yep.
So at the moment it's ridiculous. And you have to rely on my immigrants to come in to help us out because we don't have enough trades.
So.
Yeah.
[00:17:52] Speaker A: Cool.
And with your. With your campaign. So you mentioned a Couple of the things that you're promoting, if you could align with any of the parties, like where. Where do you think you'd stand?
[00:18:09] Speaker B: Not actually.
So the reason why I'm running is because I don't have any faith in any of the big parties. So there. Otherwise I wouldn't run because I've had to take leave from school to do it because as a public education employee I'm not allowed to still work.
So, yeah, I've had to step back from that. Take leave got approved luckily and I just.
I don't know.
It's stuck.
[00:18:48] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, that's fair enough. I mean, that's. I think a lot of people are lost in the system at the moment that don't identify with any party because.
Yeah, it's just the way that politics has gone.
So I think that's a kind of fair answer. If you don't really identify with any of them, then.
[00:19:06] Speaker B: Yeah, because I've had a lot of questions about who are you going to preference?
And I said, well, no one. That's up to you.
If anything, probably they should, if they're going to vote me, vote the other independents and then the major last.
But I'm not going to at this time stage.
So I have six days, business days before polling day. I think it is to do a how to vote card which could have preferences on it, but I do not plan on doing that at all.
[00:19:42] Speaker A: So that's refreshing though, because then it really comes back to individual voters to say how they would like to vote
[00:19:51] Speaker B: and not being told, well, it's totally up to them.
[00:19:53] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah.
[00:19:54] Speaker B: So I mean, when I go to the polling places and they hand out those, I just don't even take them. It's like, why are we still printing on paper? For starters, it's not a very green thing to do, especially when the Greens do it.
Just saying.
But yeah, so that's one less piece of paper.
[00:20:19] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:20:19] Speaker B: If I can get it out on electronic media, you know, get as far out as I can and let people know that way.
Unfortunately, there's some people that maybe still not electronically, like some elderly, but there are a lot of elderly now that are on electronic.
Yeah, I prefer to go that way. So no preferences.
[00:20:45] Speaker A: No preferences. That's good.
And I guess if you got elected, what would be your three priorities?
[00:20:58] Speaker B: Three priorities in the area. So what my main thing and why I'm running is because I hear so many things about I'm going to do cost of living I'm going to do, but nothing related to. To the electorate, which is what we are voted in for, which is the problem that we've had, is that it goes by the big companies, like the big labor, liberal, whatever, and it goes by that political party policy. Yeah, you sort of get lost.
So.
Yeah, I think so. Freeways already have funding, so being able to extend that funding or like make it bigger or this scope bigger to fix the issues that currently this one that's finishing is not going to fix. Already there's problems. Once it's finished, you can already see there's going to be problems. So how do we make that scope bigger?
So there's already funding there, so it's a little bit easier to add to.
And then with the Rockham General Hospital, just.
We have to have an MRI machine. I mean, pill is being rebuilt, rebuilding that. So that's going to be a long way off.
Let's get some.
[00:22:22] Speaker A: I mean Rockingham is so the population is so huge.
[00:22:26] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:22:27] Speaker A: And it doesn't have really what it needs.
[00:22:29] Speaker B: A lot of people don't want to go to Rockingham. Like they want to go to Fiona Stanley because we just don't. We're not capable here of being able to do the medical care that's required for the. For the area.
[00:22:44] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:22:45] Speaker B: So that's a big one.
[00:22:46] Speaker A: So the roads, the hospital and what would be the third one?
[00:22:49] Speaker B: The third one would be.
See, I toss up, I think schools.
[00:22:56] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:22:57] Speaker B: I think mental health starts in the schools and Yes, I think that's big.
That would be my big third one.
[00:23:05] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:23:05] Speaker B: Yeah. Cool.
[00:23:07] Speaker A: So how do people find out about you? Like what's your social media handles and.
[00:23:14] Speaker B: Okay, so I have a page, political page. Secret Harbour.
Secret Harbour by Election.
Jane Palmer Independent.
[00:23:27] Speaker A: Yeah, we can.
[00:23:28] Speaker B: I can actually send that.
[00:23:29] Speaker A: Send it to you and I can
[00:23:30] Speaker B: flip it to you because I can't remember what I named it because I just go on there.
[00:23:36] Speaker A: I'm like that all the time.
[00:23:37] Speaker B: Yeah.
But yeah, so I've just.
Yeah, that's. That's the one. And go on. I'm going to try and put on there where I might be.
[00:23:47] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:23:47] Speaker B: So that people can come and talk to me if. If they want to. That's cool.
[00:23:51] Speaker A: So like having a coffee or something.
[00:23:53] Speaker B: Yeah. I don't want to do door knocking because I think people a bit skeptical of people coming up to their doors and I don't blame them with what's been going on in the area.
And I don't want to do letter drops because that's. That's wasting paper.
So I'd prefer to just be there and people be there, or do you want me to come to something, you know, and be there for that?
[00:24:15] Speaker A: Cool.
[00:24:16] Speaker B: Just somehow get that out there.
[00:24:19] Speaker A: And what's your email address?
[00:24:21] Speaker B: So I think you already did it. Our electorate. So because I live in it, I'm going to vote for myself at JanePalmer. So JaneWith y au awesome.
[00:24:37] Speaker A: And we'll, we'll put them up in the description as well, so if anyone wants to contact you, they can.
So I think we'll, we'll finish off there. Thank you very much for coming in and we wish you every good luck with the campaign.
[00:24:52] Speaker B: Thank you very much.
