MP outlines poll position

Steve Irons has held the seat since winning in 2007 by 164 votes. In 2010, he retained the seat by 4019 votes.

With the Federal Election less than a month away, the Gazette quizzed Mr Irons on a number of national and local issues.

Indigenous affairs

Tony Abbott has announced he wants a new engagement with Aboriginal people to be one of the hallmarks of a Coalition government and if elected, the Coalition will start from week one with the establishment of a Prime Minister’s Indigenous Advisory Council, chaired by Warren Mundine.

At a local level, the new community health clinic in Belvidere Street that we secured is a good example of what we can do locally on indigenous health.

Same-sex marriage

Overwhelmingly most who have contacted my electorate office have indicated they are in favour of the status quo.

Asylum seekers

Australia’s international reputation has been tarnished by the 50,000+ boat arrivals and 1000 deaths at sea since Labor dismantled the ‘Pacific Solution’. The failed ‘Malaysia and East Timor Solutions’ caused further embarrassment for the Government and Australia.

NBN

It will be left to the Coalition to actually deliver an NBN, rolled out faster, cheaper and to the areas that need it most first, via a fibre-to-the-node model.

Manning Road on-ramp

I have publicly stated many times that the on-ramp is a needed piece of infrastructure. We have an ongoing campaign for it.