Paul O’Halloran

Tasmanian Greens candidate for Braddon

Paul O’Halloran is currently working at the Burnie campus of the University of Tasmania where he is the national program manager of the Primary Industries Centre for Science Education (PICSE). PICSE has its national hub at UTAS in Burnie and is designed to encourage young people gain post year 12 qualifications in science and primary industries. He is a teacher by profession and has taught on King Island, at Ulverstone High School, Don College and a one year stint in Canada. He was brought up on a dairy farm on the NW coast at Preolenna and attended Preolenna Primary School (since closed), Marist College and then on to University in Hobart. He currently lives on a small farm near Ulverstone with his wife Angela and has two adult children.

Paul is an active member of several educational, sporting and agricultural organisations.

Interests include

  • Water sports
  • Bushwalking
  • Football
  • Cricket
  • Music
  • Family

Key points

"The people of Braddon want to know where the jobs are for themselves and their kids. They want to know where they are today and where they will be tomorrow. They are also concerned that services will be there when they need them. We will be announcing a Better Braddon Package which will give people the security they seek both now and into the future.

Another thing the people of Braddon care about is a fair go, especially a fair go for those who are struggling. They also want good government they can trust and honesty and integrity put back into our democratic processes.”

I am a passionate believer in cooperative, open and transparent government and processes where people are genuinely listened to and where concerns are acted on.

So much of our current energy and expertise at the political level is wasted on an adversarial approach to decision making when we are all basically trying to make Tasmania a better place to live. There is a real sense in Tasmania that the current government is secretive, that deals are made behind closed doors and for special mates and seems to favour the big end of town while disregarding those in real need of adequate health and aged care, dental care and access to basic services such as housing and public transport.

Being a teacher I have a real faith in the young people of today and every day enjoy working with this enormous pool of potential. It saddens me that this potential to participate fully in education and training is often cut short, especially in Braddon, because of high levels of poverty (Braddon is one of the poorest electorates in Australia). Education and social services need to be a priority for increased government funding. I am disturbed by reports I am getting about the levels of disaffection in the post year 10 sector with reportedly very low morale, unsupported staff and poor budgetary and IT processes. I will be digging to find whether retention rates in the PY10 sector have improved and will be pushing for a review of the PY10 reforms. There is a real need for additional support at all levels of education if we want to be competitive and innovative in a low carbon economy of the future.

I am a strong advocate for an ecologically sustainable future based around capitalising on our unique natural advantages – native forests, beaches, mountains and beautiful fertile soils. This means that we need to refocus our old style volume based economy to one that sells innovative and differentiated products into niche markets. That is, one that value adds and provides long term sustainable jobs for Tasmanians.We need to position our primary industries to position of strength where they become price makers instead of price takers. This sector has huge potential as long as creativity, innovation and world class research are supported. Labor and Liberal have told us endlessly about the jobs rich plantation industry yet when Great Southern collapsed they owned 57 properties covering 17000 hectares and employed just 7 people! And their plantations were taking up valuable soil and water resources.

We also need to protect the environment that supports such iconic species as the fresh-water lobster and the Tasmanian devil. Driving destructive logging roads through sensitive and unique iconic regions such as the Tarkine have the capacity to destroy the jobs rich future this region will bring.

The Tarkine has the potential to become the Kakadu of Tasmania. By working cooperatively with all stakeholder groups, this area has the potential to revitalise the NW coast and provide huge employment advantages to towns such as Smithton, Wynyard, Waratah and Burnie.

I have a real passion for social justice issues, for fairness and equity and believe we need to focus more on a socially just and compassionate society with a focus on the future.I have a serious concern about a government that says it looks after the battlers when it sucks on average close to $2000 per family per year from poker machine use and addiction. Small business is vital but is missing out as the government does deals behind closed doors for the benefit of special mates. I will stand up for the people in Braddon, particularly those who have been abandoned by Bartlett and his Braddon backbenchers, and will advocate for a bountiful jobs rich future.

The reason I have decided to stand for the Greens in Braddon is because of a belief that it is only through the uncompromised, progressive policies and cooperative approach of the Greens that the changes outlined above can take place. And I want to make a difference to support Braddon in becoming an area of long term and ecologically sustainable opportunity.