Cost-of-living pressures, community safety, transport and infrastructure were the main concerns raised by residents during a Stafford byelection candidates’ forum on Wednesday night.
The byelection is the second out-of-cycle poll since the LNP took government in October 2024, and was triggered by the death of MP Jimmy Sullivan in early April.
Sullivan had been sitting as an independent after he was expelled from Labor last year amid highly publicised personal struggles.
Of the nine candidates running in the byelection, seven participated in the forum.
Alan Denaro (Family First Party), Damian Smart (independent), Daniel Selff (Libertarian Party), Jacqueline Verne (Legalise Cannabis Queensland), Jess Lane (Greens), Liam Parry (independent), and Luke Richmond (Labor) were all in attendance.
Liberal National Party candidate Fiona Hammond and Lucy O’Brien from the Animal Justice Party were unable to attend.
The rising cost of living and household pressures were the most consistent concerns raised by residents, with candidates asked what they would fight for in their first 12 months to address these issues.
Denaro said he would engage with and co-ordinate community organisations to link them with those in need quicker.
Richmond said the community needed immediate cost-of-living relief. “The missing piece at the moment is something that immediately alleviates the pressure,” he said.
Richmond advocated for investment in healthcare, and immediate action on issues such as the fuel crisis.
Parry said ordinary people were suffering and priorities needed to change – such as immediate pay increases for nurses, teachers and transport workers.
Smart said power and insurance prices needed to be lowered, and he would advocate for investment in green energy and overhauling insurance systems.
Lane said almost half of those in the electorate were renters, so she would fight to cap rents and strengthen tenants’ rights.
For his part, Selff said he would advocate for changing tax systems and removing certain elements.
Residents also said community safety was a major concern in the electorate. Candidates were asked what they would do to make residents feel safer.
Parry said he did not believe it was useful to lock children up, and a better solution would focus on giving people healthcare – including mental healthcare – and housing.
“I think a lot of crime is caused by poverty and people in desperate situations,” he said. “I think we need to reintroduce a bit of empathy into these discussions.”
Richmond said the LNP’s methods were not working, and people did not feel safer.
“Ensuring that we have more police on the ground is really important … officers on the ground have never been stretched more thin,” he said.
Frontline services, including teachers who have direct access to children in need, should be invested in, he said.
Lane said the government could not jail its way out of crime, and meeting everyone in the community’s needs would be more effective.
“If you want to eradicate crime, you need to eradicate poverty,” she said.
Selff said a police presence was the best deterrent, while introducing programs into schools could help. He said he would consult the community about such programs during his first days in parliament.
Verne said she supported fit-for-purpose policing, focussing on methods aligned to risk and harm reduction, instead of just looking tough.
Denaro said he absolutely believed in “castle law”, which allows residents to use lethal force against home intruders.
Smart said police should be respected, and calls for castle law should be approached with caution.
Public transport was another major concern for residents, and candidates were asked what the most important transport solution for the area was.
Lane said she would like to see more frequent – and free – public transport, which the Greens have advocated for years.
Richmond said locals felt let down by the government’s handling of transport and infrastructure issues in the area, and if elected, he would ensure it would deliver on the commitments it had made to the community.
Denaro said other transport corridors should be explored, and that the infrastructure was never designed for the growing demand, or for alternative forms of transport.
Parry said the government needed to invest in public transport, and should do this by increasing taxes for higher income earners.
Verne said transport costs were a major issue for the community, and the government should explore whether public transport during peak hours could be free.
Selff’s biggest transport priority was the Gympie tunnel bypass, which would benefit the community in the long term.
Sustainable growth of the area was also a concern for locals, and candidates were asked how they would make this growth affordable, functional and fair.
Richmond said the LNP’s cuts to affordable housing quotas needed to be reversed, so housing was available to everyone and connected to population growth.
Verne said the electorate needed more townhouses and targeted growth, and infrastructure had to grow with housing to ensure it met demand.
Lane said the Stafford electorate had dealt with gentrification that pushed locals out of the area.
“I’d like to see the government getting back into social and government housing,” she said.
Smart said regulations on the number of times a landlord could raise the rent may have been counterproductive by encouraging larger rent rises, and should be looked at.
Parry said accommodation was not being treated as a human right, and the government should build more public housing. He said the property market could not handle the impact of the 2032 Olympics, which should be cancelled.
Selff said immigration should be capped to lower the demand for housing.
Denaro also said the Olympics should be cancelled and immigration capped. He also advocated for changes to pension assets tests, which he said could cause people who would like to sell their homes to hold on to them instead.
Early voting is open for the byelection, which will be held on May 16.
