Posted by Vote Climate One Team on April 10, 2022 11:26 am
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GREEN TRAFFIC LIGHT
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VANDIJK, Taylor

Australian Greens

Running
Last assessment: 2022-04-24 04:31:30

All Greens candidates have been allocated a green light after our rigorous assessment process. Number green light candidates before any orange light or red light candidates on your ballot paper.

“Our Federal government has been woefully inadequate in tackling Climate Change. With recent weather events such as the devastating bushfires of 2020 and the extraordinary rains of 2022, the effects of denying Climate Change are becoming apparent.”

Hello, I am Taylor Vandijk and I’m standing as your Greens candidate in the Federal seat of Barton.

I live in Bayside and I love being part of the community. I have worked in aged and disability care since I was 18 and this experience has made me passionate about the health sector. Growing up I had my own battle with mental health and I seen firsthand the fact that access is limited by how much you can afford. The health care sector has been in crisis well before the COVID19 pandemic hit.  After more than 2 years it is obvious that we need better staff to patient ratios and a fair pay. Recently, we have seen nurses strike for better pay and conditions and I support them.

Our Federal government has been woefully inadequate in tackling Climate Change. With recent weather events such as the devastating bushfires of 2020 and the extraordinary rains of 2022, the effects of denying Climate Change are becoming apparent. The science is clear. The next decade will be crucial that we enact sustainable, proactive policies to mitigate the climate risk to our community. The Greens have the strongest record of all parties on Climate Change and I am a committed advocate for taking action now to address the impending climate emergency.

My environmentalism also extends to our local area. I am involved in community gardens, Bushcare and I have led a campaign to clean up our waterways, reduce our use of single-use plastic and improve our tree canopy. We need a resilient holistic approach to the management of our urban environment.

Education is something I have never taken for granted, but one of the unfortunate things I have to show for it is a mountain of HECS debt. Education and technology must be a priority. Without quality trained nurses to work in our hospitals and renewable energy technicians running our solar farms, we won’t be able to build a better health system and tackle the impending problems of human induced climate change. We need to make University and TAFE free.

With your support, we can take our Green message straight to Canberra.  I look forward to working with all people of Barton to take action against Climate Change, improve our environment, supporting nurses and make our healthcare and public education system more inclusive and equitable for everyone.