Drug Law Reform Party’s Paul Cubitt has some answers for us.
Paul would like it noted that the answers are his personal opinions and not necessarily those of the party.
Thanks for the answers Paul!
Candidates, the readers of RiotACT are your voters and they have questions for you! If you’d like to answer those questions and prove you care what your voters think then email us at contact@the-riotact.com.
You can find the questions here.
1. What are your views on euthanasia?
I have my own opinion about euthanasia, however I do not want them to distract from the important topic of drug law reform.
When drugs like marijuana are regulated, I have seen the medical benefits from the plants extracts. Apart from the potential for curing some cancers, other benefits from the plant include increasing the appetite of people undergoing chemotherapy.
It is time for science to investigate the medicinal benefits of some illicit drugs and allow them to provide a better quality of life to their recipients
2. Do you support a High Speed Rail Link between Sydney/Canberra/Melbourne?
Yes, it should be Australia’s next significant infrastructure project. I believe it should be considered as a freight corridor to reduce vehicle traffic and their environmental impacts.
3. Are you comfortable with the distribution of wealth in modern day Australia?
Everyone has the right to earn incomes for their work and qualifications and Australia is still a country where everyone can move from low income to high income. I do have concerns about the increasing gap between rich and poor and how materialistic we are. History has shown that the closer the gap between rich and poor, the less social discourse is experienced.
4. Recent polling (Auspoll) shows housing affordability to be a critical issue for a majority of Australians, with 84% of respondents saying it was important to them or their families, putting housing affordability ahead of issues such as education, border security, the NBN and NDIS.
The same poll also revealed that 84% of respondents also believe that Australia is not performing well on housing affordability.
Australian Governments are failing badly on this issue of critical importance to Australians.
What would you do to improve housing affordability?
The end of drug prohibition will return over $60 million to the ACT economy, this revenue is currently being wasted on a failed policy that has no impact on drug prices or availability. There will also be less people negatively impacted by these substances. Some of this revenue must be directed to affordable housing programs.
I am on the fundraising committee for Common Ground and will be part of developing permanent accommodation for homeless people in the ACT. As the current election campaign, that is dictated by the old parties, is focused on economics and promises to maintain standards of living, it is hard to see that home prices are going to be restrained in the short term on a national level. Large public service job losses in the ACT and a possible recession in the will impact prices locally, however there will be fewer buyers.
Market forces will continue to drive home prices, I believe there needs to be a scheme to enable low to moderate income earners to purchase a property that will not be inflationary to the broader market.
5. To me the NBN seems like a great idea, can you tell me why you think it’s ace/a dumb idea.
I think it is an ‘ace’ idea and is one of the few big picture projects by government in decades. Australian business is at risk of falling behind the rest of the world and living standards will ultimately fall without access to modern technology (maybe that will help the housing affordability question).
6. Do you think cyclists should be registered?!
I see merit in this option however law enforcement has enough trouble keeping unregistered vehicles off the road. I think there may be need to review the laws around cyclists obeying road rules and sanctions should a breach occur. Barriers should not deter cyclists from this activity and moving them back to motor vehicles.
7. What is your position on gay marriage?
I have my own opinion about gay marriage, however I do not want them to distract from the important topic of drug law reform.
Drug Law Reform Australia supports less discrimination, marginalisation and equality for all, as long as no actual harm is done onto others.
8. Would you be willing to cross the floor on matters of strong personal conscience or of significant concern for your electorate?
I believe that any elected representative is there to do what is best for their constituents, not themselves. I would not cross the floor on personal conscience unless there was demonstrated proof that a decision was not in the communities best interest.
I believe that values is a personal position, whereas ethics is a decision where all available information is evaluated and a decision is made where the least harm will result.Too often people elected to politics put their personal values ahead of their constituents, I do not believe that is what they were elected to do.
9. What are your views on the NSA collecting private information of Australian citizens and corporations, of the Australian government’s participation in similar programmes, and of the apparent silence of Australian politicians on the matter?
I know from experience that terrorism is a real potential threat to everyone’s safety. However I have concerns about the reasons why information is being collected and how that information may be used. It is a concern that Australian politicians are silent, however I expect they are informed of issues around national security.
10. We hear so much negativity about the opposition when election time rolls around– what three things do you consider to be positive about any of your opponents and why?
1. Running as a what is seen as a single issue party, I admire other individuals who are prepared to stand up against the old parties, especially when the old parties do not acknowledge the specific topic or issue. It is not easy to be the face of what many people will see as an extreme topic.
2 and 3. I would not be running for politics if the community was better represented by the old parties. I have met many politicians from all sides and generally liked them as individuals. When they become spokespeople for policies they do not believe in and not being able to speak out about policies that are simply ‘bad’, I lose respect for them.
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