Barwon Candidate: Andrew Fleisher, Liberal Democrat

Profession outside of politics: Engineer, with business and financial experience.

Why are you running for the seat of Barwon? There is a correlation between Liberal Democratic Party principles and policy, and the people in the Barwon electorate. Reducing regulation and taxes is more applicable to Barwon than many other parts of NSW. Many of Barwon's issues are better resolved through local initiative than unrealistic, tax-wasting, centralised planning mandated by Macquarie Street and Canberra.

Why should people vote for the party you stand for? In almost all situations, empowerment of people to solve local issues is a far better solution than attempts at "social engineering" and other regulation which inhibit people, create more bureaucracy, more taxes and more costs/expenses to people and businesses. Skyrocketing electricity costs is an example of the result of excessive social engineering and regulation killing off rural businesses and towns. We prefer to enable the many rather than encourage regulations and taxes which benefit the few. If you too are outraged by state government mismanagement, on the upper house ballot you should vote group O for the Liberal Democratic Party.

What are the top three issues in the electorate? Water and land management: Withdraw from the Murray Darling Basin agreement. It principally supports vested interests. Ease restrictions to put down a bore. Deregulate land management so property owners can manage their land without outsider interference. Insufficient services: Remove state and local regulations so people are motivated to move to the area or start businesses. Personal security: You can be charged for using anything to defend yourself against an intruder. LDP Senator Leyonhjelm attempt to legalise pepper spray so women could protect themselves. Extreme Greens and major parties rejected the bill; their ideologies do not permit people to protect themselves.

Why should people vote for you? We are a party driven by principles, with policies driven by principles. We are not opportunists buying votes by promising the electorate we will give them back a portion of the money taken from them. We will work for their interests instead of vested interests which drive the major parties. We do not espouse taking from the many to give to the few, nor taking from one group to buy votes amongst another, such as stadiums-for-votes or wasteful, costly transport solutions (such as Sydney's costly "on demand" transport services).

How do you propose to bring more jobs to the electorate? Instead of throwing taxpayer money at the issue, which is almost always very wasteful and provides very few benefits, we see the better solution is to remove the impediments to people using their own. That will result in people providing more essential services to each other (such as health, education, transport, banking), which will motivate others to move to the area, and create a larger economy.

What do you feel is the biggest issue affecting people in Nyngan? Almost universally, the issues raised by people in Barwon who talk to me can best be resolved by limiting the constraints imposed by excessive regulation and thereby rehabilitating people's initiative. This is applicable to subjects as diverse as health care, education, water management, transport, communication/internet, land clearing, banking and personal protection. All of them are over-regulated, and the more regulated they are, the more of a problem they have become. After reducing the regulation, and the costs of enforcing it, taxes should be lowered so there are more financial resources for people to implement entrepreneurial solutions.

How do you propose to help with this should you be elected? A relentless campaign of repealing excessive legislation on the local, state and federal levels. Additional examples are: reducing regulation of health services will motivate medical practitioners to move to rural areas; cease mandating where chemists can open will result in more chemists in rural areas; reduce transport regulations - anyone with a driving licence and a registered vehicle should be able to provide transport; reduce education and childcare regulation so cheaper, for more localised and (potentially) better solutions; reduce banking regulation so locally-owned banks can operate without massive bureaucracies which restrict the competition to large players.

What is your favourite book/hobby/activity? Favourite book: The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, by Robert Heinlein; it opens one's mind to the idea of a society driven by initiative rather than government central planning (which never works) and regulation. Favourite hobby: spending time in the bush; drawing inspiration from the land and its the unique Australian fauna and flora. Favourite activity: shooting feral animals.