Wilkie: Where I stand

Andrew Wilkie Andrew Wilkie is standing as an independent candidate for the seat of Denison at the next Tasmanian state election.
My policies …
Clean up politics
• More independents in Parliament to make decisions in the public interest, not party interests
• Empower an Ethics Commissioner to investigate allegations of political misconduct
• Introduce Citizens’ Initiated Referenda to give ordinary people the right to a say on vital issues between elections
• Tie politicians’ pay rises to improvements in Tasmania’s average wage
• Slash the number of political advisers and spin-doctors

Help people who need it most
• Build more public housing in established suburbs instead of in remote sites
• Reduce immediately the damaging number of pokies in Moonah and Glenorchy
• Abolish all poker machines in Tasmania when the current licence expires in 2018
• Shelve plans for a new Royal Hobart Hospital until the Government demonstrates it can manage the current health system properly and afford massive new expenditure
• Build the new hospital eventually in the northern suburbs – where it’s needed most

Secure Tasmania’s future
• Revive Jim Bacon’s Tasmania Together public consultation initiative so all Tasmanians have a better say in their economic, social and environmental future
• Public consultation and right of appeal to be included in a genuinely independent planning and development process
• The Government adopt a non-partisan leadership approach to the forestry impasse
• Ensure Denison gets its fair share of funds by ending the gravy-train to northern Tasmania
• Help small businesses by reducing their rate of land tax to the national average

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Andrew Wilkie – Biography

Andrew Wilkie is a well known campaigner for truth in politics. He has published a best selling book – Axis of Deceit – about the dishonesty behind the Iraq war and undertaken numerous speaking engagements in Australia, the UK, the US and New Zealand.

Andrew Wilkie’s concern with governance has its origins in his decision to resign from the Office of National Assessments (ONA) on 11 March 2003 in protest over the Iraq war. He was the only serving intelligence official in Australia, the UK and US to resign publicly before the invasion. Andrew told ABC Radio shortly afterwards that ‘Iraq does not pose a security threat to any other country at this point in time, its weapons of mass destruction program is very disjointed and contained, and there is no hard intelligence linking the Iraqi regime to al Qaida in any substantial or worrisome way.’ His assessment was correct.

Prior to his work in ONA, Andrew Wilkie served in the Army where he rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel. He also worked in senior management roles with the American defence contractor Raytheon. Currently Andrew runs a Hobart small business with his wife.

Andrew Wilkie is not a member of any political party nor involved with one in any way. He was a member of the Greens between 2003 and 2008, during which time he stood twice as a candidate including against Prime Minister John Howard in his Sydney seat of Bennelong at the 2004 federal election. He has also been a member of the Liberal Party.

Andrew Wilkie’s qualifications include a Bachelor of Arts, Graduate Diploma of Management and Graduate Diploma of Defence Studies. Awards he has received include the Australian Intelligence Community Medallion (twice), Australia Day Achievement Medallion, UN Association of Australia Whistleblower Award, Australian Plaintiff Lawyers Association Civil Justice Award and Free Speech Victoria Voltaire Award.

Andrew Wilkie is 47 years old, married to Kate Burton and lives in Sandy Bay. They have two young daughters, Olive and Rose.

www.andrewwilkie.org