Meet the candidates for Grey ahead of the Australian Federal Election

The electorate of Grey has been held by Liberal Member of Parliament Rowan Ramsey since 2007 and covers 93 percent of South Australia. It includes the agricultural districts of the Eyre Peninsula.

Each of the candidates was asked to write a piece of about 200 words on their election platforms. Those over that length have been edited.

Common themes appeared when candidates were asked about their policies including health and mental health, aged care, environmental issues, education, housing shortages, job losses, infrastructure and taxes.

"The Greens are presenting a broad policy agenda at the 2022 Federal election.

"These policies cover a large cross-section of society and the environment, from education, health, welfare, and housing, to climate change amelioration, environmental protection, and the ending of tax breaks for large corporations.

"Dental and mental health will be made free under Medicare, one million new dwellings will be constructed under the public housing system, and available to those on lower incomes, fees for childcare, public school, university, and TAFE will be scraped, and tertiary student debt wiped.

"All these initiatives will take the pressure off the cost of living for millions of Australians."

"The Greens have committed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 75% by 2030 on 2005 levels and reach net-zero emissions by 2035."

"All these policies have been costed.

"How will The Greens pay for these initiatives?

"One in three big corporations pays no tax, and many big corporations and billionaires send their profits offshore tax-free.

"The Greens will tax the billionaires and big corporations, so they pay tax like all other businesses and working people."

Mr White lives and works in the remote northern community of Cooper Pedy and the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands, as a social worker in child protection.

Over the course of his career, he has worked across community corrections, youth justice, mental health, and palliative care.

"As I talk to people across Grey, many tell me they are struggling.

"Parents are having to decide between a roof over their heads or quality food on the table.

"People are going without prescribed medication.

"Filling the family car is a luxury.

"People tell me they are anxious and worried how they are going to pay the next electricity bill and recent reports state about a million children across Australia live in poverty.

"This is not everyone in the electorate, but it is people we know, the children in our schools, the families in our town, cities, and supermarkets.

"As a baker, I KNOW the price of a loaf of bread and it breaks my heart that people are making basic choices to survive."

"We know inflation is on the increase and the Reserve Bank of Australia have risen interest rates."

"My plan is to work with the people of Grey, so together we can challenge and change the policies that design and drive systems that are failing us.

"We want our young people to be able to afford to buy their first house.

"We want all people to have housing security and feel secure in their lives now and in the future.

"Short term measures like $250 one-off payoffs prior to an election don't fix the housing affordability crisis, there is rent and mortgages to pay next fortnight, and the one after that."

"This election I am asking you to vote for change. Vote 1 Liz Habermann."

"After the last two years I see this land that I love exhausted from an overreach of power by unelected bureaucrats and total removal of constitutional freedoms, small businesses closed permanently, widespread job losses, dramatic increases in mental health episodes, and elderly people isolated and neglected.

"There is currently only $108/ voter spent in Grey."

"I believe that a member is elected by the people for the people to serve the people."

"The United Australia Party have many policies to help all Australians and ensure food, water, housing and fuel security and to strengthen Australia's defence.

Mrs Waters was born in Wudinna and has lived most of her life on the Eyre Peninsula.

"My great-great-grandfather is George Tramountanas the first Greek settler in SA," Mrs Waters said.

"I married in 1994 and have eight children."

"Our family has owned and operated several businesses on the Eyre Peninsula.

"We are very community-minded - we're involved with several local sporting clubs and organisations."

"I have been an Ambulance Officer with SA Ambulance Service for almost 15 years, starting as a volunteer and the last five years under contract in many stations, including remote outback communities as a solo responder and more recently at Port Augusta station.

"I consider it a privilege to be there for someone in their time of need.

"In 2020 I was nominated for the SA Ambulance Excellence Awards for 'Excellence in Clinical Practice."

"Prior to Parliament, I was a farmer and still live on the farm near Kimba.

"With a long involvement with community organisations including agricultural research organisations, Apex, CFS, hospital boards and sporting clubs and played in a band."

"I am a Government Whip, Chair the Parliamentary Enemies of Diabetes, convene the Rural and Regional Liberal Caucus, sit on a number of Standing Committees and was formerly Chair of theAgriculture Standing Committee."

"I was instrumental in the introduction of Country of Origin Food Labelling and have been pleased to have delivered significant drought, flood and fire funding to Grey."

"I have worked to deliver the biggest infrastructure spend ever in Grey securing more than $1bn in road projects, record support for councils, huge increases for mental health and currently working to secure a Headspace unit for Port Pirie."

"I believe major opportunities lie in modern manufacturing and recently I announced significant support for new industries to value add our agriculture, mining, energy and construction industries in Grey."

"I continue to target improvements in health delivery and aged care, announcing significant investment in these areas in recent months."

"Grey, covers 92 percent of the state and I visit all communities as often as I can working with local councils, community groups and individuals to maximise benefits for our regional communities."

"Hello Port Pirie and surrounding districts, I am a recent addition having moved to your area 18 months ago.

"I ran in the last election, and between that one and this one I was hoping to hold stalls at things like the Smelter's Picnic since it's hard to convey my points in anything but face to face, but alas the pandemic killed that off."

"None of the other parties at the last election were interested in lowering immigration to steady out our population, they all thought that would harm the economy."

"None of them believed my job guarantee policy was viable either, at least not publicly, not least of which because they thought it would "cost" $20-60 billion dollars."

"It's funny that the pandemic closed our borders and then required the government to do JobKeeper and bump up Jobseeker for a while.

"Essentially they were doing a rushed and poorly thought out version of what I was proposing."

"One thing you won't hear me criticise the government on is the amount of debt, since there is none!

"It's all a ruse, the federal government can create Australian dollars so it can't be in debt in Australian dollars."

The following candidates did not respond by the deadline:

Peter Miller (Liberal Democrat)

Julie Watson (Australian Labor Party)

Kerry Ann White (Pauline Hanson's One Nation)

Tracey Dempsey (Australian Federation Party)