Following the long-awaited announcement of the Liberal candidate for the Federal seat of Dobell last week, Michael Feneley came out firing with a commitment to growth and youth training.
Only recently, it was reported that young people at the north end of the Coast were being deprived of Commonwealth scholarships for vocational training that were earmarked solely for Gosford.
The Commonwealth Scholarships Program for Young Australians opened to 10 regions including Gosford in February but not the former Wyong shire.
Feneley acknowledges this requires attention along with the need to boost local employment opportunities.
“One in four workers (in Dobell) commute – that’s an unusually high number (and) I would like to see growth in local jobs so that people can work and live here, and that people stay here, including our young people.
“I think that’s something that can be worked on so that people who want to do traineeships can still do them either through receiving supported travel or taking part in more outreach-based training programs.
“That’s obviously a level of detail that I would explore with the businesses that are supporting those traineeships,” he said.
Having relocated with his family to Noraville last year, Feneley commutes to Sydney where his work as a Cardiologist continues.
He observed the effects of the flooding and coastal erosion on the Coast in the last few weeks but contends that the heavy lifting is a matter for the State government.
“I think that the Tuggerah Lakes issue more broadly, and the coastal erosion particularly around The Entrance, are very important and long-standing issues.
“There have been good instances in the past when the Commonwealth government has supported issues there, but it can’t act alone.
“The State government is right at the centre of that and (while) the Commonwealth plays a strong supporting role in providing funding, the heavy lifting in terms of how it gets implemented is very much a role of the State,” he said.
Feneley said the lack of affordable housing, exacerbated by the pandemic, is also a burning issue for families at the top end, with the rental crisis forcing families to live in motels and caravan parks.
According to Feneley, boosting economic growth can solve the problem.
“I am an advocate for increased access to affordable housing.
“My major focus will be on economic growth and increasing job opportunities so that people will be able to afford housing,” he said.
The father of four says that Dobell is changing and the proposed Regional Plan 2041 is one indicator of how the region is expected to grow.
“The whole of the Coast is a high priority, but I think we’re going to see a lot of that growth in the northern part of the Coast, particularly up around the Wyong area.
“Coming out of the pandemic we’re seeing a great opportunity in Australia broadly, but my focus is in on how to maximise that growth in Dobell.
One of seven children, Feneley says he is excited to be in Dobell.
“My mother lived the last 25 years of her life here, so it’s where our tribe – and we are a large tribe – met and converged all that time.”
Nicola Riches