Okay, so democracy in action time.
Dude, it's a discussion forum and you're running for Brisbane Lord Mayor, you're going to get asked questions, particularly in discussion forums (online or otherwise).
Sorry Triamks - I was being facetious as I was literally running out the door. I totally put my toe in the water in the earlier comment because I was very much hoping to get some questions! But putting up my own AMA just feels a little clunky...
That is a rather awful photo, shouldn't you have media people that could pick a better one?
Somehow the old version of that photo has found its way into the fairfax archives. I'm all for accountability but not extreme close ups on hangovers.
Get a haircut. Unsure about real job.
Not disclosing actual job - but I work in the lower levels of arts administration. My background, however: When younger I put my beliefs where my mouth is by working for Oxfam and volunteering for Amnesty International's Queensland branch.
I was always fairly turned off by politics - until I read about the Sex Party, which aligns with my own passion for civil liberties - and had a lightbulb moment. I joined the party in 2008 and have never looked back!
I studied science at the University of Melbourne and am soon to be working at finishing the law degree I abandoned in my early twenties.
I don't know why, but i'm always seriously surprised about how well qgl/ausgamers goes in the google
Surprisingly well. Considering all the effort that the other parties put in to standing by streets, handing out flyers when noone's interested I am endless surprised that other parties don't engage online where discussions are actually taking place.
Then again it would be seriously unconvincing if Graham Quirk (or one of his minions posting as him) posted on Aus Gamers forum...
I've always wondered why candidates run when there's a slim to none chance of winning.
Is there some nice loot to be collected from the AEC for being a candidate or something?
(srs question)
I like to think that there are more reasons for running for Lord Mayor than simply winning the 'top job'. I'm keen to put forward an idea of what Brisbane can be... I'm frustrated that local politics seems only ever concerned with filling potholes and digging tunnels - which is important work but which continues much the same regardless of who wins.
Local politics can be about defining a place and a culture in a way that State and Federal politics cannot be. That's exciting.
Potholes less so.
And no, it's not for the money. For example, I've never received one cent from the Sex Party or any electoral funding body for personal use (except maybe the odd beer after a full day of letter dropping). You don't do it for money, you do it for conviction.
While I agree that these are all positive and progressive things for Brisbane, I really feel like focusing on them as a primary platform potentially trivialises the many more significant problems affecting this city.
Is the intention only to draw attention to these minority issues by using the election as a public forum, or do you consider this to be having a genuine crack at running for mayor? Because whether it's even remotely possible to win or not (and let's not kid ourselves, it's really not), I think people like me would be more supportive of your cause if it at least had the appearance of a genuine effort and not just a soapboxing exercise.
As I indicated above, I think that daily grind of council - those potholes, bridges, rubbish removal - is definitely important work but is work that occurs much the same regardless of who is in the Mayor's office. Graham Quirk isn't out their with a shovel any more than Graham Quirk oversees road network design.
I'm more than happy for the same old men to be talking about the same old crap. I'm motivated by something different.
But also the policies picked up in the news article weren't exactly how I'd express them. Take noise restrictions - it came across in the article that I simply want doof doof in Aspley. That's not the case. Rather I am frustrated that local musicians who put on their own show - in a warehouse or at a house show - because there aren't enough venues in Brisbane get shut down by the police too rapidly, even if the show is put on in the inner city. Think back to bands like the Saints, iconic bands of which Brisbane should be proud, they achieved their success by doing it for themselves. Council should back them, not frustrate them.
The inner city should be treated like an inner city, a buzzing and thriving place. The suburbs, however, should remain the quiet retreat people want.
You can see more of my personal platforms at the campaign page -
http://www.facebook.com/rory4mayor or @rorykillen - or better yet go to
http://www.sexparty.org.au to see more of what we're about
I understand the policies clearly, it's the whole notion behind decriminalizing/legalization of personal usage while criminalizing the production and dealing of said substances.
You can smoke pot... but if you grow it, you're going to jail.
You're free to use this... but the personal supplying it is going to suffer serious consequences.
It's retarded, it makes less sense than outright prohibition.
Drugs! Now this is a policy that's really interesting.
Okay firstly let's distinguish between pot and other drugs. We haven't formalised it yet but there is a growing mood in the party to just come out and admit it: we're pretty okay with marijuana. Full legalisation - grow it, smoke it, cook it, post it. Even tax it. Go for gold.
But other drugs... the policy is not that's it's okay to use heroine, for example. The goal of the policy is to eradicate heroine addiction just as much as any other party seeks to do that. However, we acknowledge that the criminal approach to drugs has failed consistently for the 70 years that it has been applied. Sending addicts to jail demonstrably does not work.
In contrast, we argue that treating those with substance addiction as suffering from a physical and mental illness will prove more effective. Treat addiction with health services and counselling - not jail.
Habitual users would receive the support they need. However, someone who is simply popping a pill on a Saturday night will receive little more than a slap on the wrist - essentially a fine like a parking fine. It is repeat and habitual users that are actually a problem - dabbling less so.
So yeah the contradiction that you initially thought you had perceived isn't there. We don't argue that it's fine to possess, just not to distribute. We argue that those who suffer from the illness of addiction are best assisted with health services, not jail time.
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