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Profile

David Pollard

Australian Capital Territory (ACT) | David Pollard Independent

Electorate: Yerrabi

Residence: Crace

Profession: Software Engineer

Current political position(s): Independent Candidate

Select gender: Male

Year of birth: 1982

Statement:

A locally focussed Independent can bring attention to local issues that are neglected by the major parties, while adding scrutiny to Canberra-wide issues. As an Independent, David will be influencing how policies are made, regardless of what that policy is. He values evidence-based policy and strong community engagement. Integrity is a cornerstone of David’s personal and professional life, and his campaign. He values honesty and transparency, and hopes to restore trust in local government.

smartspider

Questionnaire

David Pollard

The smartspider is a graphical visualisation of the political profiles of the candidates and users based on their answers to the questionnaire. Each of the 6 axes represents a formulated goal in a policy area (e.g. Welfare state, Law & order etc.) based on at least three questions from the questionnaire. A few questions have been assigned to multiple axes and some questions have not been assigned to any axis. For each axis a value of between 100 and 0 points can be reached. A value of 100, at the outside edge of the spider, represents strong agreement with the formulated goal of the corresponding axis. A value of 0, in the centre of the spider, means that there is no agreement with the formulated goal. The more similar the political profiles of a candidate and user are, the more their smartspiders will overlap. For more information on the smartspider and which questions are assigned with which axes, see the methodology page.

David Pollard

1. Should the government release more land to build houses in the ACT?

One factor in housing affordability is supply VS demand. The government maintains a particular level of supply for projected demand. I believe this ratio is off and needs to be adjusted in favour of supply. There are also other ways to increase supply in relation to demand such as micro-densification near local amenities.

Definitely yes

Mostly yes

Mostly no

Definitely no

2. Should Stage 2 of Canberra's light rail system commence as soon as possible?

I support a Canberra-wide Light Rail network if "as soon as possible" does not mean "at any cost". Two major factors have changed since the decision for stage 2 was made. Firstly, the ACT Government expected a Federal Labor Party victory in 2019 and a more cooperative Federal Government to work on NCA land. Secondly, COVID-19 has drastically changed what public transport use in Canberra looks like. Neither of these should stop the Light Rail roll out, but they are reasons to reflect.

3. Is it necessary to relax heritage protections of buildings to promote development in the ACT?

We need to strengthen our heritage and indigenous protection and enshrine them in our planning legislation. Currently, heritage and indigenous protections are often an afterthought, as demonstrated by the Doma Group's Foothills development at the base of Mount Ainslie. We can still develop Canberra while protecting our heritage.

4. Should landlords be prohibited from evicting a tenant without cause?

I strongly believe in the tenant's rights and believe that their rental is their home. I also see circumstances where a landlord should have the right to end a tenancy in accordance with the law. 26 weeks' notice to evict without cause, being the longest notice period in Australia, seems a fair compromise between tenant and landlord rights. I do not support evictions in retaliation for tenants exercising their rights, such as raising maintenance issues.

5. Do you think increasing the ACT's population is needed for our economic growth?

I have no problem with ACT's population growing in a sustainable way. I do not think we need to rely on the population for our economic growth. When we do have population growth, we should certainly leverage it to grow the economy too, but it should not be a driving factor. Canberra is an intelligent and educated population. We should be able to grow our information and knowledge-based economy. We should always aim to develop within our means, especially when considering our environment.

6. Should childcare be free for parents regardless of their income?

Childcare should be an affordable choice for all parents, but the keyword is "choice". I believe it should also be an affordable choice to have a stay-at-home parent, but this is not currently the case for most families. Flexible working arrangements for all parents (and indeed, all people), is also a desirable way to reduce childcare obligations and costs.

Definitely yes

Mostly yes

Mostly no

Definitely no

7. Do you think the ACT Government should have prohibited the Black Lives Matter public demonstrations during the COVID-19 pandemic?

The right to protest is essential to democracy and should never be threatened. The same goes for the right to a trial by jury, which was temporarily removed during the pandemic. I support prohibiting *actions* at a protest that are deemed unsafe from a health perspective during a pandemic, but not prohibiting the protest itself. Actions such as not maintaining social distancing or not wearing masks are fine to prohibit to ensure public safety. We must fiercely protect all parts of democracy.

8. Should there be tighter regulations of pokie machines?

I support the freedom for adults to make their own choices, and I always look for an alternative to prohibition for anything. That said, pokie machines still take too much money from problem gamblers. The vulnerable in our communities deserve protection. I know that Community Clubs share my concern for protecting problem gamblers. They would not get in the way of reasonable approaches that reduce gambling harm, while still allowing the freedom for most people to make their own choices.

9. Should the ACT Government close schools with low enrolments?

It has been suggested that schools with low enrolments are not delivering adequate educational outcomes for their students. This is often not the fault of the school or teachers, but simply a reality of the situation. If a school is facing low enrolments to the point it is impacting the level of education, I support a planned approach to temporarily transform the school into a different facility. The facility should always be available to return to use as a school should it be needed.

10. Do you support the replacement of the stamp duty with higher rates?

While I support the stamp duty reform in principle, the policy is having unfair and (hopefully) unintended consequences. When older Canberrans are being forced out of their family home due to land value inflation, that is a problem. I would like to review the reform at this point just beyond halfway, and make sure we are not unintentionally hurting any demographics in particular.

Definitely yes

Mostly yes

Mostly no

Definitely no

11. Should unemployment benefits be reduced to their pre-COVID-19 pandemic level, once the crisis is over?

I call on the Federal government to learn the lesson COVID has offered and increase unemployment benefits to ensure our unemployed are not living in poverty. It is expensive to live in poverty, and if people are going to pull themselves out of that situation, they need our support to build the right foundation.

12. Is reducing government debt currently the most important economic issue facing the ACT?

We have more pressing issues than reducing government debt at the moment, including protecting the environment and modernising our economy in a post-COVID world. That said, there are clear examples of wasteful government spending, which we need to reduce. We should always look to live within our means, both financially and environmentally, even though often these are at odds.

13. Do you think that a high number of job losses is acceptable if it can protect public health?

As long as we have adequate protections and supports in place for people and businesses affected by COVID, public health should be the top priority. We cannot afford to forget those impacted when we eventually move to a post-pandemic time.

14. Should property developers be allowed to donate to political parties and candidates?

Above all else, money in politics should be completely transparent. Any rules put in place such as banning certain interest groups is akin to shutting the barn door after the horse has bolted. Accordingly, we need to tools to understand what that money means rather than relying on an arms race of rules and workarounds.

Definitely yes

Mostly yes

Mostly no

Definitely no

15. Should elected politicians delegate more decision-making powers to chief health officers during public health crises?

It should be down to an elected politician to make and be accountable for these decisions. Politicians should hopefully consider all the evidence laid out before them before they do make any decisions. They should not be passing the buck to an unelected public servant on such a serious issue.

16. Should the ACT Integrity Commissioner have oversight over ACT Policing?

I support strong and suitable oversight for ACT Policing. I believe this is provided by the Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity and does not need doubling up. The ACT Integrity Commission is under-resourced to complete their current caseload. If they were to also oversee ACT Policing, they would need significantly upgraded funding and support.

17. Do you think there should be more limitations on the ACT government's ability to deploy mandatory lockdowns in response to public health threats?

When a government is considering any mandatory action/restriction, there should be strong protections in place to prevent overreach. At worst, protections to wind overreach back with sunset clauses, etc, is needed. Transparency, accountability, and mutual trust are important measurements when considering the government's ability to impact our personal freedoms. ACT residents acted in exemplary fashion during the pandemic, and the actions required from the government reflected that.

18. Do you think that women should readily be able to obtain an abortion if they request one?

Yes.

Definitely yes

Mostly yes

Mostly no

Definitely no

19. Should churches have the right to refuse to administer same-sex marriages?

I strongly support same-sex marriage. Religious organisations should have the right to refuse to administer a sacrament outside their belief system. This is a type of freedom of expression. Other freedom of expression includes supporting or condemning a religious organisation for taking a stand either way on this matter.

20. Do you think that terminally ill patients should be able to end their lives with medical assistance?

I support voluntary euthanasia with strong protections in place to protect the vulnerable. It is a complicated issue, but one we are capable of figuring out. Further, I support the right of the ACT to legislate on this issue without interference.

21. Should pill testing at music festivals be prohibited in the ACT?

I support evidence-based harm minimisation and well-researched drug reform.

22. Should the ACT government accept Commonwealth funding for Christian chaplains in public schools?

I believe in the separation of church and state, and believe trained psychologists to be an appropriate choice for in-school support. Religious support can be obtained through a child's religious community. That said, public schools in Canberra do facilitate religious education, so there is possibly room to also facilitate religious counselling. If that counselling is restricted to a single faith, it is not inclusive by definition, which is not something I support.

23. Should there be more car-free areas in the ACT?

Car-free days once or twice a year sound like an excellent form of disruption to get people to consider alternate options for commuting to work by car. If it is only once or twice a year, that is a manageable frequency. Appropriate supports will need to be in place to support all of Canberra, including the vulnerable.

Definitely yes

Mostly yes

Mostly no

Definitely no

24. Should the ACT relax its net zero carbon emissions target?

25. Are the worsening bushfire seasons a direct result of human-induced climate change?

I support evidence-based policy, and science. I accept human-induced climate change.

26. Should people who break the law be given stiffer sentences?

Sentences should have an element of justice for the victim, but the aim should always be rehabilitation. Mandatory sentencing is not compatible with this.

Definitely yes

Mostly yes

Mostly no

Definitely no

27. Should the recreational use of marijuana by adults be a criminal offence?

The war on drugs has failed. I support evidence-based harm minimisation, and an adult's freedom to choose what they do when it is not hurting anyone else. When actions do hurt others, either friend, family, or society, then those actions are a problem and need to be addressed.

28. Do you think Indigenous Australians who break the law should be offered alternative sentencing?

29. Should public expenditure on policing be increased or decreased? (Remember “more” could result in a tax increase and “less” could result in fewer services.)

I support adequate resourcing for police, which will require an increase in funding in Gungahlin, including a new Police Station. I also support strong social programs such as the PCYC, which helps prevent young people from offending and ending up in youth detention. With decent funding allocated to prevention, less needs to be spent on enforcement.

Much less

Somewhat less

Same

Somewhat more

Much more

30. Should public expenditure on multicultural and inclusion programs be increased or decreased? (Remember “more” could result in a tax increase and “less” could result in fewer services.)

Without itemising spending on multicultural and inclusion programs, it is difficult to know what to do with funding. The question is asking if we want to spend more, less, or the same, but cannot give a benchmark. I support the framework goals that we have and would like to see them furthered. As such, I have indicated "somewhat more", however, I would need to review actual spending and proposals for more spending to determine value.

31. Should public expenditure on roads be increased or decreased? (Remember “more” could result in a tax increase and “less” could result in fewer services.)

I do not believe we have the balance right for building new roads infrastructure. I believe we should lower the modelling thresholds for when to build a 2-lane road vs a 1-lane road and coming back later to duplicate it. I believe there are financial savings to be found by making road development a more community-engaged process. We should be able to figure out our needs correctly the first time.

32. Should public expenditure on public housing be increased or decreased? (Remember “more” could result in a tax increase and “less” could result in fewer services.)

As well as increased spending, the government needs to spend our money in this area more efficiently. New public and social housing can sit empty for months or years, not providing any benefit to society, but costing ratepayers.