What’s happening?
Senator Larissa Waters visited Mackay on Tuesday to launch the Dawson campaign of Greens candidate Paula Creen. The event marks the official start of Creen’s grassroots campaign for the upcoming federal election.
Why it matters?
Paula Creen aims to offer a bold alternative to the major parties. She is campaigning on urgent local issues—cost of living, housing affordability, and climate change. The Greens say their policies are people-first and not influenced by corporate donors.
Local Impact
Creen brings deep local knowledge, with 22 years living in Mackay and a career spanning 28 years in the local building industry. She has also contributed through volunteer roles with Mackay SES, Volunteer Marine Rescue, and conservation groups.
“I want to give people a positive alternative to the major parties, who have failed to address the cost of living, housing and climate crisis,” she said.
By the Numbers
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12 years – Creen volunteered with the Mackay SES and Volunteer Marine Rescue, towing stranded boats to safety.
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28 years – Her career as a designer and drafter in Mackay’s building industry reflects her long-standing ties to the region.
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0 corporate dollars – The Greens accept no corporate donations, claiming this ensures independent decision-making.
Zoom In
Creen’s campaign zeroes in on Dawson’s pressing issues. “The people of Dawson are in the grip of a cost of living crisis,” she said. “Soaring grocery prices, record high rents and mortgages, diminishing local job opportunities, and a climate emergency which is worsening every day.”
She criticised the major parties: “They are too beholden to the corporate donors who fund their campaigns.”
Creen outlined the Greens’ policy solutions:
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Cap rent increases
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Regulate banks to lower mortgage rates
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Scrap tax handouts to wealthy property investors
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Ban supermarket price gouging and break up Coles-Woolies duopoly
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Stop new coal and gas projects
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Invest in renewable energy jobs
“The Greens don’t take corporate donations. We will make big corporations pay their fair share in tax so we can fund dental and mental health into Medicare and make GP visits free,” she said.
Zoom Out
Senator Larissa Waters, who is running for re-election to the Senate, said, “We need people like Paula in Parliament who will represent the interests of everyday people, not the interests of corporations and billionaires as the major parties do.”
Waters said more Greens in Parliament means more pressure on Labor and a roadblock for Peter Dutton. “With a minority government, we can deliver dental and mental health into Medicare and take strong action on the housing and climate crisis,” she added.
What to look for next?
Watch for campaign events and public forums as Creen’s campaign builds momentum in Dawson. The Greens will aim to turn local concern into electoral gains, with eyes on securing more seats in a potential minority government.
