Meet Port Stephens state election candidate Jordan Jensen for The Greens

I run a cafe and a kitesurfing eco tourism company in Nelson Bay and am finishing my environmental science degree at the University of Newcastle so when our power, water and agricultural land is sold off to large companies profiting off our basic requirements to live, I feel it in the cost of running my businesses, the cost of studying and trying to better myself, and of course in just my general cost of living.

This firesale of Australian assets has to stop. I'm sick of the lie told to Australian people that this is "good economic management". I run a company, I want to deliver a good service but I also want to get more profit. There's nothing wrong with that because people can choose if they want to go on an eco tour or buy a coffee from my cafe. What I think is immoral is giving profit driven enterprises control over things people cannot choose to use or not like our electricity and our water. That is immoral and it has to stop.

I am a candidate for this election because we need change.

We need to stop the politicians who are selling off Australia to companies that only want to profit off us and make our lives more expensive.

We need to overhaul our education system and have it focus on providing kids life skills that are going to prepare them for the future.

We need a government that understands our housing crisis and our environmental crisis are linked. More floods, storms and fires means less houses and means this housing crisis gets worse. We need urgent action on future proofing ourselves to climate change and a dramatic change in how we provide housing.

We need to support our farmers to transition their farms to use practices which regenerate the land and improve our soils so the nutrients comes back to our food.

We need to solve our energy crisis by setting Australia up to be a pioneer in emerging energy clean technology so we can provide jobs, manufacturing opportunities and cheap electricity that won't impact future generations through destroying our environment.

Australians have been betrayed by politicians in the past. I want to be part of a new wave of people in government who care about Australians more than they care about their corporate donors.

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I am standing for The Greens because they have actually done research into their policies and they aren't influenced by donations from fossil fuel, gambling and other industries who want to buy themselves tax deductions (paid for by you) and favourtism.

We need The Greens' genuine commitment to ecologically sustainable development. We can have good development without major land clearing and habitat loss, and without trashing the character of local communities.

I would provide a much-needed small business owner's perspective, and would be part of holding the new Government accountable to actually tackle the challenges of climate change, housing affordability, corruption and to bring down the cost of living.

My priorities for Port Stephens are securing our energy future, fixing our housing crisis and supporting our local businesses and natural beauty by seriously addressing climate change

Tackling housing and homelessness

I will fight for greater investment in social housing and innovative approaches to increasing the range of genuinely affordable housing in existing built up areas. The Greens will immediately seek a rent freeze, get rents back under control and ensure that a new government bans unfair no grounds evictions.

Support for small businesses

Small business is the backbone of a healthy local economy. I have personal experience of the frustrating bureaucracy involved in starting and running small businesses.

The State Government and local councils could give significantly more support, including preference for local businesses in government contracts, and more training and incentives to meet local skills shortages by investing in local small businesses.

The Greens' commitment to support free public education, including TAFE, feeds directly into this small business agenda.

Seriously addressing climate change

We need a dramatic investment in retraining highly skilled Australians in the mining industries to be the pioneers of new renewable energy projects to provide jobs opportunities, stable electrical supply, and provide energy in a way which doesn't damage our agriculture, health, our our beautiful environment.

Any new State Government must speed up a transition out of fossil fuels, particularly for the Hunter Valley. This must include no more new coal or gas. Electrification of everything, powered by renewables and supported by battery and pumped hydro storage and a smarter grid, can provide the high quality jobs of the future.

Coastal management will be a major challenge for Port Stephens with its lengthy ocean and harbour frontages, particularly as sea level rises and storms become more frequent and more destructive due to climate change costing homes, costing businesses and costing Australians.

Our marine park, the source of a huge amount of our tourism money and local jobs, must be safeguarded. Any offshore wind farms or other developments should only go ahead if they are guaranteed to not be owned by another profit driven company so Australians actually benefit and when significant environmental concerns have been addressed so we know we aren't going to end up with version 2 of the kingfish farm fiasco.

An overall strategy is needed for managing sand mining and quarrying throughout Port Stephens, where the noise, traffic and environmental impacts of new and expanding sand mines and hard rock quarries has not been given sufficient consideration.

We need better public transport options to and from Newcastle and the airport to make weekend and day trips more accessible and stabilise our local economy outside of the summer peak season.