Carl Kendall has some big ideas for a smaller Australia.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
As the Sustain Australia Party candidate for the seat of Murray, Mr Kendall wants to keep Australia's population small by reducing immigration.
As the country's population booms towards 25 million, Mr Kendall is alarmed at the prospect of overcrowded cities and dwindling resources.
While it may be a bigger problem for metropolitan cities, Mr Kendall believes that it's something that Griffith residents should also be worried about.
He claims that smaller houses, soaring rent, slow wage growth, and rising living costs in Griffith can all be linked to a ballooning population.
His believes that a smaller population and an end to "unchecked overdevelopment" will herald the return of the good old days, back when things were simpler.
"I would like all Murray residents to once again be able to enjoy enough backyard space for our kids to kick a football, to grow our own veggies, to have a shed for making the homemade salami, passata, and keep alive the other family and cultural traditions that enrich our lives." he said.
Another one of his election platforms would be fixing the Murray's contaminated water - something that worries him as a former scientist of disease epidemiology.
"Many Griffith locals have expressed to me their concerns about not only having adequate water, but also the quality of the water we have now," he said.
"They demand more answers on whether exposure to contaminants is linked to the prevalence of chronic diseases."
He knows he has an uphill battle ahead of him if he wants to become the Member for Murray, given its small presence in regional areas.
He was "amazed" at how few people had even heard of Sustainable Australia Party, which is why he has stepped up as a candidate to get their ideas out there.
He's convinced the ideas are strong enough to stand by themselves, and they just need some exposure to win voters.
That's what happened to him 18 months ago when he was inspired to join the party after reading their "excellent common sense" policies.
He'll be hoping to spread those policies as far as he can before voters head to the polls on March 23.
***
All readers are able to sign up for our breaking news updates, while subscribers to The Observer will have exclusive access to our weekly editor's wrap newsletter. Sign up here.