Greens candidate running for Div 5

From left, Tracy Burton, Zeitha Jalamala and Senator Larissa Waters at the Maleny Community Centre launch.

Greens candidate Tracy Burton has launched her campaign for Division 5 Sunshine Coast Council in the local government elections due on March 16, 2024.

“I have declared my candidacy six months ahead of the poll because I intend to engage with all communities across the division to gauge their most pressing concerns before polling day, next year,” Ms Burton said.

Ms Burton said her policy was underpinned by four main areas: easing the housing crisis, acting on climate change, stopping inappropriate development and improving community engagement (EASI).

Greater access to public transport across the division and elimination of invasive plant and animal species were also on her agenda for early attention.

“Just this week, a new report shows that the greatest threat to biodiversity loss is invasive species, with the loss of mammals in Australia being the highest for any continent in the world. And council can really act in this space to stop the decline."

Ms Burton, 50, is a former high school teacher of 20 years with two children and now works in the community sector.

She told supporters at the Maleny Community Centre recently that the Sunshine Coast, along with the rest of the country, was facing a “deeply challenging” future where “a flexible, solution-focused approach to issues is needed more than ever”.

“But we need to be both careful and clever in how we do that,” she said. “For example, we desperately need more housing options but at the same time, we cannot sacrifice what remains of the area’s natural environment to make way for dwellings.

“By working closely with communities and council, we can identify buildings which can be converted to public housing and land that can be used for quick development of small dwellings. Temporary approval of additional small dwellings on semi-rural and rural land and regulations around short-term stay accommodation are also worth revising.”

The Division 5 candidate and her team will hold a series of “pop-up chat sessions” in the coming months. Div 5 is based around Maleny, Conondale, Palmwoods, Montville, Eudlo, Mooloolah and Woombye.