The Socialist Alliance Queensland released the statement below on February 24.
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Former Labor Party candidate Jason Briskey has been endorsed to run for the Socialist Alliance in the northern Queensland seat of Dalrymple. Briskey, 28, a devoted sole parent to daughter Shakira, 9, works at RB Communications in the main street of Charters Towers.
A long-term Charters Towers resident, Jason's family has had strong ties with the area for more than 90 years. Jason is a committed worker for his local community.
Briskey has a strong political background. Having been involved in every state and federal election since the age of 14, Briskey has been an ALP branch president and the ALP candidate for the area in the last state election. Briskey has also attended state conferences and a youth parliament.
Briskey said: “In the light of the leadership turmoil in the federal Labor Party, and the well-deserved unpopularity of the Queensland ALP government, especially after it sold off the bulk of the state’'s public assets, it is high time to seek a new direction for the labour movement in Australia.
“Socialist Alliance stands for a government genuinely accountable to the people, and an end to corporate domination of the political process. Changing from a Bligh ALP state government to a Liberal National Party administration led by Campbell Newman is merely going from the frying pan into the fire. We need to change direction completely.
“This means taking back the people’s assets and renationalising QR [Queensland Rail] National, Energex and other privatised state assets, under workers' and public control.
“It means re-establishing a state-owned insurance company to take on the greedy private insurance corporations. And it means setting up a new Queensland State Bank to provide low-interest loans to householders, farmers and small business. Stop the private banks ripping off the community.
“These are the kinds of policies I and Socialist Alliance will be advancing in the March 24 Queensland election, and into the future.”
[For more information on Jason Briskey and the Socialist Alliance campaign, phone 0437 888 939, or Jim on 0423 741 734. Email Jason at briskey@briskey.com.au. Visit: http://socialistalliance-brisbane.org.au.]
