Canning Liberal candidate Andrew Hastie said infrastructure, crime, small business and mobile black spots had stood out to him as issues for Canning residents.
He had already spoken to a number of people in the area and would speak to many more before the by-election on September 19.
Mr Hastie had met Minister for Transport Dean Nalder at Denny Avenue, Member for Darling Range Tony Simpson about extending Tonkin Highway and the City of Armadale about extending and upgrading Armadale Road.
“I feel I am building the mosaic, as they say, there are a lot of issues, it is a large electorate, there are coastal, rural, urban areas and manufacturing but I am starting to get a good understanding and I am looking forward to working with the people of Canning if I am elected,” he said.
Mr Hastie had experienced first hand mobile black spots in Byford and at his new home in Mandurah so would take that up as an issue with Federal Minister for Communications Malcolm Turnbull.
He said he would also like to tackle the impact of ice addiction with one business owner telling him he was losing the equivalent of a week’s wages per week from store theft allegedly by ice addicts.
“In the background in every conversation when we talk about crime it’s the scourge of ice,” he said.
“Further south in Pinjarra, they are affected by ice, Mandurah has a huge problem with it as well and it is something I want to bring a coordinated approach to.
“I guess I would say whatever the issue, whether it is local, state or federal, I will take it up and have a go for the people of Canning.”
Mr Hastie, a former SAS captain who served in Afghanistan and the Middle East, was not sure what other candidates were up to as he had been too busy.
“One thing I can say is I will always listen and I will always work to get a solution because where I come from mission failure is not an option, you have to get the job done,” he said.
He understood well how small things made a big difference.
“There is a story which I love and I don’t want to talk about Afghanistan too much but we were up in the hills in this little village, a lot of Afghanis are subsistence farmers and their tractor was bogged,” he said.
“The village came up to me and said hey can we use your trucks to drag the tractor out so I said yeah no worries.
“We drag the tractor out and they paid me with a handful of seeds, it just shows the little things can make a difference.
“No matter how small the issue, it matters that you do something. Like the story at Don’s (Randall) funeral of him trimming the roses for a lady every year and always having secateurs in the back of his car, that is the personal touch that is very admiral.”
