HEMP Party president Michael Balderstone of Nimbin was ejected prior to a campaign event featuring prime minister Malcolm Turnbull today.
Mr Balderstone had earlier confronted deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce asking why medical cannabis was not on the agenda of any political party this Federal election.
He wanted to then ask the prime minister what he thought of a letter he wrote at Christmas asking him to read a book, Chasing the Scream, which relates to the war on drugs.
Mr Balderstone, who is a senate candidate in Western Australia, and known locally as the unofficial mayor of Nimbin, had heard the PM was in town to spruik a $25 million package aimed to developing local jobs by bringing new industries to the north coast.
However, just minutes before Mr Turnbull arrived to tour the Macadamia Processing Factory at Alphadale, members of the NSW police protection unit confronted Mr Balderstone and ejected him from the property. They also took this reporter aside to check credentials.
Mr Balderstone told Echonetdaily that he wanted to point out to the prime minister that a medicinal cannabis and hemp industry had the potential to create up to 100,000 jobs throughout the region yet not one major party had even mentioned the topic during the election.
‘I come from the highest unemployment area in Australia, where in fact there are thousands of people earning an illegal, tax-free living from cannabis … why not tax and regulate the industry?’ he said.
He also wanted to know whether some interim measures could be put in place until the government sorted out international treaties preventing governments around the world from legalising cannabis.
But he never got to ask the question.
Instead, Mr Turnbull, surrounded by the nation’s media, announced a $25 million North Coast Jobs and Investment package that would be implemented if the coalition government was re-elected.
Mr Turnbull said the package focused on three areas … business innovation, infrastructure and training.
‘The $25 million will attract matched funding. It will partner with business, local government and state government to leverage that investment to create more opportunities and greater investment because we know that investment drives employment,’ he said.
Page MP Kevin Hogan welcomed the announcement.
‘The jobless rate in the Clarence Coffs area has fallen to 4.2 per cent – well below the NSW and national average (4.95 per cent and 5.5 per cent respectively),’ Mr Hogan said.
‘Since July almost 2,500 people in Page have found on-going work through the coalition’s Jobactive programme. But more still needs to be done.
‘I set up a local Job Strategy Group over six months ago to bring companies looking to expand to the North Coast. This package will certainly be an incentive for those businesses that have been thinking about making the move but aren’t ready to commit,” he said.
‘One of those companies that have shown a keen interest is Sydney-based Adaptapack Pty Ltd.
Adaptapack chief executive Katie Walls says with the right incentives, the Australian-owned robotics business could expand their operations to the north coast and create a substantial number of new, highly skilled jobs.
‘This is exactly the type of company we want to attract to our community,’ Mr Hogan said.
‘This package will not only create local jobs for local people, it will also create career opportunities for young people in our communities.
‘We already have a great university and TAFE sector that could provide local training for the high skilled workforce that a company like Adaptapack needs. This means lots of well-paying jobs for our community.
‘The regional jobs package is also great news for our existing innovative local businesses which can use it as an opportunity to expand, pursue export opportunities – and importantly create more jobs in our community,’ he said.
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