Allansford
resident Robert O’Brien has announced his candidacy as an Independent
for
Wannon in the upcoming Federal election.
Mr O’Brien
has previously stood as
an independent candidate in the 1998 and 2001 Federal and the 1999
Victorian
elections. He has made his decision after attending the Warrnambool
Standards
Candidate Forum.
“I’ve been
thinking hard about
whether to stand or not, especially as there are already four
Independent
candidates. I listened intently to the
candidates and asked a few questions but have decided that there are
very
important issues not addressed that need to be pushed into the light.
“Money was
raised tonight for Peters
Project, but no candidate sufficiently addressed the scourge that is
cancer.
There are many things that contribute to causing cancer, and many of
these can
be easily eliminated with no need for changes in lifestyle. Health care
is
important but it also important to prevent illness. Prevention is
better than a
cure.
“We all know
of the dangers of
smoking and are told in advertising about the numerous toxic and
cancerous
chemicals that are added to cigarettes simply to cause addiction, yet
no-one
has thought to simply ban these chemicals.”
Genetically
Modified Corn has
recently been approved for human consumption by the FSANZ (Food
Standards
Australia New Zealand) with no adequate safety testing.
Monsanto’s
Smartstax maize, likely
to be imported into Australia for use in a wide range of foods,
including baby
foods and infant formula, contains six genes to create toxins to kill
insects,
and two genes to prevent the plants from dying from the effects of
herbicides
and may prove as toxic to some people and animals as it is to insects.
“While tests
have shown that cancer
and sterility in future generations are a possibility with GM foods, no
serious
safety testing has been done to see what these genes will do in the
human
body.” said Mr O’Brien. “I’m sure no-one would like to see their future
grand-children born sterile because of something they ate.”
He continued
“I want to see all
Genetically Modified crops and foods banned or at the very least
independently
tested for safety by an agency with no ties to any GM interests, with
costs met
by the company seeking approval.
“If they
want to sell it here, they
can pay for complete long term safety testing. GM foods should not
enter
Australia unless there is a guarantee that none of the modifications
will cause
cancer, or other health problems over a long period from consumption in
a wide
range of foods. This guarantee can only come through thorough
independent
testing.”
Mr O’Brien
also called for safety
testing to be completed on many food additives already being used in
Australia
that have not been tested.
“If ALDI
Supermarkets can see that
it is good business to remove products containing such additives from
their
shelves, I think the government can prohibit their use until they have
been
proven safe for consumption. You want to know why people are getting
cancer at
increasing rates? Take a look at what we are eating.
“Too many lives are being lost to and affected by cancer.
He also
wants to see Kevin Rudds commitment to funding the Centre for
Understanding
China at Australian National University revoked, stating that “the $53
million
would be much better served providing an MRI unit in Warrnambool.”
See the
following:
Chemicals
in cigarettes:
Cigarettes
are poison - Cancer Council Queensland
Quit
smoking - Cancer Council Victoria