Local man stands for One Nation in NSW Upper House

Rod Roberts is Mark Latham's running mate and will be number two on the ticket.

Mr Roberts served in the NSW Police Force as a detective and a sergeant for almost 20 years.

It was his police work that first brought him to Goulburn and he has been living here since 1991. 

“I have lived in Goulburn for 28 years. I came to Goulburn to teach out at the Police College. I was based in Sydney prior to that. We loved it here so much we stayed,” Mr Roberts said.

After retiring from the police force, he also spent 10 years in local real estate. 

He said be joined One Nation because he believes the vast majority of the community are disenchanted with the two main parties and the party’s philosophy aligned with his own. 

"One Nations’ policies, platforms and philosophy align very closely with my own beliefs. Like many others I am disappointed and disenchanted with the two major parties,” Mr Roberts said. 

“I am frustrated at being lied to, having spin put on me and being disregarded. The average person in the street is not consulted about what governments do and the two main parties are too-Sydney centric.”

He has always been interested in politics, but he says he is just a common sense bloke who has had enough and wants to have a go. 

“Instead of sitting around and whinging about things, I thought I have to make a stand,” he said.

“I believe One Nation is the only strong and viable alternative. Being a small party One Nation is not restricted and bound, in policy by allegiances to donors, be it big corporate entities or trade unions.

“It is a party that represents everybody including the everyday mums and dads of NSW, which have recently been neglected by the major parties.

“One Nation policies are for the betterment of the state as a whole and we do not represent vocal minority groups. I believe One Nation provides a common sense, practical, logical and straightforward approach to everyday problems faced by the community of NSW."

“It is all about prioritising spending taxpayers money. Education is the basis for having more life choices. This leads to more quality of life, so we need to prioritise education and hospitals. This is our money but nobody listens to us about what we want to do with it. All across NSW these same problems are existing.” 

Regarding transport, Mr Roberts said the infrastructure has been left behind with population growth.

“People are now people commuting back to Sydney for work but the roads are getting congested. The train services are not providing the frequency that commuters need. The easiest way to ease traffic congestion is to provide more public transport,” he said. 

Mr Roberts said he was new to politics but that these are common sense ideas. 

“I’d like to go in with a positive attitude,” he said. 

“I have been listening to members of the community and they have been telling us they are looking for other options than the two parties and we are putting forward a common sense approach.”

He said a local issue he was concerned about was the issue of trains containing Sydney’s waste stopping in Tarago. 

“We know there is waste leaking out of those trains and there is a stench in town - we don't want residents to suffer.”