Independent candidate in the Griffith by-election, Karel Boele, comes across as accomplished, considered and energetic. He has studied mechatronics, physics, and strategic affairs. He has managed large financial projects in South East Asia, and he currently runs a business which provides advice on participatory democracy and on complementary currencies such as Time banking.
Among his clients is the NSW Government Department of Education and Communities, to which his company provides software and support for a time banking project in the Central Coast and Hunter Valley regions.
He told No Fibs that he is in politics for the long haul. While he is standing as an independent in this election, he aims is to get enough people signed-up to enable him to register his PeopleDecide (PD) participatory democracy party. Once registered he plans to stand candidates for the senate in the next federal election and in some electorates, such as Griffith.
Mr Boele has been pounding the pavements and door-knocking around Carina over the past week and said he has had a very pleasing response from voters.
The idea of PeopleDecide, Mr Boele said, is to set up a voting platform that allows people to vote on laws in real-time through the phone or computer. Under this model, he said, “if 10 per cent of Griffith votes with a clear majority, then I am contracted to vote with the people.”
This form of representation works best, Mr Boele said, where there are already clearly established community positions. For example, he told No Fibs that under a participatory democracy model, same-sex marriage and euthanasia would be law already, because a clear majority of Australians support these changes.
He supports “needs-based education funding and an effective solution to climate instability, for example an ETS, and a no offshore processing by Australia policy for refugees.”
Mr Boele has an open ticket when it comes to preferences, encouraging voters to select him as number one, and whomever they like after that.
Mr Boele has a Facebook site, a website and tweets using the handle @peopledecided.
– See more at: http://nofibs.com.au/2014/01/31/independents-pirates-bullet-train-new-faces-griffithvotes-griffithelects-reports/#sthash.SbciJKU8.dpuf