Riverina Greens candidate Pheonix Valxori (centre) was joined by Councillor Jenny McKinnon (second from left) and federal senator Mehreen Faruqi for the launch of the Greens’ local campaign this week. Photo: Jarryd Rowley.
With just over two weeks to the federal election, Riverina Greens candidate Pheonix Valxori has outlined their plans for what government should tackle in the upcoming term.
The 20-year-old, who uses the pronouns they/them, has lived in Wagga Wagga since 2017 and was drawn to the party after living through what they saw as failings from current and former Liberal and Labor governments.
At a press conference last week, they highlighted the cost of living, corporations avoiding tax and securing a lease for the Wagga Airport as key issues.
“As someone on Centrelink, I pay more tax than a third of corporations,” they claimed.
“That doesn’t make any sense. Why am I paying more tax than a corporation with billions of dollars?”
Phoenix may have been referring to the Australian Taxation Office’s annual corporate tax transparency report, released in November 2024, which indicated that 31 per cent of the largest corporations operating in Australia are not paying taxes in this country. This could be due to the companies receiving tax deductions; incurring losses rather than making a profit or paying tax in an overseas country in which the business is registered.
Centrelink recipients do not pay income tax but do pay GST on products they purchase.
Phoenix said people in their position were doing it tough as the cost of living rises.
“I’m obviously a young person, and we are often the demographic is ignored most, and I’m also a disabled person on Centrelink. We’re all aware that Centrelink is not enough to cover most things; it’s basically poverty.
“I’ve spent the last nine years of my life in poverty, and I think that is a really good perspective to have because most politicians come from middle to upper-class families and haven’t had to do it tough.
“I’ve been homeless multiple times in my life, not for lack of trying. Through my experiences, I know the challenges that disabled people earning less than the minimum wage can face.”
Asked about the most important issues facing the people of the Riverina, Pheonix expressed their concern about the treatment of farmers in the region.
“I think that we need to make sure there’s proper relief for farmers,” they said.
“We need to make sure when times get tough, they have somewhere to go and a way to recuperate any loss.”
Pheonix also weighed into the debate about Wagga Airport.
“I think our biggest priority right now, instead of upgrading it, should be making sure that the Riverina owns the lease,” they said.
“At the moment, it’s owned by the Defence Force, and we get it leased out to us at a loss. If Qantas or one of the superannuation funds buys it out, then it’s going to be running at commercial prices that Wagga locals aren’t going to be able to afford.
“So many businesses are dependent on that airport, so I think our priority should be buying it if it goes up for sale, then upgrading it, because there’s no point upgrading it if we’re not going to own it within, like, six months.”
The federal election is on 3 May, with early voting beginning today (22 April).
