Meet the recently announced federal Labor candidate for the Forde electorate, including parts of Logan City. He lives in Beenleigh, where his family moved to over 150 years ago, and thinks the area ‘needs a fresh approach’.
Rowan Holzberger has a business background and said his kids go to school locally at Beenleigh.
“Beenleigh and the Forde electorate has always been a part of my story and my families,” Mr Holzberger said.
“I talk to people everyday in the community.
“They’re all hard workers who are struggling to get ahead, who are worried about their jobs, mums and dads with little kids who find it difficult to find anywhere to rent let alone dreaming of buying a house, older people that are terrified of going into aged care, and we’ve got a prime minister who’s not taking responsibility for any of it.
“It’s always someone else’s fault.”
Mr Holzberger said he wants to help locals with these issues.
“The commitments that Anthony Albanese has made around bringing manufacturing back to Australia, cheaper child care, and affordable housing – these things will have a massively positive impact for communities like Forde,” he said.
Mr Holzberger said he used to run a construction company in Beenleigh over 15 years ago.
“I’ve been really connected to the local community for a long time,” he said.
Mr Holzberger said he believes the Forde electorate is one of the most beautiful and diverse regions in Queensland.
“I’m very much a fresh water person and I grew up around fresh water so to me the Logan and Albert River is just magical,” he said.
“I think that really its so central to the rest of south-east Queensland and we’ve go so much here.
“The school that my child goes to, Beenleigh High, is a magnificent school and I think the schools around here are fantastic.
“In many ways we’ve got the best of everything here. But it can be better and we need a fresh approach and some vision to deliver on what this area could be.”
Read Bert van Manen’s reaction here.
