Nationals announce their election candidate for Barker
The Coorong council's deputy major has been named a candidate for Barker at the 2025 federal election.
A Tintinara farmer, husband and father of four will run for the National Party in Barker at the upcoming federal election.
Jonathan Pietzsch, also the Deputy Mayor of the Coorong District Council, says he will advocate for localised regional health services.
Mr Pietzsch is also interested in looking at ways to address the regional housing crisis and finding pathways to increase the supply of skilled workers in regional areas.
Regional growth and development is a priority, as he wants to build a legacy for his children that enables them to live, work and raise a family in regionally without being disadvantaged by distance.
"There needs to be a focus by government on greater diversification and localised resourcing of the communities in Barker," he said.
Mr Pietzsch is concerned about the cost of living crisis affecting regional SA, compounded by the impact of drought.
He supports practical measures to bring about change: lowering inflation, real wage growth and the breakup of the supermarket duopoly in Australia.
"The majority of Barker is suffering on the back of the driest 18 months on record, in the next 12 months it will not just be farming families that have to recover; the allied and supporting industries that supply primary producers will be feeling the pinch," he said.
Mr Pietzsch joined the Nationals 20 years ago, believing that the party was best suited to representing regional Australia
He has run for the party before, in the 2022 federal election, when he advocated for health funding, solving the housing crisis and increasing the supply of workers in the region.
He will be up against Liberal MP Tony Pasin and small business owner Cody Scholes, who recently announced he will run as an independent.
- More information: www.sanationals.org.au/jonathan-pietzsch.
Correction: Mr Pietzsch is a father of four, not three.
