Tell us a bit about yourself —family, background, and why you’re running.

Migrating to Australia with his family in the late ‘80s, Eric Chan, the son of Southeast Asian immigrants is not a stranger to hard work and success. Together with his wife and son, Eric lives and works in the Ryde local government area. Founded on the Biblical vision of faith, family, life, and freedom, Eric is honoured and privileged to stand as a candidate for the seat of Bennelong, and to advocate for families, small to medium enterprises, and charities, to effect a change in government and marketplace culture, so that Australia returns to a just nation and that all may prosper. Eric believes that he has come to the Family First Party for such a time as this.

What’s your plan to help local families with the rising cost of living—especially around groceries, housing and childcare?

The call to action is clear, Eric will advocate for commonsense solutions to provide relief to the most vulnerable members of society. By providing children and the elderly, as well as individuals and families, a helping hand in their time of greatest need, Family First will make the community a better and stronger place for everyone. A rising tide lifts all ships. Having a lived experience in the housing crisis, Eric is passionate and will advocate for a suite of changes to be made to housing and housing-related policies, as each successive government have been challenged to implement housing that is affordable for working class and young families, as well as for the poor, the needy, the homeless, and the hungry, who live on or below the poverty line.

Family First will fight inflation by cutting red tape, reducing government expenditure, boosting gas and energy production, and releasing/rezoning land for housing. Encourage small and family businesses by reducing red and green tape. Encourage enterprise by reducing government regulation. Increase gas supply to drive industry and jobs. Use gas to avoid blackouts by firming electricity supply and to lower retail power prices. Unlock gas reserves by lifting restrictions on exploration. Keep coal-fired power stations open until there are viable and affordable alternatives that provide baseload electricity.

These plans have a positive cascading effect on the economy, benefitting communities and ordinary households with lower costs to groceries, housing, and childcare.

What will you do to improve access to healthcare services in our area, including bulk billing, mental health support, and specialist care for families?

Eric will fight for more urgent care clinics or after-hours medical centres, as the nearest hospitals can be some distance to travel, and wait times are long. A local urgent care clinic would take pressure off emergency departments and offer quick help for non-life-threatening issues. A mix of community action, advocacy, policy support, and partnerships. Some strategic and practical ideas include:

Bulk Billing:

• Support Existing Bulk Billing Clinics – Promote awareness of existing clinics that offer bulk billing. Encourage local GPs to continue bulk billing vulnerable populations, e.g. children, pensioners, concession card holders.
• Advocate for Incentives – Lobby for increased Medicare rebates or incentives for GPs to offer bulk billing in underserved areas.
• Attract New Providers – Partner with health networks to recruit GPs who bulk bill. Co-locate clinics within community hubs or local government buildings to reduce overheads for providers.

Mental Health Support:

• Local Mental Health Hub – Work with Primary Health Networks to establish or fund a mental health centre offering free or low-cost services. Integrate psychologists and counsellors into local GP practices or schools.
• Community-Led Initiatives – Host more mental health workshops, peer support groups, and awareness events at libraries, schools, or community centres.
• School-Based Support – Advocate for increased funding for in-school counsellors and mental health programs.
• Telehealth Expansion – Encourage more providers to offer mental health services via telehealth, which is particularly helpful for time-poor families or those without transport.

Specialist Care for Families:

• Outreach Clinics – Partner with major hospitals or specialists to set up rotating clinics in local GP super-clinics or community health centres.
• Transport Assistance – Work with local councils or not-for-profit charities to provide subsidised transport for families needing to attend specialist appointments.
• Allied Health Integration – Expand access to allied health professionals, e.g. speech therapy, OT, physio, by encouraging Medicare-subsidised team care arrangements.

What are your top 3 priorities for the Bennelong electorate if you’re elected?

• Faith – Encourage faith-based schools, hospitals, and charities to flourish and ensure they are free to practice according to their ethos. Protect freedom of speech and religion, legislate to protect the right of churches, schools, and charities to have the freedom to hire staff in accordance with their religious ethos.
• Family – Increase housing affordability by reducing red tape to free up supply and lower prices. Increase energy affordability and reliability by pausing net zero policies until a proper cost-benefit of the engineering and economics has been conducted. Exit the Paris climate accords.
• Life – Hold the unashamed pro-life position that life begins at conception and ends at natural death. Protect pain-capable unborn babies by banning late term abortions. Ensure medical care is rendered in cases where babies survive the abortion attempt on their lives. Support women practically so no woman is faced with no other choice but to take the life of her unborn baby.
• Freedom – Restore parents’ rights by making it an offence for teachers or social workers to hide from parents their child’s decision to change gender, as is encouraged by education departments like that in Victoria. Abolish anti-vilification and anti-discrimination law provisions, which restrict freedom of speech and religion.

What are your top 3 favourite local spots in the Bennelong area (e.g. cafes, parks, walks, playgrounds)? Bonus points for a hidden gem!

Having lived and worked in the Ryde local government area for about 8 years, one has become acquainted with the niceties and nuances of the Bennelong area. Eric is particularly fond of the Top Ryde City Shopping Centre, steeped in history spanning almost 7 decades. Eric is fond of the North Ryde RSL, having a rich history rooted in community service and support for veterans, and today, continuing to honour its legacy, as well as offering diverse programs and facilities for all ages, such as youth and sporting activities. Eric is also fond of the Lane Cove National Park, encompassing 670 hectares along the Lane Cove River, serving as a vital green space within metropolitan Sydney, offering recreational opportunities and preserving diverse ecosystems, including wet and dry sclerophyll forests, heathlands, mangroves, and tidal flats.

Website: Eric Chan – Family First Party Australia