Carlo Di Falco was sitting beside the Arthur Highway with a coffee when he took the call. It was the only spot he could get decent phone reception. That moment reflects the reality he wants to change as a representative for the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party.
Di Falco’s concerns extend across rural Tasmania, where basic services are out of reach and infrastructure lags far behind urban areas. “Why do people from the rural areas have to travel or rely on the goodwill of your next door neighbour to do something as basic as changing a wound dressing,” he says. “They’ve got to probably drive an hour and a half, two hours.” He sees the slow erosion of rural services, from health care to bank branches, and aims to do more for regional Tasmania.
Letter to the Editor
Much of his frustration is focused on the proposed stadium at Macquarie Point. “Some people are one-eyed footy supporters and they want the stadium,” he says. “You won’t convince them otherwise.” But he questions whether the billion dollar price tag is justified. “Every working family has to stump up $5,900 dollars a year in taxation,” he says. “Would you be prepared to pay $5,900 dollars a year for a family ticket?”
He believes that money could be better spent elsewhere, particularly on energy infrastructure. “To my mind the best use of that money would be to increase the amount of hydro storage and perhaps create more hydro dams,” he says. “Create energy, attract all the industries that increased energy will bring us.”
“If we can generate more wealth, that’s the way to go,” he says. “Because if you’ve got enough, fund it from government coffers. But I think they’ve got it back to front at the moment.”
Di Falco’s political path is far from conventional. “I was a blue collar worker and I know as well as anybody else how the battlers are struggling to get by,” he says. “I’m not a professional politician. I haven’t gone up through the ranks.” He had no public profile and ran from scratch, but now proudly displays three political cartoons featuring him on his office wall.
The North Coast Post: BSB 633 000 · Account number: 2366 8 9535
The adjustment to parliamentary life has not been without challenges. “Some of this stuff’s just going over my head,” he says with honesty. “I’m probably outside of my comfort zone.” Yet he is quick to credit the support he has received from colleagues across the chamber.
His focus remains firmly on local communities. He advocates for more support for men’s sheds and youth hubs to tackle what he calls a loneliness epidemic. “I never realised that even the young people are isolated,” he says. “Youth hubs could break through that.” Di Falco has had discussions with community houses including Deloraine House, and he supports their push for more funding.
In his spare time, which he admits is now limited, Di Falco enjoys fishing and shooting – not just for the activity but for the social connection. “It’s just good. You talk to so many people, you interact,” he says. “That’s what we need to do more of.”
He worries about declining support for inland fisheries and the loss of forestry services, warning that shutting down the industry also removes access to critical heavy machinery needed during bushfires. “You really need those dozers to push in fire breaks”.
As the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party gains more traction, Di Falco believes the political landscape is starting to shift. “I think people are finally getting sick of the duopoly,” he says. “The more diverse voices you get in there, the better it is for democracy.”
