DENNIS Hood says he ventured into politics because he was excited and interested about the influence it had over people's everyday lives. The Family First Legislative Council incumbent has an honours degree in economics and politics. He believes politics is the "centre of decision-making" for all the big issues of society. "I think that as a society we've made some mistakes along the way and I'm keen to do what I can to improve the situation," he said. The number one issue for Hood is the cost of living and he believes it is "absolutely out of control" - utility prices in particular. "The other thing is affordable housing," he said. He wants sufficient land to be released in appropriate areas and costs removed from the building industry. "The other issue for Family First is the law and order agenda," Hood said. "We believe governments from both sides have been too soft on that for too long."