NORTHERN TERRITORY
The Northern Territory is a unique place and faces unique problems when it comes to running a successful election campaign. The huge distances between polling stations and limited resources means it is impossible to have a Greens presence at most polls. The Northern Territory office of the AEC recently stressed the importance of encouraging people to register and cast their vote to all NT political parties planning to run candidates in the 2013 federal election. 1 in 5 people do not vote or lodge invalid ballots in Australia. The statistics are 2 in 5 in the Northern Territory. In remote areas there is only a 50% participation rate and the demographic with the lowest enrollment is the 18 and 25 age bracket. The AEC stated the main reason being that ‘there is a belief amongst this group that registering to vote will affect people’s privacy and that they will no longer be anonymous’. This is a serious problem in The Northern Territory as the Aboriginal population is constantly undermined by aggressive, intrusive policies and governments that use Aboriginal issues as a political tool to gain votes. The Aboriginal community is a substantial population and could have a large political influence if the rate of lodging a valid vote was increased. The Northern Territory Office of the AEC will have polls open for longer periods in remote areas this year in the hope of being accessible to more voters. The AEC has also stressed the need for parties to travel with translators as English is often spoken as a second or even third language by many people. The Northern Territory Greens are working to have a presence at larger polling stations where there are more than a thousand registered voters. We will be relying on Greens supporters and members of the community, as the majority of places are only accessible by light aircraft or four-wheel drive.
NICHOLAS GOULDHURST ACTING NT CONVENOR
QUEENSLAND
The Queensland Greens are raring to go in the lead up to the federal election, whoever the Labor leader is. We’ve got our full Senate ticket and almost all our House of Representatives candidates in place. We’ve had some great fundraisers – which were fun as well as raised some nice amounts of cash. We’ve got candidates and campaigners at rallies, stalls, street corners, markets and more across large areas of our very large state. And we’re building up our database of volunteers for the months to come. With Bob Katter’s party polling well and Clive Palmer’s travelling circus grabbing the attention of the mainstream media, it is challenging to get regular media coverage. We’re trying hard at that of course, but also exploring every other way to get our message out. At the 2010 federal election, Labor only just managed to get two quotas in the Senate contest. With their vote likely to drop, there is no certainty that Labor will even hold two of the three seats they have up for reelection this time. Queensland is as big a battleground state as any other in the country when it comes to trying to stop the LNP and the far right fringe gaining control of the Senate. It was the state which most recently delivered 4 out of the 6 seats to the conservatives – back in 2004 – and there is a very real chance of it happening again in 2013. The Greens are the key party standing in the way of that in Queensland, and as in 2004, it could be the state that makes the difference in delivering control of the Senate to the conservatives. I’d like to personally thank all the candidates and campaigners for all the work they have done to date and the time and money they have already contributed, the branch office bearers, and my colleagues on the state Management Committee. We are now entering into the final stretch and the outcome will quite literally shape the future – so no pressure, but please look at ways you can help and any friends, family and acquaintances you can recruit to the cause as well. See you on the hustings.
ANDREW BARTLETT QLD CONVENOR
NT GREENS PO Box 421 Nightcliff NT 0814 Ph: 0402 617 416 convenor@nt.greens.org.au www.nt.greens.org.au
QUEENSLAND GREENS PO Box 661, Albion BC, 4010 Ph: 07 3173 1127 office@qld.greens.org.au www.qld.greens.org.au
SOUTH AUSTRALIA
As Greens candidate for Adelaide, I’m speaking at a Make Poverty History Forum in the next few weeks – one of many similar forums around the country. Make poverty history. If we are judged by the poorest in our society, then how will we be judged? Selfish? Greedy? Self-centered? One of the United Nations Millenium Development goals seeks to halve the rate of poverty in the world by 2015. What do we spend on overseas aid? The Labor government has reneged on its previous promise of increasing aid to 0.5% (about 7.6 billion) of Gross National Income by 2015. Instead, the government has deferred the commitment to 20172018, a saving of $1.9 billion. Is this enough when the government expects to spend about $2 billion a year for the next four years intercepting asylum seekers? Will the funds reach those that need it? Or will it go to Australian contractors overseas or to asylum seeker ‘services’? In this year’s budget, Australia will use foreign aid funding to care for asylum seekers on Australian soil to a maximum of $375 million a year. Abbott’s opposition also reneged on increasing aid to 0.5% of Gross National Income by 2015. It has committed to dedicating 0.5% of the budget to overseas aid, but has not detailed when that target will be achieved. Voters need an alternative to an Abbott government. And The Labor party is floundering. The Greens provide the alternative. Greens policy promises to increase overseas aid to a minimum of 0.7% (or about $10.64 billion) of Gross National Income phased in over time with additional increases when there is disaster. Why don’t we do enough for those who have nothing? Do we lack moral fortitude? By doing nothing, or not enough, are we not just letting people starve but also starving people? Are we acting in the same manner as those German citizens who didn’t ‘know’ of the final solution? Those Germans would be punished if they didn’t obey. What’s our excuse? Make poverty history.
RUTH BEACH SA STATE CONVENOR
SOUTH AUSTRALIAN GREENS 239 Wright Street Adelaide SA 5000 Ph: 08 8212 4888 saoffice@sa.greens.org.au www.sa.greens.org.au
TASMANIA
Tasmania’s Federal candidates are pounding the streets, attending community events and taking every opportunity talk to Tasmanians about Greens values of caring for our most vulnerable people, protecting land, sea and air, and about the need for genuine progress for all. Our Federal candidates are Senator Peter Whish-Wilson, Alderman Rosalie Woodruff for the southern Tasmania seat of Franklin, Anna Reynolds for the Hobart seat of Denison, Pip Brinklow for the central Tasmania seat of Lyons and number two and three candidates on the senate ticket, Hobart Alderman Helen Burnet and Penelope Ann respectively. In the last few days, Senator WhishWilson has been defending Tasmania’s local fishing industry by speaking out against the possible return of the supertrawler AV Margiris to state waters if Tony Abbott becomes prime minister. Peter has also been working with winegrowers over their concerns about State Government plans to rapidly accelerate the industry. And he has also been working with the King Island community to help re-open its recently closed abattoir. Candidate for the Hobart seat of Denison, Anna Reynolds has been equally energetic and is working closely with Minister for Sustainable Transport on getting light rail up and running for Greater Hobart. The candidate for the southernTasmania seat of Franklin, Alderman Rosalie Woodruff, attended a campaign meeting at the weekend with Greens Leader Christine Milne, where she talked about how and why she became an activist and Greens candidate. With the election seemingly possible almost at any time, Rosalie had this to say: “My campaigning strategy during this final period can be summed up in two words: warmth and leadership. I am prioritising door-knocking, attending local events, and local “kitchen cabinets” organised by supporters. I am also organising and chairing several forums, including the Tarkine Experience (Hobart, 25 July), The Future of Agriculture in Tasmania (Hobart, midAugust), Sawmilling in the Huon Valley (Huonville, 8 August), and Statewide Action on Childhood Obesity (Howrah, early August).” Good luck to our state candidates and to all the candidates around the country.
VICTORIA
We’re riding high in Victoria, with nearly all of our 37 lower house candidates preselected and campaigning hard with their local teams. Lead Senate candidate Janet Rice is travelling across Melbourne and the (albeit, small) state every week and we’ve selected a great team of Senate ticket candidates to support her. Adam Bandt’s campaign for Melbourne is having a huge impact, with mass door-knocking efforts and events throughout the first six months of this year culminating in a great run up to election day. Our other major news from Victoria is the appointment of the new Victorian Greens State Director, Larissa Brown. Former Australian Young Environmentalist and Victorian Young Australian of the Year, Larissa comes to the AGV having founded and led the Centre for Sustainability Leadership as its Executive Director. She has also served on the Minister’s Advisory Panel on Climate Change. In May, candidate Nina Springle contested the state seat of Lyndhurst by-election in Melbourne’s south eastern suburbs, gaining a very respectable increase in our primary vote in what is tough, mortgage belt terrain for the Greens. In the federal campaign, things have become more interesting in Gellibrand, with the retirement of Nicola Roxon and in Batman (which in 2010 became Australia’s third seat to go ‘Greens-Labor’) Martin Ferguson announced that he will not be recontesting. Our State MLCs are continuing their great work in Spring Street, with Greg Barber focusing on the controversial automated ticketing system rollout in country Victoria, as well as public housing and planning. Colleen Hartland is continuing her work for a container deposit scheme and on fire fighter entitlements to health cover, and the Party Whip Sue Pennicuik has been advocating for fair education funding and a ban on jumps racing. In our first campaign with sitting federal office holders, candidates around the state are benefitting from the dedication, commitment and hard work of Adam in the lower house and Senator Richard Di Natale, as they talk with Victorian voters about Greens achievements ranging from Denticare to the Clean Energy Act.
TOM ALLEN TASMANIA CONVENOR
ALEX BHATHAL & DINESH MATHEW, AGV CO-CONVENORS
TASMANIAN GREENS GPO Box 1132 Hobart TAS 7001 Ph: 03 6236 9334 party@tas.greens.org.au www.tas.greens.org.au
VICTORIAN GREENS GPO Box 4589 Melbourne VIC 3001 Ph: 03 9602 1141 office@vic.greens.org.au www.vic.greens.org.au
GREEN PARTY NEWS
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
The last month saw a number of events designed to build the profile of senator Scott Ludlam, who is up for re-election. In June on Monday 10th, Scott introduced a talk on the groundbreaking Energy 2029 plan at a meeting of Sustainable Energy Now (SEN). The inspiring talk and Q&A session by SEN chair Steve Gates showed conclusively that renewables are a viable alternative for this state. Wednesday 12th saw Scott appearing alongside former Greens leader Bob Brown at Rigby’s Atrium in Perth. A video of Scott’s speech can be found at bit.ly/151P1qO. The theme of the evening was a simple and important message that Australia faces an historic turning point at the election. We will either bed down and build on the achievements of the last three years, or see the nation fall backwards. The re-election of Scott Ludlam is essential if this is to be prevented. To cap off a packed week, Scott represented the Greens at the “Now That’s A Party!” event organised by GetUp at the Alexander Library lecture hall. The event, hosted by former ABC journalist Peter Kennedy, featured representatives of the Greens, Sex Party, Wikileaks Party, Pirate Party and the Socialist Alliance. Needless to say, Scott did a great job representing the Greens and letting the audience know exactly why they should look to the Greens on election day! Selection of lower house candidates is now well underway, and we have opened nominations for the #3 spot on the 2013 senate ticket. The successful candidate will play a valuable role supporting the campaign to re-elect Senator Scott Ludlam. Finally, we are now busily preparing the “Laughs are Always Greener” comedy night! This will be an hilarious night of live comedy to be held on Friday, 26th July, 7:00pm. Featuring Good News Week’s Claire Hooper, every cent raised will support Senator Scott Ludlam’s election campaign. Comedylovers of ALL political stripes will have a fantastic night. Bookings are essential.
CHRIS DICKINSON WA CONVENOR
WA GREENS PO Box Y3022 Perth WA 6832 Ph: 08 9221 8333 office@wa.greens.org.au www.wa.greens.org.au
The latest news from our federal MPs and state convenors
WINTER 2013 OUR FEDERAL MPS SENATOR CHRISTINE MILNE - TAS FEDERAL PARLIAMENTARY LEADER
When I became Australian Greens leader I made a point of reaching out to rural Australia and connecting urban consumers with rural producers. We now have new legislation for “country of origin” food labelling and a plan for improving biosecurity for Australian agriculture and our natural environment. I’ve also spoken at events for the banana industry and vegetable industry and visited areas in NSW threatened by coal-seam gas and coal mines (see Christine’s Column in Green magazine for photos). We also have our Country Greens network up and running to help connect elected representatives and campaigners in rural and regional areas. The Greens believe our National Food Plan should help farmers stay on the land and keep the land they farm in good condition. We also want to see farmers get a decent farm-gate price which is why we’re keen to get our policies and positions out to rural communities. Women’s issues and feminism have also hit the headlines. Unlike the old parties, Greens walk the talk. We have great policies supporting women and I lead the only party in parliament with more women than men! I have contributed an essay to Destroy the Joint’s recently released book and spoke about it at the Sydney Writers’ Festival in May (www.ucp.uq.edu.au). I was also asked by Madison magazine to sit down with senior women to argue the case for boardroom quotas and other issues affecting women’s participation in the corporate world. We Greens continue to point out the hypocrisy of cutting support for single parents while talking up feminism. Our policies support parents struggling with childcare costs, paid parental leave, ensuring family planning is central to our aid policy and maintaining federal support for programs to protect women from violence. senator.milne@aph.gov.au
SENATOR RACHEL SIEWERT - WA
Work is becoming increasingly hectic as we move towards the end of Parliament before the upcoming election.
The NDIS legislation has passed parliament, and I’m now working closely with the sector to ensure the roll out of the launch sites are as effective as possible. Colin Barnett is still refusing to sign up, despite the broad support among people with a disability and their supporters. We are working hard to encourage WA to join this scheme. One of our key priorities is our campaign to help single parents and job seekers on inadequate payments like Newstart. You can read more about this issue in this edition of Green magazine. I have spent a lot of time recently on the very important issue of aged care reform and will be moving a series of amendments to improve the existing bills when they come before the Senate for consideration. We’ve recently seen the Coalition attempt to dismantle Australia’s newly established system of marine parks by moving to disallow the marine protected areas’ management plans. The disallowance was narrowly defeated in the House of Representatives but it gives us a good idea (if we didn’t know already) of just how little the Coalition value our oceans. It is more important than ever to continue our campaign to protect Australia’s oceans. Likewise, it is important we continue our campaign to protect James Price Point. I was in the Kimberley when the announcement was made that Woodside was not going ahead with the gas hub at James Price Point, and I got the chance to celebrate with the locals - sometimes you can be in the right place at the right time! Despite this announcement, the threats to JPP aren’t over and we need to continue working hard to make sure this doesn’t happen. More than ever, there are issues across my portfolios that highlight the need to have Greens in Parliament. Over the next few months I know we’ll be working harder than ever to make sure the Greens’ presence in Parliament remains strong. senator.siewert@aph.gov.au
SENATOR SCOTT LUDLAM - WA
Recent times have been equal parts exciting and challenging, and much has happened to reinforce the importance of a strong Greens presence in the national Parliament. We have launched our homelessness initiative - ‘Leaving No-one Behind’, a fully costed $1billion plan to eliminate rough sleeping by 2020. Leaving No-one Behind will double funding to homelessness services, and build 7000 homes using modular building technology that is fast, inexpensive, and energy efficient. The Coalition highlighted the danger they represent by refusing to vote in favour of a Senate motion supporting the aim of halving homelessness by 2020. There are 105,000 homeless Australians today. We introduced legislation to improve Australia’s archaic and arcane copyright laws. Central to our ‘Fair Go for Fair Use’ reforms is the introduction of a ‘fair use’ provision that will promote innovation and fair access to archives and other information stores of public interest. Under the current laws, schools, universities and ISPs can face legal sanctions if end users infringe copyright law while using their services - our Bill changes that. Our reforms also remove obstacles for blind and visually impaired Australians accessing published works in formats such as Braille, large print text and audio books. Australians pay up to 70% more than overseas consumers for music, films, software and hardware. The removal of ‘geocodes’ through this Bill will go a long way to fix this. The Bill has been referred to the Environment and Communications Committee reporting 3 October, so please make a submission. ELECTION IMPENDING With Kevin Rudd back in the Lodge and threatening to weaken the Clean Energy Act, we know a vote for The Greens is more crucial than ever. Labor needs to get the message on climate change and refugees, and Tony Abbott needs to be stopped from abolishing the Clean Energy Finance Corp, the NBN, the Gonski reforms, the mining super profits tax, and Federal funding for urban rail. There is a lot at stake, which means we have every reason to win. senator.ludlam@aph.gov.au
AUSTRALIAN GREENS National Office GPO Box 1108 Canberra ACT 2601 Ph: 02 6140 3217 (Canberra) 1800 017 011 greens@greens.org.au www.greens.org.au
SENATOR SARAH HANSON-YOUNG - SA
The election is just around the corner and the Greens’ campaign in South Australia is in full swing! We have volunteers working away in the office while others are helping to spread the word throughout the state. South Australia is going to play a crucial role in the outcome of this election because we know that Tony Abbott is coming after my seat. South Australians have to decide whether they want to have a strong alternative voice standing up for them in the Senate or a Cory Bernardi look-alike, pushing Tony Abbott’s extreme agenda. Since the last issue of Green Party News, we have had many wins in parliament. We saw the support for marriage equality continue to grow as the Senate voted on a Greens’ bill in June. In the vote 28 Senators, including one member of the Coalition, voted to recognise same-sex marriages entered into overseas. The legislation was ultimately voted down, but we saw an increase in support compared to previous votes. It’s clear that marriage equality has found its time; we just need the parliament to catch up.
I also hosted His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Adelaide recently. Attending multiple events with His Holiness, I was able to see the amazing and uplifting effect his presence had. A truly inspirational orator, he spoke movingly of the need for compassion and fairer treatment of refugees. Election Day looms as a potential turning point for our nation. For us, it’s all shoulders to the wheel with our eyes firmly set on defending the Senate in South Australia. If we work together we can make sure the Greens remain as a strong alternative voice that stands up for all Australians, now and for a long time into the future.
SENATOR LEE RHIANNON - NSW
With the announcement that Labor will cut $2.3 billion out of university funding and the Coalition falling neatly behind these cuts, it is clear that the Greens can be trusted to stand up for our university sector. Australia lags far behind the OECD average for public investment in universities and we’ve been going backwards since 1995. Defunding and deregulating our universities is a threat to quality student learning, staff conditions and education outcomes. The Greens have launched a national Uni Cuts Hurt campaign, working with university staff and students across the country to reverse Labor’s cuts, retain student start-up scholarships, boost Youth Allowance by $50 a week and ensure greater job security on campuses. Australia can afford to prioritise investment in our education system from early childhood through to university. Visit www.unicutshurt.org.au to get involved in the campaign. Together with Greens leader Senator Christine Milne, I launched a new Greens bill setting out a clear timeline to ensure Australia stops chipping away at the aid budget and meets the UN target to spend 0.7% of gross national income on foreign aid. Over the past nine months, federal Labor has confirmed that over $700 million from the aid budget will be diverted to pay for onshore detention and the Greens-initiated Senate Inquiry revealed that the Department of Defence wrongly classified $190 million in defence spending as foreign aid. The Greens bill makes it clear that it is not acceptable to divert aid funds to spending on onshore detention and military objectives. Costings from the Parliamentary Budget Office show that meeting this goal would cost just $2.6 billion over the next four years – this is money that could be easily raised if Labor included gold in the mining tax. senator.rhiannon@aph.gov.au
senator.hanson-young@aph.gov.au LEE, CHRISTINE AND ADAM LAUNCHING THE GREENS UNI CUTS HURT CAMPAIGN
SENATOR RICHARD DI NATALE - VIC
It’s been an extremely busy year for the Greens and while politicians from the old parties continue to fight amongst themselves, my Green colleagues and I have been working hard in Parliament to stand up for the things that really matter. Senate Inquiries are one way that politicians can move away from parliamentary posturing favoured by the old parties and into a real discussion about things that matter. Your support in putting Green voices in the Senate has given us the chance to tackle these issues, and to hear the voices of people from all over Australia. I have moved a number of Senate Inquiries in the past few months to deal with some of the tough questions that the old parties don’t want to hear about. My Inquiry into the impact of air pollution on health held hearings all over the country and heard the stories of everyday Australians whose lives and health have been impacted by coal mining pollution and open coal trains. We’re now working on a series of initiatives to give everyone access to clean air. My inquiry into the threat of antibiotic-resistant superbugs produced a scathing report which broke the decades-long deadlock of inaction on antibiotic resistance and provided a bipartisan framework for real action. It may not be on the front pages of the papers but it’s a critically important issue. Many Australians are deeply disturbed by the recent explosion of gambling ads in sports broadcasts and my Inquiry into gambling advertising has placed these concerns firmly at the centre of public debate. Our campaign was so successful that it resulted in an announcement from the Prime Minister and while it’s a good start we need to do more. Concerning allegations about doping in sport have brought the integrity of some of our major codes into question and my Inquiry into sports science looked at how we stop cowboys from experimenting on young athletes and ensure that their health is protected. Finally, my Bill that stands up for the right of patients to know what relationship their treating doctors have with drug companies and the resulting inquiry has pressured the industry into taking the first steps towards improvement. Millions of Australians voted Green last election, and with your continued support we will keep standing up in parliament against powerful special interest groups to create a more caring Australia. senator.dinatale@aph.gov.au
SENATOR LARISSA WATERS - QLD
In good news, thanks to community campaigning, pressure from Greens MPs and the help of Tony Windsor MP, the Parliament has finally passed laws to protect water resources from coal seam gas and coal mining. The new laws give the Federal Environment Minister the power to stop coal seam gas and large coal mines where the project would have a significant impact on water; mirroring a bill I introduced 18 months ago. This is a big win for communities across the country! Unfortunately, the good news ends there. I moved in the Senate to strengthen these new laws to protect farmers and the environment from the big mining companies. Each amendment was voted down by the old parties, including one to give landholders the right to say no to coal and coal seam gas mining on their land. Labor voted down my amendment to give national parks national protection, even though the Environment Minister promised to do this two years ago and state governments are pushing ahead with plans for logging, shooting and grazing in national parks. I also moved to remove the section that allows the Federal Environment Minister to hand their responsibilities to the states. State governments have a terrible track record of environmental protection, and Tony Abbott has committed to hand all federal environmental responsibilities to state premiers. By voting against my amendment, Labor failed to Abbottproof our national environmental laws. This will have devastating impacts on our national environment when federal governments are no longer able to stop dams or mines in World Heritage Areas or clearing of the last habitat of nationally endangered species. In mid-June, the World Heritage Committee made a decision on the Great Barrier Reef and gave the Australian and Queensland governments a strong warning: stop the destruction of the Reef in the next year, or see the Great Barrier Reef on the World Heritage In-Danger list. The biggest threat to the Reef is the dredging and dumping to build and expand coal and gas ports, which in turn make climate change worse. We will continue to stand alongside coastal communities to protect our national treasure and the 54,000 jobs in tourism and sustainable fishing that rely on the Reef. The Reef will be an election issue in Queensland, and The Greens are the only party standing up for what matters. senator.waters@aph.gov.au
SENATOR PENNY WRIGHT - SA
It has been a hectic few months in the lead up to the election and one of the major issues for voters come Election Day is funding for public education. It has been hugely disappointing to see Labor leaving education reform to the last gasp. It was equally disheartening to hear from the Coalition that no reform is needed. Also in the area of schools and education, I secured a Senate Inquiry looking at the way NAPLAN testing is affecting our children. The stories coming through just confirm what many parents and teachers have been telling me; the tests are causing high stress and anxiety for our kids and detracting from genuine learning. I have also been keeping up the fight to improve access to the justice system. I chaired an inquiry into increased federal court fees, which heard from a number of community and legal organisations about how these increases are preventing entire sections of the community from being able to afford access to the justice system. The Coalition back flipped from their original position, leaving the Greens as the only party standing up for equal access to our justice system - a basic human right. The courts should never be used for revenue raising. My inquiry into Justice Reinvestment, looking at ways to stop spiralling imprisonment rates and deal with crime more effectively in our communities, recommended a leadership role for the Commonwealth government. Justice Reinvestment involves redirecting funds from prisons to communities, to prevent crime and strengthen the most disadvantaged communities. In the mental health sphere, I released my draft report on the Rural, Regional and Remote Mental Health consultation tour I undertook in 2012/early 2013. The tour took in towns and centres across the country and enabled me to see firsthand the importance of improving access to mental health services in regional areas. We invited submissions from stakeholders, consumers, carers and the general community through our online consultation system and will now develop a comprehensive policy for country Australia to take to the election. senator.wright@aph.gov.au
SENATOR PETER WHISH-WILSON - TAS
The Greens have long held a clear and consistent economic vision for Tasmania, and have consistently advocated plans to build on our state’s competitive advantages, diversify our economy, empower people and build communities. Whilst some may not agree with our long standing economic vision, or the philosophies which underpin this, many of its central components are now mainstream. The Greens have been quiet achievers in helping build Tasmania’s economy and caring for people. In 1992 the Green Independents outlined their vision for the Tasmanian economy and plans necessary to achieve this. Senator Christine Milne was an integral part of this first vision report titled ‘The Green Independents’ Business & Industry Strategy’. Now 20 years later we have launched “Tasmania 2030” - a vision for a green, dynamic, and prosperous Tasmanian economy. “Tasmania 2030” reviews the economy in light of the 1992 report recommendations, and outlines our broad vision and plans for the socio economic development of Tasmania over the next 20 years. The report outlines dozens of current and proposed Greens policy proposals across many sectors of the Tasmanian economy and introduces 4 key policy initiatives the Greens will be costing and releasing prior to the federal and state elections. All these policies are centred on the “collaborative economy,” targeting commercial and social enterprise development in areas such as creative industries and emerging technology, agriculture and food, tourism and waste management. These proposals, built on the existing work of many social and economic commentators in Tasmania, target government funding into new ways of facilitating business and community development, and will help build the resilience and flexibility required to capitalise on emerging opportunities for the future of Tasmania. We hope this document stimulates discussion and debate on the future directions of the Tasmanian economy, and we look forward to being part of any future economic conversation. You can download the report or a summary at www.GreensVision2030. com and I welcome specific feedback via greensvision2030@gmail.com senator.whish-wilson@aph.gov.au
ADAM BANDT - MEMBER FOR MELBOURNE DEPUTY LEADER
As we reach the end of the 43rd Parliament and the race to the election begins in earnest, the stakes have never been higher. Labor continues to disappoint, with the factional warfare between Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd giving a final boost to Tony Abbott’s ambitions. Now more than ever it is critical for the country that we maintain a strong Greens voice in Parliament to take up the fight to Tony Abbott and his extreme agenda for the country. We will continue to put forward a positive alternative agenda for the country, including on jobs, protecting our land from coal seam gas and investing in science and research. Here in Melbourne our campaign has really cranked up with over two thousand volunteers signed up for action and 300 active people leading the charge. Last month we had the first of our Days of Action. 122 committed volunteers braved the wettest June day on record and spent their Saturday reaching out to thousands of Melbourne voters. With 15 events across the electorate, we had hundreds of meaningful conversations and volunteers contributed more than 369 hours - over 10% of our total volunteer hours target. An amazing effort. We know the old parties have deep pockets and will outspend us in this campaign. But we have something they don’t have – people power. I am confident that if we continue our work we can prevent Tony Abbott from gaining total control of the Parliament and continue standing up for what matters. adam.bandt.mp@aph.gov.au
FROM THE STATES & TERRITORIES AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY
It is proving to be a busy year for the party, with ACT Greens Minister Shane Rattenbury playing an active role in the delivery of the government’s recent Budget. There were several big wins for the Greens in the Budget this year – we are particularly excited about the $18.7million investment in light rail, which includes funding for design studies and a Canberra wide network master plan. Light rail will be a major milestone for Canberra; signalling a major shift in the way we use and plan our city, and helping to insulate us from the future risks of climate change and oil shortages. While not all of the items in the ACT Greens/Labor Parliamentary Agreement were funded this year, a number were progressed. We are looking forward to seeing the Parliamentary Agreement fully funded over the four year term.
Our federal election campaign is also well under way, with ACT Greens Senate candidate Simon Sheikh campaigning aggressively throughout Canberra. His efforts have included recruiting a strong base of volunteers, maintaining a Greens presence at major community events, speaking at a range of forums, and encouraging young people to enrol to vote in the ACT. Simon and his team have also spent much of their time doorknocking and speaking with Canberra voters about the issues that matter to them. With any luck, we will be able to celebrate a victory for Simon in the next edition of Green magazine.
NEW SOUTH WALES
In NSW the news has been bleak. The Liberal Government, with the assistance of the Shooters and Fishers Party, has passed legislation to allow shooting in National Parks. Shortly after the legislation passed one of the senior staff of the NSW Game Council (which oversees shooting permits in State Forests and National Parks) was charged by Police with hunting without permission. The Government announced an inquiry into the ‘governance’ of the Game Council. Even though the results of that inquiry have not yet been handed down, the Game Council still received a massive increase to funding in the just announced NSW State Budget. Meanwhile public consultation is under way for a new planning Act.The Government says we need more houses, and faster. To achieve faster development approvals they are proposing to remove the principle of ecologically sustainable development from the Act and are proposing that residents will not have the opportunity to comment on 80% of development. And to add to it all the Liberal Government has just announced a review of the Native Vegetation Act and the Threatened Species Act. And this is not even mentioning the conservative social agenda of the O’Farrell Government which has wound back workers compensation coverage as well as reducing victims compensation payments and the window of time in which a claim must be made. What NSW most definitely doesn’t want at this time is a conservative Liberal National Government in Canberra accentuating the conservative agenda of the NSW Liberals. However the likelihood of an Abbot Government should make us ponder two things. Firstly, the importance of an election funding system which offers a real and practical opportunity for independents and minority parties to make their message heard by the electorate. Secondly in these bleak and conservative times we should remember our roots as an activist organisation. We should not forget that it is social and environmental activism that creates the basis of real change.
JAMES RYAN NSW CONVENOR
MAIY AZIZE ACT CONVENOR SIMON SHEIKH AND SHANE RATTENBURY AT THE VINNIES CEO SLEEPOUT, 20 JUNE 2013
ACT GREENS GPO Box 2019 Canberra ACT 2601 Ph: 02 6140 3220 office@act.greens.org.au www.act.greens.org.au
NSW GREENS 19 Eve St Erskineville NSW 2043 Ph: 02 9045 6999 office@nsw.greens.org.au www.nsw.greens.org.au
SENATOR SARAH HANSON-YOUNG - SA
The election is just around the corner and the Greens’ campaign in South Australia is in full swing! We have volunteers working away in the office while others are helping to spread the word throughout the state. South Australia is going to play a crucial role in the outcome of this election because we know that Tony Abbott is coming after my seat. South Australians have to decide whether they want to have a strong alternative voice standing up for them in the Senate or a Cory Bernardi look-alike, pushing Tony Abbott’s extreme agenda. Since the last issue of Green Party News, we have had many wins in parliament. We saw the support for marriage equality continue to grow as the Senate voted on a Greens’ bill in June. In the vote 28 Senators, including one member of the Coalition, voted to recognise same-sex marriages entered into overseas. The legislation was ultimately voted down, but we saw an increase in support compared to previous votes. It’s clear that marriage equality has found its time; we just need the parliament to catch up.
I also hosted His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Adelaide recently. Attending multiple events with His Holiness, I was able to see the amazing and uplifting effect his presence had. A truly inspirational orator, he spoke movingly of the need for compassion and fairer treatment of refugees. Election Day looms as a potential turning point for our nation. For us, it’s all shoulders to the wheel with our eyes firmly set on defending the Senate in South Australia. If we work together we can make sure the Greens remain as a strong alternative voice that stands up for all Australians, now and for a long time into the future.
SENATOR LEE RHIANNON - NSW
With the announcement that Labor will cut $2.3 billion out of university funding and the Coalition falling neatly behind these cuts, it is clear that the Greens can be trusted to stand up for our university sector. Australia lags far behind the OECD average for public investment in universities and we’ve been going backwards since 1995. Defunding and deregulating our universities is a threat to quality student learning, staff conditions and education outcomes. The Greens have launched a national Uni Cuts Hurt campaign, working with university staff and students across the country to reverse Labor’s cuts, retain student start-up scholarships, boost Youth Allowance by $50 a week and ensure greater job security on campuses. Australia can afford to prioritise investment in our education system from early childhood through to university. Visit www.unicutshurt.org.au to get involved in the campaign. Together with Greens leader Senator Christine Milne, I launched a new Greens bill setting out a clear timeline to ensure Australia stops chipping away at the aid budget and meets the UN target to spend 0.7% of gross national income on foreign aid. Over the past nine months, federal Labor has confirmed that over $700 million from the aid budget will be diverted to pay for onshore detention and the Greens-initiated Senate Inquiry revealed that the Department of Defence wrongly classified $190 million in defence spending as foreign aid. The Greens bill makes it clear that it is not acceptable to divert aid funds to spending on onshore detention and military objectives. Costings from the Parliamentary Budget Office show that meeting this goal would cost just $2.6 billion over the next four years – this is money that could be easily raised if Labor included gold in the mining tax. senator.rhiannon@aph.gov.au
senator.hanson-young@aph.gov.au LEE, CHRISTINE AND ADAM LAUNCHING THE GREENS UNI CUTS HURT CAMPAIGN
SENATOR RICHARD DI NATALE - VIC
It’s been an extremely busy year for the Greens and while politicians from the old parties continue to fight amongst themselves, my Green colleagues and I have been working hard in Parliament to stand up for the things that really matter. Senate Inquiries are one way that politicians can move away from parliamentary posturing favoured by the old parties and into a real discussion about things that matter. Your support in putting Green voices in the Senate has given us the chance to tackle these issues, and to hear the voices of people from all over Australia. I have moved a number of Senate Inquiries in the past few months to deal with some of the tough questions that the old parties don’t want to hear about. My Inquiry into the impact of air pollution on health held hearings all over the country and heard the stories of everyday Australians whose lives and health have been impacted by coal mining pollution and open coal trains. We’re now working on a series of initiatives to give everyone access to clean air. My inquiry into the threat of antibiotic-resistant superbugs produced a scathing report which broke the decades-long deadlock of inaction on antibiotic resistance and provided a bipartisan framework for real action. It may not be on the front pages of the papers but it’s a critically important issue. Many Australians are deeply disturbed by the recent explosion of gambling ads in sports broadcasts and my Inquiry into gambling advertising has placed these concerns firmly at the centre of public debate. Our campaign was so successful that it resulted in an announcement from the Prime Minister and while it’s a good start we need to do more. Concerning allegations about doping in sport have brought the integrity of some of our major codes into question and my Inquiry into sports science looked at how we stop cowboys from experimenting on young athletes and ensure that their health is protected. Finally, my Bill that stands up for the right of patients to know what relationship their treating doctors have with drug companies and the resulting inquiry has pressured the industry into taking the first steps towards improvement. Millions of Australians voted Green last election, and with your continued support we will keep standing up in parliament against powerful special interest groups to create a more caring Australia. senator.dinatale@aph.gov.au
SENATOR LARISSA WATERS - QLD
In good news, thanks to community campaigning, pressure from Greens MPs and the help of Tony Windsor MP, the Parliament has finally passed laws to protect water resources from coal seam gas and coal mining. The new laws give the Federal Environment Minister the power to stop coal seam gas and large coal mines where the project would have a significant impact on water; mirroring a bill I introduced 18 months ago. This is a big win for communities across the country! Unfortunately, the good news ends there. I moved in the Senate to strengthen these new laws to protect farmers and the environment from the big mining companies. Each amendment was voted down by the old parties, including one to give landholders the right to say no to coal and coal seam gas mining on their land. Labor voted down my amendment to give national parks national protection, even though the Environment Minister promised to do this two years ago and state governments are pushing ahead with plans for logging, shooting and grazing in national parks. I also moved to remove the section that allows the Federal Environment Minister to hand their responsibilities to the states. State governments have a terrible track record of environmental protection, and Tony Abbott has committed to hand all federal environmental responsibilities to state premiers. By voting against my amendment, Labor failed to Abbottproof our national environmental laws. This will have devastating impacts on our national environment when federal governments are no longer able to stop dams or mines in World Heritage Areas or clearing of the last habitat of nationally endangered species. In mid-June, the World Heritage Committee made a decision on the Great Barrier Reef and gave the Australian and Queensland governments a strong warning: stop the destruction of the Reef in the next year, or see the Great Barrier Reef on the World Heritage In-Danger list. The biggest threat to the Reef is the dredging and dumping to build and expand coal and gas ports, which in turn make climate change worse. We will continue to stand alongside coastal communities to protect our national treasure and the 54,000 jobs in tourism and sustainable fishing that rely on the Reef. The Reef will be an election issue in Queensland, and The Greens are the only party standing up for what matters. senator.waters@aph.gov.au
SENATOR PENNY WRIGHT - SA
It has been a hectic few months in the lead up to the election and one of the major issues for voters come Election Day is funding for public education. It has been hugely disappointing to see Labor leaving education reform to the last gasp. It was equally disheartening to hear from the Coalition that no reform is needed. Also in the area of schools and education, I secured a Senate Inquiry looking at the way NAPLAN testing is affecting our children. The stories coming through just confirm what many parents and teachers have been telling me; the tests are causing high stress and anxiety for our kids and detracting from genuine learning. I have also been keeping up the fight to improve access to the justice system. I chaired an inquiry into increased federal court fees, which heard from a number of community and legal organisations about how these increases are preventing entire sections of the community from being able to afford access to the justice system. The Coalition back flipped from their original position, leaving the Greens as the only party standing up for equal access to our justice system - a basic human right. The courts should never be used for revenue raising. My inquiry into Justice Reinvestment, looking at ways to stop spiralling imprisonment rates and deal with crime more effectively in our communities, recommended a leadership role for the Commonwealth government. Justice Reinvestment involves redirecting funds from prisons to communities, to prevent crime and strengthen the most disadvantaged communities. In the mental health sphere, I released my draft report on the Rural, Regional and Remote Mental Health consultation tour I undertook in 2012/early 2013. The tour took in towns and centres across the country and enabled me to see firsthand the importance of improving access to mental health services in regional areas. We invited submissions from stakeholders, consumers, carers and the general community through our online consultation system and will now develop a comprehensive policy for country Australia to take to the election. senator.wright@aph.gov.au
SENATOR PETER WHISH-WILSON - TAS
The Greens have long held a clear and consistent economic vision for Tasmania, and have consistently advocated plans to build on our state’s competitive advantages, diversify our economy, empower people and build communities. Whilst some may not agree with our long standing economic vision, or the philosophies which underpin this, many of its central components are now mainstream. The Greens have been quiet achievers in helping build Tasmania’s economy and caring for people. In 1992 the Green Independents outlined their vision for the Tasmanian economy and plans necessary to achieve this. Senator Christine Milne was an integral part of this first vision report titled ‘The Green Independents’ Business & Industry Strategy’. Now 20 years later we have launched “Tasmania 2030” - a vision for a green, dynamic, and prosperous Tasmanian economy. “Tasmania 2030” reviews the economy in light of the 1992 report recommendations, and outlines our broad vision and plans for the socio economic development of Tasmania over the next 20 years. The report outlines dozens of current and proposed Greens policy proposals across many sectors of the Tasmanian economy and introduces 4 key policy initiatives the Greens will be costing and releasing prior to the federal and state elections. All these policies are centred on the “collaborative economy,” targeting commercial and social enterprise development in areas such as creative industries and emerging technology, agriculture and food, tourism and waste management. These proposals, built on the existing work of many social and economic commentators in Tasmania, target government funding into new ways of facilitating business and community development, and will help build the resilience and flexibility required to capitalise on emerging opportunities for the future of Tasmania. We hope this document stimulates discussion and debate on the future directions of the Tasmanian economy, and we look forward to being part of any future economic conversation. You can download the report or a summary at www.GreensVision2030. com and I welcome specific feedback via greensvision2030@gmail.com senator.whish-wilson@aph.gov.au
ADAM BANDT - MEMBER FOR MELBOURNE DEPUTY LEADER
As we reach the end of the 43rd Parliament and the race to the election begins in earnest, the stakes have never been higher. Labor continues to disappoint, with the factional warfare between Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd giving a final boost to Tony Abbott’s ambitions. Now more than ever it is critical for the country that we maintain a strong Greens voice in Parliament to take up the fight to Tony Abbott and his extreme agenda for the country. We will continue to put forward a positive alternative agenda for the country, including on jobs, protecting our land from coal seam gas and investing in science and research. Here in Melbourne our campaign has really cranked up with over two thousand volunteers signed up for action and 300 active people leading the charge. Last month we had the first of our Days of Action. 122 committed volunteers braved the wettest June day on record and spent their Saturday reaching out to thousands of Melbourne voters. With 15 events across the electorate, we had hundreds of meaningful conversations and volunteers contributed more than 369 hours - over 10% of our total volunteer hours target. An amazing effort. We know the old parties have deep pockets and will outspend us in this campaign. But we have something they don’t have – people power. I am confident that if we continue our work we can prevent Tony Abbott from gaining total control of the Parliament and continue standing up for what matters. adam.bandt.mp@aph.gov.au
FROM THE STATES & TERRITORIES AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY
It is proving to be a busy year for the party, with ACT Greens Minister Shane Rattenbury playing an active role in the delivery of the government’s recent Budget. There were several big wins for the Greens in the Budget this year – we are particularly excited about the $18.7million investment in light rail, which includes funding for design studies and a Canberra wide network master plan. Light rail will be a major milestone for Canberra; signalling a major shift in the way we use and plan our city, and helping to insulate us from the future risks of climate change and oil shortages. While not all of the items in the ACT Greens/Labor Parliamentary Agreement were funded this year, a number were progressed. We are looking forward to seeing the Parliamentary Agreement fully funded over the four year term.
Our federal election campaign is also well under way, with ACT Greens Senate candidate Simon Sheikh campaigning aggressively throughout Canberra. His efforts have included recruiting a strong base of volunteers, maintaining a Greens presence at major community events, speaking at a range of forums, and encouraging young people to enrol to vote in the ACT. Simon and his team have also spent much of their time doorknocking and speaking with Canberra voters about the issues that matter to them. With any luck, we will be able to celebrate a victory for Simon in the next edition of Green magazine.
NEW SOUTH WALES
In NSW the news has been bleak. The Liberal Government, with the assistance of the Shooters and Fishers Party, has passed legislation to allow shooting in National Parks. Shortly after the legislation passed one of the senior staff of the NSW Game Council (which oversees shooting permits in State Forests and National Parks) was charged by Police with hunting without permission. The Government announced an inquiry into the ‘governance’ of the Game Council. Even though the results of that inquiry have not yet been handed down, the Game Council still received a massive increase to funding in the just announced NSW State Budget. Meanwhile public consultation is under way for a new planning Act.The Government says we need more houses, and faster. To achieve faster development approvals they are proposing to remove the principle of ecologically sustainable development from the Act and are proposing that residents will not have the opportunity to comment on 80% of development. And to add to it all the Liberal Government has just announced a review of the Native Vegetation Act and the Threatened Species Act. And this is not even mentioning the conservative social agenda of the O’Farrell Government which has wound back workers compensation coverage as well as reducing victims compensation payments and the window of time in which a claim must be made. What NSW most definitely doesn’t want at this time is a conservative Liberal National Government in Canberra accentuating the conservative agenda of the NSW Liberals. However the likelihood of an Abbot Government should make us ponder two things. Firstly, the importance of an election funding system which offers a real and practical opportunity for independents and minority parties to make their message heard by the electorate. Secondly in these bleak and conservative times we should remember our roots as an activist organisation. We should not forget that it is social and environmental activism that creates the basis of real change.
JAMES RYAN NSW CONVENOR
MAIY AZIZE ACT CONVENOR SIMON SHEIKH AND SHANE RATTENBURY AT THE VINNIES CEO SLEEPOUT, 20 JUNE 2013
ACT GREENS GPO Box 2019 Canberra ACT 2601 Ph: 02 6140 3220 office@act.greens.org.au www.act.greens.org.au
NSW GREENS 19 Eve St Erskineville NSW 2043 Ph: 02 9045 6999 office@nsw.greens.org.au www.nsw.greens.org.au
SENATOR SARAH HANSON-YOUNG - SA
The election is just around the corner and the Greens’ campaign in South Australia is in full swing! We have volunteers working away in the office while others are helping to spread the word throughout the state. South Australia is going to play a crucial role in the outcome of this election because we know that Tony Abbott is coming after my seat. South Australians have to decide whether they want to have a strong alternative voice standing up for them in the Senate or a Cory Bernardi look-alike, pushing Tony Abbott’s extreme agenda. Since the last issue of Green Party News, we have had many wins in parliament. We saw the support for marriage equality continue to grow as the Senate voted on a Greens’ bill in June. In the vote 28 Senators, including one member of the Coalition, voted to recognise same-sex marriages entered into overseas. The legislation was ultimately voted down, but we saw an increase in support compared to previous votes. It’s clear that marriage equality has found its time; we just need the parliament to catch up.
I also hosted His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Adelaide recently. Attending multiple events with His Holiness, I was able to see the amazing and uplifting effect his presence had. A truly inspirational orator, he spoke movingly of the need for compassion and fairer treatment of refugees. Election Day looms as a potential turning point for our nation. For us, it’s all shoulders to the wheel with our eyes firmly set on defending the Senate in South Australia. If we work together we can make sure the Greens remain as a strong alternative voice that stands up for all Australians, now and for a long time into the future.
SENATOR LEE RHIANNON - NSW
With the announcement that Labor will cut $2.3 billion out of university funding and the Coalition falling neatly behind these cuts, it is clear that the Greens can be trusted to stand up for our university sector. Australia lags far behind the OECD average for public investment in universities and we’ve been going backwards since 1995. Defunding and deregulating our universities is a threat to quality student learning, staff conditions and education outcomes. The Greens have launched a national Uni Cuts Hurt campaign, working with university staff and students across the country to reverse Labor’s cuts, retain student start-up scholarships, boost Youth Allowance by $50 a week and ensure greater job security on campuses. Australia can afford to prioritise investment in our education system from early childhood through to university. Visit www.unicutshurt.org.au to get involved in the campaign. Together with Greens leader Senator Christine Milne, I launched a new Greens bill setting out a clear timeline to ensure Australia stops chipping away at the aid budget and meets the UN target to spend 0.7% of gross national income on foreign aid. Over the past nine months, federal Labor has confirmed that over $700 million from the aid budget will be diverted to pay for onshore detention and the Greens-initiated Senate Inquiry revealed that the Department of Defence wrongly classified $190 million in defence spending as foreign aid. The Greens bill makes it clear that it is not acceptable to divert aid funds to spending on onshore detention and military objectives. Costings from the Parliamentary Budget Office show that meeting this goal would cost just $2.6 billion over the next four years – this is money that could be easily raised if Labor included gold in the mining tax. senator.rhiannon@aph.gov.au
senator.hanson-young@aph.gov.au LEE, CHRISTINE AND ADAM LAUNCHING THE GREENS UNI CUTS HURT CAMPAIGN
SENATOR RICHARD DI NATALE - VIC
It’s been an extremely busy year for the Greens and while politicians from the old parties continue to fight amongst themselves, my Green colleagues and I have been working hard in Parliament to stand up for the things that really matter. Senate Inquiries are one way that politicians can move away from parliamentary posturing favoured by the old parties and into a real discussion about things that matter. Your support in putting Green voices in the Senate has given us the chance to tackle these issues, and to hear the voices of people from all over Australia. I have moved a number of Senate Inquiries in the past few months to deal with some of the tough questions that the old parties don’t want to hear about. My Inquiry into the impact of air pollution on health held hearings all over the country and heard the stories of everyday Australians whose lives and health have been impacted by coal mining pollution and open coal trains. We’re now working on a series of initiatives to give everyone access to clean air. My inquiry into the threat of antibiotic-resistant superbugs produced a scathing report which broke the decades-long deadlock of inaction on antibiotic resistance and provided a bipartisan framework for real action. It may not be on the front pages of the papers but it’s a critically important issue. Many Australians are deeply disturbed by the recent explosion of gambling ads in sports broadcasts and my Inquiry into gambling advertising has placed these concerns firmly at the centre of public debate. Our campaign was so successful that it resulted in an announcement from the Prime Minister and while it’s a good start we need to do more. Concerning allegations about doping in sport have brought the integrity of some of our major codes into question and my Inquiry into sports science looked at how we stop cowboys from experimenting on young athletes and ensure that their health is protected. Finally, my Bill that stands up for the right of patients to know what relationship their treating doctors have with drug companies and the resulting inquiry has pressured the industry into taking the first steps towards improvement. Millions of Australians voted Green last election, and with your continued support we will keep standing up in parliament against powerful special interest groups to create a more caring Australia. senator.dinatale@aph.gov.au
SENATOR LARISSA WATERS - QLD
In good news, thanks to community campaigning, pressure from Greens MPs and the help of Tony Windsor MP, the Parliament has finally passed laws to protect water resources from coal seam gas and coal mining. The new laws give the Federal Environment Minister the power to stop coal seam gas and large coal mines where the project would have a significant impact on water; mirroring a bill I introduced 18 months ago. This is a big win for communities across the country! Unfortunately, the good news ends there. I moved in the Senate to strengthen these new laws to protect farmers and the environment from the big mining companies. Each amendment was voted down by the old parties, including one to give landholders the right to say no to coal and coal seam gas mining on their land. Labor voted down my amendment to give national parks national protection, even though the Environment Minister promised to do this two years ago and state governments are pushing ahead with plans for logging, shooting and grazing in national parks. I also moved to remove the section that allows the Federal Environment Minister to hand their responsibilities to the states. State governments have a terrible track record of environmental protection, and Tony Abbott has committed to hand all federal environmental responsibilities to state premiers. By voting against my amendment, Labor failed to Abbottproof our national environmental laws. This will have devastating impacts on our national environment when federal governments are no longer able to stop dams or mines in World Heritage Areas or clearing of the last habitat of nationally endangered species. In mid-June, the World Heritage Committee made a decision on the Great Barrier Reef and gave the Australian and Queensland governments a strong warning: stop the destruction of the Reef in the next year, or see the Great Barrier Reef on the World Heritage In-Danger list. The biggest threat to the Reef is the dredging and dumping to build and expand coal and gas ports, which in turn make climate change worse. We will continue to stand alongside coastal communities to protect our national treasure and the 54,000 jobs in tourism and sustainable fishing that rely on the Reef. The Reef will be an election issue in Queensland, and The Greens are the only party standing up for what matters. senator.waters@aph.gov.au
SENATOR PENNY WRIGHT - SA
It has been a hectic few months in the lead up to the election and one of the major issues for voters come Election Day is funding for public education. It has been hugely disappointing to see Labor leaving education reform to the last gasp. It was equally disheartening to hear from the Coalition that no reform is needed. Also in the area of schools and education, I secured a Senate Inquiry looking at the way NAPLAN testing is affecting our children. The stories coming through just confirm what many parents and teachers have been telling me; the tests are causing high stress and anxiety for our kids and detracting from genuine learning. I have also been keeping up the fight to improve access to the justice system. I chaired an inquiry into increased federal court fees, which heard from a number of community and legal organisations about how these increases are preventing entire sections of the community from being able to afford access to the justice system. The Coalition back flipped from their original position, leaving the Greens as the only party standing up for equal access to our justice system - a basic human right. The courts should never be used for revenue raising. My inquiry into Justice Reinvestment, looking at ways to stop spiralling imprisonment rates and deal with crime more effectively in our communities, recommended a leadership role for the Commonwealth government. Justice Reinvestment involves redirecting funds from prisons to communities, to prevent crime and strengthen the most disadvantaged communities. In the mental health sphere, I released my draft report on the Rural, Regional and Remote Mental Health consultation tour I undertook in 2012/early 2013. The tour took in towns and centres across the country and enabled me to see firsthand the importance of improving access to mental health services in regional areas. We invited submissions from stakeholders, consumers, carers and the general community through our online consultation system and will now develop a comprehensive policy for country Australia to take to the election. senator.wright@aph.gov.au
SENATOR PETER WHISH-WILSON - TAS
The Greens have long held a clear and consistent economic vision for Tasmania, and have consistently advocated plans to build on our state’s competitive advantages, diversify our economy, empower people and build communities. Whilst some may not agree with our long standing economic vision, or the philosophies which underpin this, many of its central components are now mainstream. The Greens have been quiet achievers in helping build Tasmania’s economy and caring for people. In 1992 the Green Independents outlined their vision for the Tasmanian economy and plans necessary to achieve this. Senator Christine Milne was an integral part of this first vision report titled ‘The Green Independents’ Business & Industry Strategy’. Now 20 years later we have launched “Tasmania 2030” - a vision for a green, dynamic, and prosperous Tasmanian economy. “Tasmania 2030” reviews the economy in light of the 1992 report recommendations, and outlines our broad vision and plans for the socio economic development of Tasmania over the next 20 years. The report outlines dozens of current and proposed Greens policy proposals across many sectors of the Tasmanian economy and introduces 4 key policy initiatives the Greens will be costing and releasing prior to the federal and state elections. All these policies are centred on the “collaborative economy,” targeting commercial and social enterprise development in areas such as creative industries and emerging technology, agriculture and food, tourism and waste management. These proposals, built on the existing work of many social and economic commentators in Tasmania, target government funding into new ways of facilitating business and community development, and will help build the resilience and flexibility required to capitalise on emerging opportunities for the future of Tasmania. We hope this document stimulates discussion and debate on the future directions of the Tasmanian economy, and we look forward to being part of any future economic conversation. You can download the report or a summary at www.GreensVision2030. com and I welcome specific feedback via greensvision2030@gmail.com senator.whish-wilson@aph.gov.au
ADAM BANDT - MEMBER FOR MELBOURNE DEPUTY LEADER
As we reach the end of the 43rd Parliament and the race to the election begins in earnest, the stakes have never been higher. Labor continues to disappoint, with the factional warfare between Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd giving a final boost to Tony Abbott’s ambitions. Now more than ever it is critical for the country that we maintain a strong Greens voice in Parliament to take up the fight to Tony Abbott and his extreme agenda for the country. We will continue to put forward a positive alternative agenda for the country, including on jobs, protecting our land from coal seam gas and investing in science and research. Here in Melbourne our campaign has really cranked up with over two thousand volunteers signed up for action and 300 active people leading the charge. Last month we had the first of our Days of Action. 122 committed volunteers braved the wettest June day on record and spent their Saturday reaching out to thousands of Melbourne voters. With 15 events across the electorate, we had hundreds of meaningful conversations and volunteers contributed more than 369 hours - over 10% of our total volunteer hours target. An amazing effort. We know the old parties have deep pockets and will outspend us in this campaign. But we have something they don’t have – people power. I am confident that if we continue our work we can prevent Tony Abbott from gaining total control of the Parliament and continue standing up for what matters. adam.bandt.mp@aph.gov.au
FROM THE STATES & TERRITORIES AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY
It is proving to be a busy year for the party, with ACT Greens Minister Shane Rattenbury playing an active role in the delivery of the government’s recent Budget. There were several big wins for the Greens in the Budget this year – we are particularly excited about the $18.7million investment in light rail, which includes funding for design studies and a Canberra wide network master plan. Light rail will be a major milestone for Canberra; signalling a major shift in the way we use and plan our city, and helping to insulate us from the future risks of climate change and oil shortages. While not all of the items in the ACT Greens/Labor Parliamentary Agreement were funded this year, a number were progressed. We are looking forward to seeing the Parliamentary Agreement fully funded over the four year term.
Our federal election campaign is also well under way, with ACT Greens Senate candidate Simon Sheikh campaigning aggressively throughout Canberra. His efforts have included recruiting a strong base of volunteers, maintaining a Greens presence at major community events, speaking at a range of forums, and encouraging young people to enrol to vote in the ACT. Simon and his team have also spent much of their time doorknocking and speaking with Canberra voters about the issues that matter to them. With any luck, we will be able to celebrate a victory for Simon in the next edition of Green magazine.
NEW SOUTH WALES
In NSW the news has been bleak. The Liberal Government, with the assistance of the Shooters and Fishers Party, has passed legislation to allow shooting in National Parks. Shortly after the legislation passed one of the senior staff of the NSW Game Council (which oversees shooting permits in State Forests and National Parks) was charged by Police with hunting without permission. The Government announced an inquiry into the ‘governance’ of the Game Council. Even though the results of that inquiry have not yet been handed down, the Game Council still received a massive increase to funding in the just announced NSW State Budget. Meanwhile public consultation is under way for a new planning Act.The Government says we need more houses, and faster. To achieve faster development approvals they are proposing to remove the principle of ecologically sustainable development from the Act and are proposing that residents will not have the opportunity to comment on 80% of development. And to add to it all the Liberal Government has just announced a review of the Native Vegetation Act and the Threatened Species Act. And this is not even mentioning the conservative social agenda of the O’Farrell Government which has wound back workers compensation coverage as well as reducing victims compensation payments and the window of time in which a claim must be made. What NSW most definitely doesn’t want at this time is a conservative Liberal National Government in Canberra accentuating the conservative agenda of the NSW Liberals. However the likelihood of an Abbot Government should make us ponder two things. Firstly, the importance of an election funding system which offers a real and practical opportunity for independents and minority parties to make their message heard by the electorate. Secondly in these bleak and conservative times we should remember our roots as an activist organisation. We should not forget that it is social and environmental activism that creates the basis of real change.
JAMES RYAN NSW CONVENOR
MAIY AZIZE ACT CONVENOR SIMON SHEIKH AND SHANE RATTENBURY AT THE VINNIES CEO SLEEPOUT, 20 JUNE 2013
ACT GREENS GPO Box 2019 Canberra ACT 2601 Ph: 02 6140 3220 office@act.greens.org.au www.act.greens.org.au
NSW GREENS 19 Eve St Erskineville NSW 2043 Ph: 02 9045 6999 office@nsw.greens.org.au www.nsw.greens.org.au
NORTHERN TERRITORY
The Northern Territory is a unique place and faces unique problems when it comes to running a successful election campaign. The huge distances between polling stations and limited resources means it is impossible to have a Greens presence at most polls. The Northern Territory office of the AEC recently stressed the importance of encouraging people to register and cast their vote to all NT political parties planning to run candidates in the 2013 federal election. 1 in 5 people do not vote or lodge invalid ballots in Australia. The statistics are 2 in 5 in the Northern Territory. In remote areas there is only a 50% participation rate and the demographic with the lowest enrollment is the 18 and 25 age bracket. The AEC stated the main reason being that ‘there is a belief amongst this group that registering to vote will affect people’s privacy and that they will no longer be anonymous’. This is a serious problem in The Northern Territory as the Aboriginal population is constantly undermined by aggressive, intrusive policies and governments that use Aboriginal issues as a political tool to gain votes. The Aboriginal community is a substantial population and could have a large political influence if the rate of lodging a valid vote was increased. The Northern Territory Office of the AEC will have polls open for longer periods in remote areas this year in the hope of being accessible to more voters. The AEC has also stressed the need for parties to travel with translators as English is often spoken as a second or even third language by many people. The Northern Territory Greens are working to have a presence at larger polling stations where there are more than a thousand registered voters. We will be relying on Greens supporters and members of the community, as the majority of places are only accessible by light aircraft or four-wheel drive.
NICHOLAS GOULDHURST ACTING NT CONVENOR
QUEENSLAND
The Queensland Greens are raring to go in the lead up to the federal election, whoever the Labor leader is. We’ve got our full Senate ticket and almost all our House of Representatives candidates in place. We’ve had some great fundraisers – which were fun as well as raised some nice amounts of cash. We’ve got candidates and campaigners at rallies, stalls, street corners, markets and more across large areas of our very large state. And we’re building up our database of volunteers for the months to come. With Bob Katter’s party polling well and Clive Palmer’s travelling circus grabbing the attention of the mainstream media, it is challenging to get regular media coverage. We’re trying hard at that of course, but also exploring every other way to get our message out. At the 2010 federal election, Labor only just managed to get two quotas in the Senate contest. With their vote likely to drop, there is no certainty that Labor will even hold two of the three seats they have up for reelection this time. Queensland is as big a battleground state as any other in the country when it comes to trying to stop the LNP and the far right fringe gaining control of the Senate. It was the state which most recently delivered 4 out of the 6 seats to the conservatives – back in 2004 – and there is a very real chance of it happening again in 2013. The Greens are the key party standing in the way of that in Queensland, and as in 2004, it could be the state that makes the difference in delivering control of the Senate to the conservatives. I’d like to personally thank all the candidates and campaigners for all the work they have done to date and the time and money they have already contributed, the branch office bearers, and my colleagues on the state Management Committee. We are now entering into the final stretch and the outcome will quite literally shape the future – so no pressure, but please look at ways you can help and any friends, family and acquaintances you can recruit to the cause as well. See you on the hustings.
ANDREW BARTLETT QLD CONVENOR
NT GREENS PO Box 421 Nightcliff NT 0814 Ph: 0402 617 416 convenor@nt.greens.org.au www.nt.greens.org.au
QUEENSLAND GREENS PO Box 661, Albion BC, 4010 Ph: 07 3173 1127 office@qld.greens.org.au www.qld.greens.org.au
SOUTH AUSTRALIA
As Greens candidate for Adelaide, I’m speaking at a Make Poverty History Forum in the next few weeks – one of many similar forums around the country. Make poverty history. If we are judged by the poorest in our society, then how will we be judged? Selfish? Greedy? Self-centered? One of the United Nations Millenium Development goals seeks to halve the rate of poverty in the world by 2015. What do we spend on overseas aid? The Labor government has reneged on its previous promise of increasing aid to 0.5% (about 7.6 billion) of Gross National Income by 2015. Instead, the government has deferred the commitment to 20172018, a saving of $1.9 billion. Is this enough when the government expects to spend about $2 billion a year for the next four years intercepting asylum seekers? Will the funds reach those that need it? Or will it go to Australian contractors overseas or to asylum seeker ‘services’? In this year’s budget, Australia will use foreign aid funding to care for asylum seekers on Australian soil to a maximum of $375 million a year. Abbott’s opposition also reneged on increasing aid to 0.5% of Gross National Income by 2015. It has committed to dedicating 0.5% of the budget to overseas aid, but has not detailed when that target will be achieved. Voters need an alternative to an Abbott government. And The Labor party is floundering. The Greens provide the alternative. Greens policy promises to increase overseas aid to a minimum of 0.7% (or about $10.64 billion) of Gross National Income phased in over time with additional increases when there is disaster. Why don’t we do enough for those who have nothing? Do we lack moral fortitude? By doing nothing, or not enough, are we not just letting people starve but also starving people? Are we acting in the same manner as those German citizens who didn’t ‘know’ of the final solution? Those Germans would be punished if they didn’t obey. What’s our excuse? Make poverty history.
RUTH BEACH SA STATE CONVENOR
SOUTH AUSTRALIAN GREENS 239 Wright Street Adelaide SA 5000 Ph: 08 8212 4888 saoffice@sa.greens.org.au www.sa.greens.org.au
TASMANIA
Tasmania’s Federal candidates are pounding the streets, attending community events and taking every opportunity talk to Tasmanians about Greens values of caring for our most vulnerable people, protecting land, sea and air, and about the need for genuine progress for all. Our Federal candidates are Senator Peter Whish-Wilson, Alderman Rosalie Woodruff for the southern Tasmania seat of Franklin, Anna Reynolds for the Hobart seat of Denison, Pip Brinklow for the central Tasmania seat of Lyons and number two and three candidates on the senate ticket, Hobart Alderman Helen Burnet and Penelope Ann respectively. In the last few days, Senator WhishWilson has been defending Tasmania’s local fishing industry by speaking out against the possible return of the supertrawler AV Margiris to state waters if Tony Abbott becomes prime minister. Peter has also been working with winegrowers over their concerns about State Government plans to rapidly accelerate the industry. And he has also been working with the King Island community to help re-open its recently closed abattoir. Candidate for the Hobart seat of Denison, Anna Reynolds has been equally energetic and is working closely with Minister for Sustainable Transport on getting light rail up and running for Greater Hobart. The candidate for the southernTasmania seat of Franklin, Alderman Rosalie Woodruff, attended a campaign meeting at the weekend with Greens Leader Christine Milne, where she talked about how and why she became an activist and Greens candidate. With the election seemingly possible almost at any time, Rosalie had this to say: “My campaigning strategy during this final period can be summed up in two words: warmth and leadership. I am prioritising door-knocking, attending local events, and local “kitchen cabinets” organised by supporters. I am also organising and chairing several forums, including the Tarkine Experience (Hobart, 25 July), The Future of Agriculture in Tasmania (Hobart, midAugust), Sawmilling in the Huon Valley (Huonville, 8 August), and Statewide Action on Childhood Obesity (Howrah, early August).” Good luck to our state candidates and to all the candidates around the country.
VICTORIA
We’re riding high in Victoria, with nearly all of our 37 lower house candidates preselected and campaigning hard with their local teams. Lead Senate candidate Janet Rice is travelling across Melbourne and the (albeit, small) state every week and we’ve selected a great team of Senate ticket candidates to support her. Adam Bandt’s campaign for Melbourne is having a huge impact, with mass door-knocking efforts and events throughout the first six months of this year culminating in a great run up to election day. Our other major news from Victoria is the appointment of the new Victorian Greens State Director, Larissa Brown. Former Australian Young Environmentalist and Victorian Young Australian of the Year, Larissa comes to the AGV having founded and led the Centre for Sustainability Leadership as its Executive Director. She has also served on the Minister’s Advisory Panel on Climate Change. In May, candidate Nina Springle contested the state seat of Lyndhurst by-election in Melbourne’s south eastern suburbs, gaining a very respectable increase in our primary vote in what is tough, mortgage belt terrain for the Greens. In the federal campaign, things have become more interesting in Gellibrand, with the retirement of Nicola Roxon and in Batman (which in 2010 became Australia’s third seat to go ‘Greens-Labor’) Martin Ferguson announced that he will not be recontesting. Our State MLCs are continuing their great work in Spring Street, with Greg Barber focusing on the controversial automated ticketing system rollout in country Victoria, as well as public housing and planning. Colleen Hartland is continuing her work for a container deposit scheme and on fire fighter entitlements to health cover, and the Party Whip Sue Pennicuik has been advocating for fair education funding and a ban on jumps racing. In our first campaign with sitting federal office holders, candidates around the state are benefitting from the dedication, commitment and hard work of Adam in the lower house and Senator Richard Di Natale, as they talk with Victorian voters about Greens achievements ranging from Denticare to the Clean Energy Act.
TOM ALLEN TASMANIA CONVENOR
ALEX BHATHAL & DINESH MATHEW, AGV CO-CONVENORS
TASMANIAN GREENS GPO Box 1132 Hobart TAS 7001 Ph: 03 6236 9334 party@tas.greens.org.au www.tas.greens.org.au
VICTORIAN GREENS GPO Box 4589 Melbourne VIC 3001 Ph: 03 9602 1141 office@vic.greens.org.au www.vic.greens.org.au
GREEN PARTY NEWS
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
The last month saw a number of events designed to build the profile of senator Scott Ludlam, who is up for re-election. In June on Monday 10th, Scott introduced a talk on the groundbreaking Energy 2029 plan at a meeting of Sustainable Energy Now (SEN). The inspiring talk and Q&A session by SEN chair Steve Gates showed conclusively that renewables are a viable alternative for this state. Wednesday 12th saw Scott appearing alongside former Greens leader Bob Brown at Rigby’s Atrium in Perth. A video of Scott’s speech can be found at bit.ly/151P1qO. The theme of the evening was a simple and important message that Australia faces an historic turning point at the election. We will either bed down and build on the achievements of the last three years, or see the nation fall backwards. The re-election of Scott Ludlam is essential if this is to be prevented. To cap off a packed week, Scott represented the Greens at the “Now That’s A Party!” event organised by GetUp at the Alexander Library lecture hall. The event, hosted by former ABC journalist Peter Kennedy, featured representatives of the Greens, Sex Party, Wikileaks Party, Pirate Party and the Socialist Alliance. Needless to say, Scott did a great job representing the Greens and letting the audience know exactly why they should look to the Greens on election day! Selection of lower house candidates is now well underway, and we have opened nominations for the #3 spot on the 2013 senate ticket. The successful candidate will play a valuable role supporting the campaign to re-elect Senator Scott Ludlam. Finally, we are now busily preparing the “Laughs are Always Greener” comedy night! This will be an hilarious night of live comedy to be held on Friday, 26th July, 7:00pm. Featuring Good News Week’s Claire Hooper, every cent raised will support Senator Scott Ludlam’s election campaign. Comedylovers of ALL political stripes will have a fantastic night. Bookings are essential.
CHRIS DICKINSON WA CONVENOR
WA GREENS PO Box Y3022 Perth WA 6832 Ph: 08 9221 8333 office@wa.greens.org.au www.wa.greens.org.au
The latest news from our federal MPs and state convenors
WINTER 2013 OUR FEDERAL MPS SENATOR CHRISTINE MILNE - TAS FEDERAL PARLIAMENTARY LEADER
When I became Australian Greens leader I made a point of reaching out to rural Australia and connecting urban consumers with rural producers. We now have new legislation for “country of origin” food labelling and a plan for improving biosecurity for Australian agriculture and our natural environment. I’ve also spoken at events for the banana industry and vegetable industry and visited areas in NSW threatened by coal-seam gas and coal mines (see Christine’s Column in Green magazine for photos). We also have our Country Greens network up and running to help connect elected representatives and campaigners in rural and regional areas. The Greens believe our National Food Plan should help farmers stay on the land and keep the land they farm in good condition. We also want to see farmers get a decent farm-gate price which is why we’re keen to get our policies and positions out to rural communities. Women’s issues and feminism have also hit the headlines. Unlike the old parties, Greens walk the talk. We have great policies supporting women and I lead the only party in parliament with more women than men! I have contributed an essay to Destroy the Joint’s recently released book and spoke about it at the Sydney Writers’ Festival in May (www.ucp.uq.edu.au). I was also asked by Madison magazine to sit down with senior women to argue the case for boardroom quotas and other issues affecting women’s participation in the corporate world. We Greens continue to point out the hypocrisy of cutting support for single parents while talking up feminism. Our policies support parents struggling with childcare costs, paid parental leave, ensuring family planning is central to our aid policy and maintaining federal support for programs to protect women from violence. senator.milne@aph.gov.au
SENATOR RACHEL SIEWERT - WA
Work is becoming increasingly hectic as we move towards the end of Parliament before the upcoming election.
The NDIS legislation has passed parliament, and I’m now working closely with the sector to ensure the roll out of the launch sites are as effective as possible. Colin Barnett is still refusing to sign up, despite the broad support among people with a disability and their supporters. We are working hard to encourage WA to join this scheme. One of our key priorities is our campaign to help single parents and job seekers on inadequate payments like Newstart. You can read more about this issue in this edition of Green magazine. I have spent a lot of time recently on the very important issue of aged care reform and will be moving a series of amendments to improve the existing bills when they come before the Senate for consideration. We’ve recently seen the Coalition attempt to dismantle Australia’s newly established system of marine parks by moving to disallow the marine protected areas’ management plans. The disallowance was narrowly defeated in the House of Representatives but it gives us a good idea (if we didn’t know already) of just how little the Coalition value our oceans. It is more important than ever to continue our campaign to protect Australia’s oceans. Likewise, it is important we continue our campaign to protect James Price Point. I was in the Kimberley when the announcement was made that Woodside was not going ahead with the gas hub at James Price Point, and I got the chance to celebrate with the locals - sometimes you can be in the right place at the right time! Despite this announcement, the threats to JPP aren’t over and we need to continue working hard to make sure this doesn’t happen. More than ever, there are issues across my portfolios that highlight the need to have Greens in Parliament. Over the next few months I know we’ll be working harder than ever to make sure the Greens’ presence in Parliament remains strong. senator.siewert@aph.gov.au
SENATOR SCOTT LUDLAM - WA
Recent times have been equal parts exciting and challenging, and much has happened to reinforce the importance of a strong Greens presence in the national Parliament. We have launched our homelessness initiative - ‘Leaving No-one Behind’, a fully costed $1billion plan to eliminate rough sleeping by 2020. Leaving No-one Behind will double funding to homelessness services, and build 7000 homes using modular building technology that is fast, inexpensive, and energy efficient. The Coalition highlighted the danger they represent by refusing to vote in favour of a Senate motion supporting the aim of halving homelessness by 2020. There are 105,000 homeless Australians today. We introduced legislation to improve Australia’s archaic and arcane copyright laws. Central to our ‘Fair Go for Fair Use’ reforms is the introduction of a ‘fair use’ provision that will promote innovation and fair access to archives and other information stores of public interest. Under the current laws, schools, universities and ISPs can face legal sanctions if end users infringe copyright law while using their services - our Bill changes that. Our reforms also remove obstacles for blind and visually impaired Australians accessing published works in formats such as Braille, large print text and audio books. Australians pay up to 70% more than overseas consumers for music, films, software and hardware. The removal of ‘geocodes’ through this Bill will go a long way to fix this. The Bill has been referred to the Environment and Communications Committee reporting 3 October, so please make a submission. ELECTION IMPENDING With Kevin Rudd back in the Lodge and threatening to weaken the Clean Energy Act, we know a vote for The Greens is more crucial than ever. Labor needs to get the message on climate change and refugees, and Tony Abbott needs to be stopped from abolishing the Clean Energy Finance Corp, the NBN, the Gonski reforms, the mining super profits tax, and Federal funding for urban rail. There is a lot at stake, which means we have every reason to win. senator.ludlam@aph.gov.au
AUSTRALIAN GREENS National Office GPO Box 1108 Canberra ACT 2601 Ph: 02 6140 3217 (Canberra) 1800 017 011 greens@greens.org.au www.greens.org.au
NORTHERN TERRITORY
The Northern Territory is a unique place and faces unique problems when it comes to running a successful election campaign. The huge distances between polling stations and limited resources means it is impossible to have a Greens presence at most polls. The Northern Territory office of the AEC recently stressed the importance of encouraging people to register and cast their vote to all NT political parties planning to run candidates in the 2013 federal election. 1 in 5 people do not vote or lodge invalid ballots in Australia. The statistics are 2 in 5 in the Northern Territory. In remote areas there is only a 50% participation rate and the demographic with the lowest enrollment is the 18 and 25 age bracket. The AEC stated the main reason being that ‘there is a belief amongst this group that registering to vote will affect people’s privacy and that they will no longer be anonymous’. This is a serious problem in The Northern Territory as the Aboriginal population is constantly undermined by aggressive, intrusive policies and governments that use Aboriginal issues as a political tool to gain votes. The Aboriginal community is a substantial population and could have a large political influence if the rate of lodging a valid vote was increased. The Northern Territory Office of the AEC will have polls open for longer periods in remote areas this year in the hope of being accessible to more voters. The AEC has also stressed the need for parties to travel with translators as English is often spoken as a second or even third language by many people. The Northern Territory Greens are working to have a presence at larger polling stations where there are more than a thousand registered voters. We will be relying on Greens supporters and members of the community, as the majority of places are only accessible by light aircraft or four-wheel drive.
NICHOLAS GOULDHURST ACTING NT CONVENOR
QUEENSLAND
The Queensland Greens are raring to go in the lead up to the federal election, whoever the Labor leader is. We’ve got our full Senate ticket and almost all our House of Representatives candidates in place. We’ve had some great fundraisers – which were fun as well as raised some nice amounts of cash. We’ve got candidates and campaigners at rallies, stalls, street corners, markets and more across large areas of our very large state. And we’re building up our database of volunteers for the months to come. With Bob Katter’s party polling well and Clive Palmer’s travelling circus grabbing the attention of the mainstream media, it is challenging to get regular media coverage. We’re trying hard at that of course, but also exploring every other way to get our message out. At the 2010 federal election, Labor only just managed to get two quotas in the Senate contest. With their vote likely to drop, there is no certainty that Labor will even hold two of the three seats they have up for reelection this time. Queensland is as big a battleground state as any other in the country when it comes to trying to stop the LNP and the far right fringe gaining control of the Senate. It was the state which most recently delivered 4 out of the 6 seats to the conservatives – back in 2004 – and there is a very real chance of it happening again in 2013. The Greens are the key party standing in the way of that in Queensland, and as in 2004, it could be the state that makes the difference in delivering control of the Senate to the conservatives. I’d like to personally thank all the candidates and campaigners for all the work they have done to date and the time and money they have already contributed, the branch office bearers, and my colleagues on the state Management Committee. We are now entering into the final stretch and the outcome will quite literally shape the future – so no pressure, but please look at ways you can help and any friends, family and acquaintances you can recruit to the cause as well. See you on the hustings.
ANDREW BARTLETT QLD CONVENOR
NT GREENS PO Box 421 Nightcliff NT 0814 Ph: 0402 617 416 convenor@nt.greens.org.au www.nt.greens.org.au
QUEENSLAND GREENS PO Box 661, Albion BC, 4010 Ph: 07 3173 1127 office@qld.greens.org.au www.qld.greens.org.au
SOUTH AUSTRALIA
As Greens candidate for Adelaide, I’m speaking at a Make Poverty History Forum in the next few weeks – one of many similar forums around the country. Make poverty history. If we are judged by the poorest in our society, then how will we be judged? Selfish? Greedy? Self-centered? One of the United Nations Millenium Development goals seeks to halve the rate of poverty in the world by 2015. What do we spend on overseas aid? The Labor government has reneged on its previous promise of increasing aid to 0.5% (about 7.6 billion) of Gross National Income by 2015. Instead, the government has deferred the commitment to 20172018, a saving of $1.9 billion. Is this enough when the government expects to spend about $2 billion a year for the next four years intercepting asylum seekers? Will the funds reach those that need it? Or will it go to Australian contractors overseas or to asylum seeker ‘services’? In this year’s budget, Australia will use foreign aid funding to care for asylum seekers on Australian soil to a maximum of $375 million a year. Abbott’s opposition also reneged on increasing aid to 0.5% of Gross National Income by 2015. It has committed to dedicating 0.5% of the budget to overseas aid, but has not detailed when that target will be achieved. Voters need an alternative to an Abbott government. And The Labor party is floundering. The Greens provide the alternative. Greens policy promises to increase overseas aid to a minimum of 0.7% (or about $10.64 billion) of Gross National Income phased in over time with additional increases when there is disaster. Why don’t we do enough for those who have nothing? Do we lack moral fortitude? By doing nothing, or not enough, are we not just letting people starve but also starving people? Are we acting in the same manner as those German citizens who didn’t ‘know’ of the final solution? Those Germans would be punished if they didn’t obey. What’s our excuse? Make poverty history.
RUTH BEACH SA STATE CONVENOR
SOUTH AUSTRALIAN GREENS 239 Wright Street Adelaide SA 5000 Ph: 08 8212 4888 saoffice@sa.greens.org.au www.sa.greens.org.au
TASMANIA
Tasmania’s Federal candidates are pounding the streets, attending community events and taking every opportunity talk to Tasmanians about Greens values of caring for our most vulnerable people, protecting land, sea and air, and about the need for genuine progress for all. Our Federal candidates are Senator Peter Whish-Wilson, Alderman Rosalie Woodruff for the southern Tasmania seat of Franklin, Anna Reynolds for the Hobart seat of Denison, Pip Brinklow for the central Tasmania seat of Lyons and number two and three candidates on the senate ticket, Hobart Alderman Helen Burnet and Penelope Ann respectively. In the last few days, Senator WhishWilson has been defending Tasmania’s local fishing industry by speaking out against the possible return of the supertrawler AV Margiris to state waters if Tony Abbott becomes prime minister. Peter has also been working with winegrowers over their concerns about State Government plans to rapidly accelerate the industry. And he has also been working with the King Island community to help re-open its recently closed abattoir. Candidate for the Hobart seat of Denison, Anna Reynolds has been equally energetic and is working closely with Minister for Sustainable Transport on getting light rail up and running for Greater Hobart. The candidate for the southernTasmania seat of Franklin, Alderman Rosalie Woodruff, attended a campaign meeting at the weekend with Greens Leader Christine Milne, where she talked about how and why she became an activist and Greens candidate. With the election seemingly possible almost at any time, Rosalie had this to say: “My campaigning strategy during this final period can be summed up in two words: warmth and leadership. I am prioritising door-knocking, attending local events, and local “kitchen cabinets” organised by supporters. I am also organising and chairing several forums, including the Tarkine Experience (Hobart, 25 July), The Future of Agriculture in Tasmania (Hobart, midAugust), Sawmilling in the Huon Valley (Huonville, 8 August), and Statewide Action on Childhood Obesity (Howrah, early August).” Good luck to our state candidates and to all the candidates around the country.
VICTORIA
We’re riding high in Victoria, with nearly all of our 37 lower house candidates preselected and campaigning hard with their local teams. Lead Senate candidate Janet Rice is travelling across Melbourne and the (albeit, small) state every week and we’ve selected a great team of Senate ticket candidates to support her. Adam Bandt’s campaign for Melbourne is having a huge impact, with mass door-knocking efforts and events throughout the first six months of this year culminating in a great run up to election day. Our other major news from Victoria is the appointment of the new Victorian Greens State Director, Larissa Brown. Former Australian Young Environmentalist and Victorian Young Australian of the Year, Larissa comes to the AGV having founded and led the Centre for Sustainability Leadership as its Executive Director. She has also served on the Minister’s Advisory Panel on Climate Change. In May, candidate Nina Springle contested the state seat of Lyndhurst by-election in Melbourne’s south eastern suburbs, gaining a very respectable increase in our primary vote in what is tough, mortgage belt terrain for the Greens. In the federal campaign, things have become more interesting in Gellibrand, with the retirement of Nicola Roxon and in Batman (which in 2010 became Australia’s third seat to go ‘Greens-Labor’) Martin Ferguson announced that he will not be recontesting. Our State MLCs are continuing their great work in Spring Street, with Greg Barber focusing on the controversial automated ticketing system rollout in country Victoria, as well as public housing and planning. Colleen Hartland is continuing her work for a container deposit scheme and on fire fighter entitlements to health cover, and the Party Whip Sue Pennicuik has been advocating for fair education funding and a ban on jumps racing. In our first campaign with sitting federal office holders, candidates around the state are benefitting from the dedication, commitment and hard work of Adam in the lower house and Senator Richard Di Natale, as they talk with Victorian voters about Greens achievements ranging from Denticare to the Clean Energy Act.
TOM ALLEN TASMANIA CONVENOR
ALEX BHATHAL & DINESH MATHEW, AGV CO-CONVENORS
TASMANIAN GREENS GPO Box 1132 Hobart TAS 7001 Ph: 03 6236 9334 party@tas.greens.org.au www.tas.greens.org.au
VICTORIAN GREENS GPO Box 4589 Melbourne VIC 3001 Ph: 03 9602 1141 office@vic.greens.org.au www.vic.greens.org.au
GREEN PARTY NEWS
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
The last month saw a number of events designed to build the profile of senator Scott Ludlam, who is up for re-election. In June on Monday 10th, Scott introduced a talk on the groundbreaking Energy 2029 plan at a meeting of Sustainable Energy Now (SEN). The inspiring talk and Q&A session by SEN chair Steve Gates showed conclusively that renewables are a viable alternative for this state. Wednesday 12th saw Scott appearing alongside former Greens leader Bob Brown at Rigby’s Atrium in Perth. A video of Scott’s speech can be found at bit.ly/151P1qO. The theme of the evening was a simple and important message that Australia faces an historic turning point at the election. We will either bed down and build on the achievements of the last three years, or see the nation fall backwards. The re-election of Scott Ludlam is essential if this is to be prevented. To cap off a packed week, Scott represented the Greens at the “Now That’s A Party!” event organised by GetUp at the Alexander Library lecture hall. The event, hosted by former ABC journalist Peter Kennedy, featured representatives of the Greens, Sex Party, Wikileaks Party, Pirate Party and the Socialist Alliance. Needless to say, Scott did a great job representing the Greens and letting the audience know exactly why they should look to the Greens on election day! Selection of lower house candidates is now well underway, and we have opened nominations for the #3 spot on the 2013 senate ticket. The successful candidate will play a valuable role supporting the campaign to re-elect Senator Scott Ludlam. Finally, we are now busily preparing the “Laughs are Always Greener” comedy night! This will be an hilarious night of live comedy to be held on Friday, 26th July, 7:00pm. Featuring Good News Week’s Claire Hooper, every cent raised will support Senator Scott Ludlam’s election campaign. Comedylovers of ALL political stripes will have a fantastic night. Bookings are essential.
CHRIS DICKINSON WA CONVENOR
WA GREENS PO Box Y3022 Perth WA 6832 Ph: 08 9221 8333 office@wa.greens.org.au www.wa.greens.org.au
The latest news from our federal MPs and state convenors
WINTER 2013 OUR FEDERAL MPS SENATOR CHRISTINE MILNE - TAS FEDERAL PARLIAMENTARY LEADER
When I became Australian Greens leader I made a point of reaching out to rural Australia and connecting urban consumers with rural producers. We now have new legislation for “country of origin” food labelling and a plan for improving biosecurity for Australian agriculture and our natural environment. I’ve also spoken at events for the banana industry and vegetable industry and visited areas in NSW threatened by coal-seam gas and coal mines (see Christine’s Column in Green magazine for photos). We also have our Country Greens network up and running to help connect elected representatives and campaigners in rural and regional areas. The Greens believe our National Food Plan should help farmers stay on the land and keep the land they farm in good condition. We also want to see farmers get a decent farm-gate price which is why we’re keen to get our policies and positions out to rural communities. Women’s issues and feminism have also hit the headlines. Unlike the old parties, Greens walk the talk. We have great policies supporting women and I lead the only party in parliament with more women than men! I have contributed an essay to Destroy the Joint’s recently released book and spoke about it at the Sydney Writers’ Festival in May (www.ucp.uq.edu.au). I was also asked by Madison magazine to sit down with senior women to argue the case for boardroom quotas and other issues affecting women’s participation in the corporate world. We Greens continue to point out the hypocrisy of cutting support for single parents while talking up feminism. Our policies support parents struggling with childcare costs, paid parental leave, ensuring family planning is central to our aid policy and maintaining federal support for programs to protect women from violence. senator.milne@aph.gov.au
SENATOR RACHEL SIEWERT - WA
Work is becoming increasingly hectic as we move towards the end of Parliament before the upcoming election.
The NDIS legislation has passed parliament, and I’m now working closely with the sector to ensure the roll out of the launch sites are as effective as possible. Colin Barnett is still refusing to sign up, despite the broad support among people with a disability and their supporters. We are working hard to encourage WA to join this scheme. One of our key priorities is our campaign to help single parents and job seekers on inadequate payments like Newstart. You can read more about this issue in this edition of Green magazine. I have spent a lot of time recently on the very important issue of aged care reform and will be moving a series of amendments to improve the existing bills when they come before the Senate for consideration. We’ve recently seen the Coalition attempt to dismantle Australia’s newly established system of marine parks by moving to disallow the marine protected areas’ management plans. The disallowance was narrowly defeated in the House of Representatives but it gives us a good idea (if we didn’t know already) of just how little the Coalition value our oceans. It is more important than ever to continue our campaign to protect Australia’s oceans. Likewise, it is important we continue our campaign to protect James Price Point. I was in the Kimberley when the announcement was made that Woodside was not going ahead with the gas hub at James Price Point, and I got the chance to celebrate with the locals - sometimes you can be in the right place at the right time! Despite this announcement, the threats to JPP aren’t over and we need to continue working hard to make sure this doesn’t happen. More than ever, there are issues across my portfolios that highlight the need to have Greens in Parliament. Over the next few months I know we’ll be working harder than ever to make sure the Greens’ presence in Parliament remains strong. senator.siewert@aph.gov.au
SENATOR SCOTT LUDLAM - WA
Recent times have been equal parts exciting and challenging, and much has happened to reinforce the importance of a strong Greens presence in the national Parliament. We have launched our homelessness initiative - ‘Leaving No-one Behind’, a fully costed $1billion plan to eliminate rough sleeping by 2020. Leaving No-one Behind will double funding to homelessness services, and build 7000 homes using modular building technology that is fast, inexpensive, and energy efficient. The Coalition highlighted the danger they represent by refusing to vote in favour of a Senate motion supporting the aim of halving homelessness by 2020. There are 105,000 homeless Australians today. We introduced legislation to improve Australia’s archaic and arcane copyright laws. Central to our ‘Fair Go for Fair Use’ reforms is the introduction of a ‘fair use’ provision that will promote innovation and fair access to archives and other information stores of public interest. Under the current laws, schools, universities and ISPs can face legal sanctions if end users infringe copyright law while using their services - our Bill changes that. Our reforms also remove obstacles for blind and visually impaired Australians accessing published works in formats such as Braille, large print text and audio books. Australians pay up to 70% more than overseas consumers for music, films, software and hardware. The removal of ‘geocodes’ through this Bill will go a long way to fix this. The Bill has been referred to the Environment and Communications Committee reporting 3 October, so please make a submission. ELECTION IMPENDING With Kevin Rudd back in the Lodge and threatening to weaken the Clean Energy Act, we know a vote for The Greens is more crucial than ever. Labor needs to get the message on climate change and refugees, and Tony Abbott needs to be stopped from abolishing the Clean Energy Finance Corp, the NBN, the Gonski reforms, the mining super profits tax, and Federal funding for urban rail. There is a lot at stake, which means we have every reason to win. senator.ludlam@aph.gov.au
AUSTRALIAN GREENS National Office GPO Box 1108 Canberra ACT 2601 Ph: 02 6140 3217 (Canberra) 1800 017 011 greens@greens.org.au www.greens.org.au