northern territory
The NT election is over and while the Green vote dropped slightly and the NT now has a conservative government, there are still some highlights for us. We finished the year with three Greens elected to local government, a solid membership base, and a strong NT focused policy platform. With both local and NT government elections it has been a busy year for us and we were fortunate to have a full time campaign manager, Bharath Ragothaman work for us. Bharath put a huge amount of work into the campaign – thank you Bharath. One positive aspect of the election was that the result was entirely determined by the vote in the bush no seats changed in either Darwin or Alice Springs. For the main part, remote aboriginal communities delivered a change of government, and the CLP will be challenged trying to manage the expectations of the traditional CLP vote and the remote indigenous vote; two very different constituent groups with very different expectations. We can only hope that from now on Aboriginal and remote communities across the NT will not be taken for granted. The seat of Nightcliff, where we had hoped to do well, saw our vote fall in the face of stiff competition from a high profile Green independent and other independents. One positive is that the combined “green vote” did increase to close to 30% despite all minor candidates being massively outspent by the ALP and CLP. With the NT Election now over, our attention must focus on re-engaging, supporting our three Green Aldermen on Darwin and Alice Springs Councils, and of course planning for next year’s federal election. November will see our AGM elect a new committee and there is much to do for both the committee and members. In fact, the strength of the Greens is dependent on members getting actively involved with the party and the community. So if you want to make the NT a Green and fairer place to live, please get in touch and get involved. There is plenty to do.
Simon Niblock NT Convenor
NT Greens PO Box 421 Nightcliff NT 0814 Ph: 0402 617 416 convenor@nt.greens.org.au www.nt.greens.org.au
QUEENSLAND
With state elections, council elections, by-election and internal elections to select a new Management Committee all completed, the Qld Greens are now focusing in on the upcoming federal election. Our Senate pre-selection has concluded, with Adam Stone being elected by the membership to head our Senate ticket. There is a real opportunity to win an extra Senate seat in Queensland and Adam is already campaigning hard. We are also well underway with selecting candidates for the thirty House of Representatives electorates. The Queensland community is currently experiencing enormous upheavals in the early stages of the new LNP government led by Campbell Newman. Around 14 000 public service jobs have been lost, along with major cuts to community organisations. Any groups engaging in advocacy have come in for special targeting, along with those perceived as ideological enemies of the LNP. We have also seen serious weakening of our environmental laws, continuing ‘jobs for the boys’ with many LNP mates getting plum public sector and other jobs, and a proposal to weaken the Crime and Misconduct Commission – a body set up in the wake of the Fitzgerald Inquiry to tackle corruption. We are working on strengthening our links to key groups, including a number of trade unions who are also under attack from the state government. There has been a coming together of many people and groups to fight against the public sector and funding cuts and a pending ‘law and order’ campaign. We are also hoping to spark community support for electoral reform, as Queensland is currently suffering under one of the most disproportionate levels of representation of any Parliament for many a year. Despite getting just under 50% of the vote at the state election, the LNP holds nearly 88% of the seats, with 78 of the 89 seats in the Parliament. With no Upper House and a weakened committee system, there is minimal accountability and half of the population has minimal representation.
Andrew Bartlett Qld Convenor
Queensland Greens PO Box 661, Albion BC, 4010 Ph: 07 3173 1127 office@qld.greens.org.au www.qld.greens.org.au
SOUTH AUSTRALIA
The upcoming federal election is dominating the agenda for SA Greens. This next election is a critical time for the Greens with SA Senator, Sarah Hanson-Young up for re-election. It is vital that the Greens nationally support this campaign as Sarah’s position may well impact the balance of power. With pre-selection for the Senate ticket completed, activity has been at fever pitch to pre-select candidates for the lower house seats. Thanks to the hard efforts of many involved this is nearing completion, a mammoth task, achieved in what must be near record time. Of course, at the same time, preparations are continuing for the upcoming March 2014 State election with an aim of adding another representative to the Upper House. On the political scene, the Murray Darling Basin continues to dominate the agenda with negotiations escalating in order to protect the environment and those who depend on the river. Olympic Dam Expansion, the plight of refugees and the placement and size of sanctuary zones (where species are protected) for the State marine parks are also consuming the work undertaken by our parliamentary representatives. In September, many people voted with their feet and walked from Port Augusta to Adelaide showing support for the proposal to convert the two existing coalfired power stations into solar thermal plants (rather than a gas plant). This has local support and needs federal input financially to make renewable energy a reality in this area. Locally, we are also contributing to the Greens policy discussion, fundraising feverishly and preparing for the national conference. Finally, thanks to Craig Wilkins and the previous Coordinating Group which very ably led the South Australian Greens through changes to the constitution and other important financial and administrative matters last year. And welcome to the new Coordinating Group which was voted in at the AGM to steer us through the next election year. I look forward to working with you and the Greens to achieve electoral success and ultimately a better social and natural environment for all.
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
With transport this issue’s theme, the Tasmanian Greens are punching above our weight in this area. This is thanks, in part, to our two standout Federal candidates, Anna Reynolds and Rosalie Woodruff, in the electorates of Denison and Franklin respectively, two of the traditionally greenest-voting seats in the country. Passenger transport in the State has a long legacy of woeful under-investment. With oil prices unlikely to fall, an overreliance on cars for transport has left the State vulnerable; this affects private passengers as much as commercial freight. Anna and Rosalie have real-world and attractive visions of how to make transport sustainable and people-focused. With Denison covering Hobart and its northern suburbs, Anna has made public transport central to her campaign. Working with Greens Leader and Minister for Sustainable Transport, Nick McKim, Anna is campaigning for a light rail system, a Greens policy since the midnineties. Anna is also championing cycleways, and has been a vocal supporter of the long-running campaign to create a cycleway on Sandy Bay Road, one of the main thoroughfares into Hobart. Rosalie Woodruff has taken a different tack, making the retro-fitting of cars (including turning them into electric vehicles) central to her campaign. Tasmanians collectively spent $620 million on petrol last year, and this is expected to double in ten years. There is a nascent cottage industry emerging in the state, with mechanics retro-fitting cars to run on electrical batteries or making them more fuel efficient. Rosalie is keen to see this turn into a more mainstream enterprise and has wasted no time highlighting the multiple benefits of such schemes. In fact, both candidates have got off to a flying start after a series of seismic developments in the state. These include the collapse of notorious timber company, Gunns Ltd, the forthcoming downsizing of “rogue government agency”, Forestry Tasmania, as well as some high-profile Greens wins, such as the banning of battery hens and sow stalls. Rosalie and Anna are helping make the continued greening of the state’s transport system popular and realistic propositions.
VICTORIA
As we write, the AGV’s 42 branches and 107 Greens candidates are in the throes of Victoria’s local government elections and we’ll know the outcomes by the time you are reading this. In the wake of our massive campaign and record result for Dr Cathy Oke in July’s by-election for the State seat of Melbourne, our campaign for Lord Mayor of Melbourne is attracting great public interest, with Mayoral candidate Dr Alison Parkes, Deputy Dave Collis, incumbent Councillor Cathy Oke and the whole Melbourne team doing the Greens proud. The AGV continues with the implementation of our new branchbased Constitution and last month welcomed the launch of the Surfcoast Greens, on Victoria’s iconic southwest coast. We’re also excited by the news that the Melton Greens, another periurban branch, are next in line. Another very positive development for the Vic Greens is the recent formation of the Victorian Young Greens, who are up and running with an extremely talented group of office bearers. The VYG have been busy fundraising and have ensured a strong Greens presence at some recent important protests. The AGV is subsidising the attendance of two VYG members at this year’s AG National Conference. This is in recognition of the impact of meeting other Greens, after young AGV member Tamar Primoratz funded her trip to Dakar earlier this year and, inspired by the work of the European Young Greens, returned to help establish the VYG. In our 20th year, it’s been a momentous year of campaigning for the Vic Greens membership and we’re all looking forward to our Anniversary celebration in December and a bit of a summer hiatus before we kick off our federal election efforts next year.
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
The advent of fixed terms in WA has meant that we are able to run our campaigns with greater pre-planning than in previous years, although of course there are still many organisational challenges to be overcome as we head towards the state election in March. MPs Giz Watson, Robin Chapple, Alison Xamon and Lyn McLaren along with candidate Cameron Poustie have their upper house campaigns up and running, and selection of lower house candidates is well underway. In particular I would like to single out the Kimberley candidate, Chris Maher, who is running a remarkable campaign with a highly motivated team. The issue of the Kimberley gas hub is creating a great deal of passion in local communities and in the state generally. It epitomises the pressing need to have greater democratic and local control over major planning issues in the state, and the need to look at long term solutions rather than taking the fast and dirty option. Our messaging effort is well underway with an advertising company selected and all state MPs and upper house candidates involved in the process to ensure maximum “buy in” of the messaging strategy. It has been very interesting and rewarding to see the campaign taking form, from the basic research stage through to messaging strategies and moving into concrete ideas and outcomes. We are very enthusiastic about the work that has been done so far and believe we will have some impressive campaign tools to deploy in this coming election, and in the federal election that will follow it. We have been running a series of “Green Mythbusters” events around the Perth metropolitan area which have been effective in generating interest in both the public and local media. Two of our MP’s or candidates representing state and federal politics give a short presentation aimed at demolishing many common misconceptions about the party, followed by a Q&A session. These discussions can be very productive, and sometimes allow us to identify issues and problems we were not aware of!
CHRIS DICKINSON WA CONVENOR
CATHERINE BROWN TAS Convenor
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
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
november 2012
OUR FEDERAL MPS Senator CHRISTINE MILNE - TAS Federal Parliamentary Leader
October marks 6 months as the Australian Greens leader and it’s been a month of forging some key messages about the Greens’ economic vision and foreign policy goals. On a beautiful Canberra spring day I delivered a speech to the National Press Club in which I explained how the Greens want to better use economic tools to serve people and nature. The Greens have a strong economic vision which is about creating long-term jobs in service industries, the booming renewable energy sector and protecting the public service from the government’s razor gang. You can’t have jobs on a dead planet. Global warming promises to radically change not only our ecosystem, but our cities, our society, and our economy. We want a country with an unpolluted environment, rich biodiversity and clean waterways so that our children and grandchildren can enjoy it as we do. I argued to the assembled press gallery that we need to focus on building the skills we need for the 21st century; we need to invest in environmental protection, in education, health and better public infrastructure. We have proposed a number of revenue raising measures – including fixing loopholes in the mining super profits tax, simplifying superannuation tax to make it more accessible to people on low incomes, and cutting fossil fuel subsidies. I delivered another major speech at the Sydney Institute calling for our troops to be brought home from Afghanistan swiftly and safely. We have lost 38 soldiers already to this war and there is no positive end to this three decades old conflict. I have the utmost admiration for the bravery and professionalism of our troops, but sadly nothing between now and the withdrawal date two years from now will fix the quagmire in which we find ourselves in Afghanistan. senator.milne@aph.gov.au
Senator Rachel Siewert - wa
It was extremely disappointing to see the Government and Coalition vote together to cut payments to more than 140,000 single parents by moving them onto the Newstart Allowance, a reduction of income between $60 and $100 a week. This vote took place shortly before Anti-Poverty Week, and underlines how important it is that we continue to drive the debate around improving support and assistance for vulnerable people in our community. The cuts will take effect from January 1 next year; one of the worst financial times of the year for families with Christmas, school holiday and back-to-school costs stacking up. It appears from questions I asked in Question Time that the Government hasn’t even thought about the increased demand for emergency relief services that may occur and if services will be able to meet demand. Transferring single parents and their families to Newstart condemns these families to living in poverty and highlights the importance of our campaign to increase Newstart by $50 per week. At more than $130 per week below the poverty line, Newstart fails to provide essential financial support to those who most need it and fails to support them in finding secure work. For those people most at risk of poverty, finding an appropriate job requires a number of barriers to be overcome. What happens if you need to further your education, undertake training or work experience before you can transition into the workforce? What happens if you’re an older worker subject to age discrimination? What happens if you’re raising kids and need flexible hours to care for them? The current system is unable to deliver the kind of support that a responsible and caring country should have in place. Action to reduce poverty must include an improved approach to income support and assistance for vulnerable people. The current inquiry into Newstart and other allowance payments, instigated by the Greens, is set to report in November. greensmps.org.au/Newstart. senator.siewert@aph.gov.au
Senator Scott Ludlam - WA
This year I travelled to Japan and visited the site of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. I travelled through a huge area of land now completely evacuated. 160,000 people were forced to flee their homes. Inside people’s homes in Fukushima city ambient radiation levels are two or three times what they would be in an ordinary environment. Australian uranium was loaded in all four reactors at the Fukushima complex. Now the Prime Minister visits India to initiate a uranium sales deal. Earlier this year India was ranked 28th out of 32 countries in terms of the security of their nuclear stockpiles. Last month, the Indian Auditor General’s report on nuclear regulation in India found that 60% of inspections for nuclear power plants were seriously delayed or didn’t happen. Despite an order from the Indian Government 29 years ago, a national nuclear safety policy has not been developed and it has almost no power to penalise breaches. The tsunami of 2004 hit the southern coast of India where nuclear power plants are built at sea level. An assessment of safety standards at Koodankulum power plant found that, in the event of an interruption to the electricity supply, there is only two days’ supply of fresh water on site to cool the cores. A repeat of the Fukushima scenario in Tamil Nadu would be a catastrophe on a scale beyond imagination. Australian uranium miners are alarmed at the freefall of the world uranium price since Fukushima. 150 nuclear power plants in Europe alone are set for closure, and several countries have committed to shutting down their nuclear sectors completely. The power of the panic-stricken uranium lobby is great and in Western Australia the Barnett Government has approved a project that sets a dangerously low standard for uranium mines. In the same week Barnett backed this project, the nation’s biggest solar power project began operating in Western Australia. Greenough River Solar shows the way to the future. The future is renewable, not radioactive. 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 debates surrounding marriage equality, offshore detention and the Murray Darling Basin Plan have been in full swing and keeping us all very busy. The states stand to lead the way on marriage equality after the Federal Government’s failure to do so, and I am calling on the Prime Minister to rule out a Commonwealth challenge to any state-based marriage equality laws. By refusing to rule out a challenge, Julia Gillard is further hindering this inevitable reform. We saw the designation of both Nauru and Papua New Guinea as regional processing countries in recent weeks, despite the UNHCR’s concerns that the two nations won’t be able to assess the asylum claims of vulnerable refugees. We sent out a call to action, inviting you to sign a petition that asks Immigration Minister Chris Bowen to end the indefinite detention of refugees. You can still be involved - http://sarahhanson-young.greensmps.org.au/ content/petition/minister-bowen-endindefinite-detention-australia In early October the High Court of Australia ruled that locking up refugees with adverse ASIO assessments was illegal. I have tabled a bill in the Senate that gives the Government an option to fix this by implementing a humane, legal and just system for refugees. In September we joined the folks behind ‘Repower Port Augusta’ at the Rally for Solar in Adelaide. They are calling for the old coalfired power stations to be replaced with clean, safe and cheap concentrated solar thermal power plants. Their campaign has received across the board support in Port Augusta and now the State and Federal Governments need to support the project too. With the tabling of the Murray Darling Basin Plan expected before the end of the year, we know how important it is to have a plan that is based on the best available science. A healthy river is the only option and I have been calling for a solution that would save the Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth in South Australia, along with the communities and businesses that rely on the river to survive. What a busy few months it has been! senator.hanson-young@aph.gov.au
Senator Lee Rhiannon - nsw
Did you know that government statistics show that more than half a million animals died on the sea voyage from Australia to overseas ports between 2000 and 2010; including 496,162 sheep and 12,417 cattle? This is just one of the disturbing facts that have driven Australians to strongly back a move away from live exports. The Greens bill to ban the trade is in the Senate and now is the time to act. Australia can reap the economic benefits and jobs that will come from growing our domestic meat processing industry. You can follow the campaign on our ‘Ban Live Exports Now’ facebook page. TAFE is another hot button issue right now. State government cuts in Victoria and NSW, and a new federal funding framework which has allowed private colleges to undermine TAFE are negatively affecting staff and students. We are campaigning to revitalise the public TAFE system to meet future highlevel skills and workforce development that is crucial to our economic future. Afghanistan is one of the world’s poorest countries, ranking 155 out of 169 countries on the UN Human Development Index. Over a third of the population lives below the poverty line. The withdrawal of Australian troops will drastically change the context in which Australian foreign aid is provided. Australia has provided more than $944 million in aid to Afghanistan over the past decade and this amount per year is set to rise to $250 by 2015/16. I was successful in securing a Senate inquiry to shine a light on our aid program there and capture lessons to help ensure our aid program makes a real difference to the lives of Afghan people into the future. senator.rhiannon@aph.gov.au
Australian Greens Higher Education spokesperson Lee Rhiannon is campaigning for a boost to university and TAFE funding.
Senator Richard Di Natale vic
As we near the end of 2012, it’s important to take time and reflect on all that we have achieved this year. Along with my fellow Greens MPs in the federal Parliament, I’ve worked hard this year to represent Greens members and Australians who want to see progressive and fairer politics in our country. Dental health has been my top priority as the federal Greens health spokesperson. The Greens have been campaigning for a universal Denticare scheme for years and this year we were finally able to lay the foundations for that vision. I led negotiations with the Minister for Health that delivered the biggest reform in dental health Australia has ever seen. We secured more than $4.5 billion in new funding, which will create Medicare funded dentistry for kids and young Australians so that going to the dentist becomes just like going to the doctor. It also means a huge investment in the public dental system so that there are better facilities and much smaller waiting lists.
In my home state of Victoria, I’m focussing on the diminishing number of Leadbeater’s Possums, our faunal emblem, due to destructive forestry practises and the recent bushfires. Our national environment laws need to be stronger, but instead the Australian Government wants to make them weaker by handing over most of their responsibilities to the states. We need to work together to send a strong message to the Environment Minister, who can act to protect species like the Leadbeater’s Possum. These are just two of the issues my office has worked on during my first year but they encompass the Greens agenda of caring for people and the planet. What could be more important than that? senator.dinatale@aph.gov.au
Senator Larissa Waters - qld
Coal seam gas (CSG) and the dangers it poses to our water and land has been an issue that the Australian Parliament has been reluctant to deal with, despite concern from the Australian community and the Greens. So I was encouraged when a bill was introduced to create an independent scientific expert committee to look into coal seam gas. Unfortunately, the Government and the Coalition have moved to ensure that this committee is toothless. CSG projects are approved and regulated at the state level, and while state governments can listen to the advice of the committee, they are not bound to take into account its recommendations. The federal Environment Minister is bound to do so, but as he has no role in approving the water impacts of CSG projects, there isn’t much he can do with this advice. The committee will spend the next five years getting better science on the longterm impacts of CSG on our groundwater resources and food-growing land. I moved an amendment that would have pressed pause on CSG approvals while this science was being done, so that the Government could take the opportunity to create and implement science-based policy, but this five year moratorium was voted down by the old parties.
Recently, the Greens launched a national ‘Too Precious to Lose’ campaign. All over the country, we are seeing our precious places and wildlife being sacrificed for mining and other damaging development. The federal Environment Minister doesn’t even want his duties any more, and is giving away his powers, including over nuclear issues and World Heritage, to state Premiers like Campbell Newman and Colin Barnett who already have a disastrous track record on protecting the environment. We’re asking everyone in Australia who loves and values our precious places to join our campaign. www.tooprecioustolose.org.au senator.waters@aph.gov.au
Senator Penny Wright - sa
In light of the Government dropping its Proceeds of Crime case against David Hicks and reports that he was subject to chemical torture while at Guantanamo Bay, I have continued to call for an independent inquiry and also attempted to have the case referred to a parliamentary inquiry which was voted down by ALP and Coalition. We remain the only political party to back the call for a full and independent inquiry into David Hicks’ trial, treatment and detention by the US and the role played by the then Australian government. In the mental health space, I have been working on suicide prevention initiatives, including organising joint-motions with Opposition Mental Health Spokesperson Senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells to recognise World Suicide Prevention Day and RUOK? Day; both of which gained the support of the Senate. I have also continued my tour of rural Australia, holding meetings regarding the provision of mental health services in these communities. On my tour of my home state of South Australia, I visited mental health service providers, advocates, consumers and carers in Barmera, Berri, Renmark, Murray Bridge, Whyalla, Port Lincoln, Port Augusta and Mount Gambier. Over coming months I will continue these meetings in rural Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland. These meetings are extremely worthwhile and with every rural community I visit, I learn a great deal and am inspired by their resilience, ingenuity and resourcefulness in trying circumstances. Finally, I have been calling for Australians who have been killed during overseas peacekeeping missions to be included on the Australian War Memorial’s Honour Roll. Australian peacekeepers have made a significant contribution to the important task of maintaining and restoring peace and security in over 60 peacekeeping operations around the world. Almost 70,000 Australians have contributed to these peacekeeping missions since 1947, and 48 have died as part of their service. Australia’s peacekeepers promote peace and security in the face of difficult and dangerous circumstances and deserve to be recognised and honoured for their service. senator.wright@aph.gov.au
Australian Greens National Conference 2012
Senator PETER WHISH-WILSON - TAS
Greetings from Canberra. My vertical learning curve has continued since the last time I had a chance to put pen to paper and let you all know what I’ve been up to. The spectre of the F.V. Margiris ‘super trawler’ fishing off our coast has been prevented, although we have to keep up the fight as the Government has only committed to a two-year ban after finally listening to the deafening roar of community opposition. At the time of writing I’m about to head out the door to the Senate for the vote to establish an inquiry into allegations of rorting around the Northern Territory and South Australian container deposit schemes. Such an inquiry is important for several reasons. Firstly, it’s a chance to shine a light on companies who have been opposing a national container deposit scheme, principally for ideological reasons. Secondly, it will allow federal legislators to understand potential problems of a national cash-for container scheme before it commences. Thirdly, it provides an opportunity to expose allegations of price-gouging and rorting to independent scrutiny. This inquiry is a significant signpost on the journey toward a national scheme, something an overwhelming majority of Australian’s support but has been prevented due to intensive back –room lobbying from the bottling industry. Studies have now shown a link between jurisdictions with a cash-forcontainer scheme and lower levels of marine plastic contamination, an issue close to my heart. The reason for this is that by placing an economic value on empty plastic containers, the market intervenes to ensure their collection and subsequent recycling, thereby lowering the chance of them entering the waste or litter stream and ending up in our waterways. senator.whish-wilson@aph.gov.au
Adam Bandt - MEMBER FOR MELBOURNE deputy Leader
Paid to Pollute? A key part of the Clean Energy package negotiated by the Greens with the government was the planned closure of Australia’s dirtiest power stations like Hazelwood in the Latrobe Valley. The creation of the Contracts for Closure program was a crucial element of the clean energy package, as the government also insisted on giving Australia’s most polluting power stations $5.5 billion in compensation. The Greens didn’t feel this level of compensation was necessary, but we reluctantly agreed to it given that 2000MW of dirty power generation would be closed. In September, the Minister for Energy, Martin Ferguson announced the government would not proceed with the Contracts for Closure program, but would continue with the $5.5 billion in compensation to the dirtiest power stations. Already $1 billion in cash compensation has been given to these power companies, with the owners of Hazelwood having received $265 million. Another $4.5 billion in free carbon permits are earmarked for the big polluters over the next 5 years. Just this month the Labor government voted with Tony Abbott to reject amendments I moved to the Clean Energy Act which would have established a Productivity Commission Review into the $5.5 billion compensation. We will not start to address the climate crisis unless we rapidly move to clean energy. Giving the big polluting power companies billions in compensation undermines the effectiveness of the price on pollution and creates barriers to investment in clean energy. The next deadline for compensation is September next year, so we are joining with climate groups to push for the compensation to be reviewed and redirected to investments in renewable energy like solar. adam.bandt.mp@aph.gov.au
new south wales
FROM THE STATES & TERRITORIES australian capital territory
ACT voters went to the polls on the 20th October to elect a new Legislative Assembly. Attempting to defend our 4 MLAs (Meredith Hunter, Shane Rattenbury, Caroline Le Couteur and Amanda Bresnan) and increase our vote from our record 2008 achievement, the ACT Greens came into this campaign knowing it would be a tough election. Despite a strong and exciting campaign that included a range of new techniques and launched many exciting policies, our vote unfortunately went down on the day. At the time of writing, we don’t know how many of our MLAs will be returned to the Assembly, but unfortunately we do know we will have a reduced number. We also know we will continue to hold the balance of power and that, despite the drop in our vote we held up relatively well in a tough electoral environment. More importantly we know that the political environment in the ACT has changed dramatically over the past four years due to the presence of our four wonderful MLAs. Our Assembly members have forced significant changes; a legislated commitment to 40% greenhouse gas emissions reduction target by 2020, the strengthening of the ACT civil unions legislation, and a massive increase in mental health funding for the territory. Going into the next term we have a commitment from a majority of our Assembly to build light rail for our city. This is a massive achievement that will dramatically change Canberra, and would not have occurred without the Greens. Following the ACT election the Greens are a little down, but definitely not out. The next four years will be different for the party and our Assembly, but there is still a lot to do to make Canberra a Green city. We will continue to work hard to achieve great things for the ACT community. Finally, we are now looking ahead to the federal election. Our pre-selection process is well under way and campaign strategising is in full swing. Over the next year we are determined to do all we can to win our first Senate seat in the ACT.
simon copland ACT Convenor
ACT Greens GPO Box 2019 Canberra ACT 2601 Ph: 02 6140 3220 office@act.greens.org.au www.act.greens.org.au
In NSW we are digesting the meaning of the recent Local Government election. The election saw the Greens NSW go from 74 Councillors to 44 - a reduction of approx. 40%. Although it was a disappointing result there were some bright points. We have our first Green Councillor elected in Sydney’s western suburbs (Nepean), and regained positions on Eurobodalla and Pittwater Councils. Despite the tendency for local campaign teams and candidates to point the finger at local issues there is no doubt that the swing against the Greens was State wide (a little over 1%). The ALP suffered a bigger swing against them (approx. 4%) however the swing did not translate into a loss of elected ALP Councillors (in fact ALP representation in non-Sydney NSW increased!). The big story was the swing to the Liberals of approx. 7%. In some ways we were fortunate in 2008 to have such a successful and high profile state campaign focusing on developer donations to political parties and the need to reform planning law. The campaign directly related to the role of local governments in planning and left no doubt that voters could rely on the Greens for transparency and championing the public interest. In contrast, in 2012 a voter could still rely on The Greens but our message was not as clearly defined. In 2012 the Federal issues of the price on Carbon and refugees also impacted dramatically on local politics. The Coalition deliberately leafleted local government areas with an outrageous campaign on how the Carbon Tax would be an impossible burden on Councils. We can no longer assume that Green voters are above the distortion that is peddled by the Coalition regarding the price on carbon. It is our responsibility to take the campaign to the people and explain what a progressive and beneficial step the price on carbon is for Australian people. We need to explain in a tangible way the economic and employment opportunities that will open up as a result. If ever there was an example of thinking globally and acting locally, Australia has just done it! We need to be proud of our Green achievement and shout it loudly! The NSW Local elections are a timely reminder of what happens if we do not shout loudly enough!
James Ryan NSW Convenor
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 debates surrounding marriage equality, offshore detention and the Murray Darling Basin Plan have been in full swing and keeping us all very busy. The states stand to lead the way on marriage equality after the Federal Government’s failure to do so, and I am calling on the Prime Minister to rule out a Commonwealth challenge to any state-based marriage equality laws. By refusing to rule out a challenge, Julia Gillard is further hindering this inevitable reform. We saw the designation of both Nauru and Papua New Guinea as regional processing countries in recent weeks, despite the UNHCR’s concerns that the two nations won’t be able to assess the asylum claims of vulnerable refugees. We sent out a call to action, inviting you to sign a petition that asks Immigration Minister Chris Bowen to end the indefinite detention of refugees. You can still be involved - http://sarahhanson-young.greensmps.org.au/ content/petition/minister-bowen-endindefinite-detention-australia In early October the High Court of Australia ruled that locking up refugees with adverse ASIO assessments was illegal. I have tabled a bill in the Senate that gives the Government an option to fix this by implementing a humane, legal and just system for refugees. In September we joined the folks behind ‘Repower Port Augusta’ at the Rally for Solar in Adelaide. They are calling for the old coalfired power stations to be replaced with clean, safe and cheap concentrated solar thermal power plants. Their campaign has received across the board support in Port Augusta and now the State and Federal Governments need to support the project too. With the tabling of the Murray Darling Basin Plan expected before the end of the year, we know how important it is to have a plan that is based on the best available science. A healthy river is the only option and I have been calling for a solution that would save the Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth in South Australia, along with the communities and businesses that rely on the river to survive. What a busy few months it has been! senator.hanson-young@aph.gov.au
Senator Lee Rhiannon - nsw
Did you know that government statistics show that more than half a million animals died on the sea voyage from Australia to overseas ports between 2000 and 2010; including 496,162 sheep and 12,417 cattle? This is just one of the disturbing facts that have driven Australians to strongly back a move away from live exports. The Greens bill to ban the trade is in the Senate and now is the time to act. Australia can reap the economic benefits and jobs that will come from growing our domestic meat processing industry. You can follow the campaign on our ‘Ban Live Exports Now’ facebook page. TAFE is another hot button issue right now. State government cuts in Victoria and NSW, and a new federal funding framework which has allowed private colleges to undermine TAFE are negatively affecting staff and students. We are campaigning to revitalise the public TAFE system to meet future highlevel skills and workforce development that is crucial to our economic future. Afghanistan is one of the world’s poorest countries, ranking 155 out of 169 countries on the UN Human Development Index. Over a third of the population lives below the poverty line. The withdrawal of Australian troops will drastically change the context in which Australian foreign aid is provided. Australia has provided more than $944 million in aid to Afghanistan over the past decade and this amount per year is set to rise to $250 by 2015/16. I was successful in securing a Senate inquiry to shine a light on our aid program there and capture lessons to help ensure our aid program makes a real difference to the lives of Afghan people into the future. senator.rhiannon@aph.gov.au
Australian Greens Higher Education spokesperson Lee Rhiannon is campaigning for a boost to university and TAFE funding.
Senator Richard Di Natale vic
As we near the end of 2012, it’s important to take time and reflect on all that we have achieved this year. Along with my fellow Greens MPs in the federal Parliament, I’ve worked hard this year to represent Greens members and Australians who want to see progressive and fairer politics in our country. Dental health has been my top priority as the federal Greens health spokesperson. The Greens have been campaigning for a universal Denticare scheme for years and this year we were finally able to lay the foundations for that vision. I led negotiations with the Minister for Health that delivered the biggest reform in dental health Australia has ever seen. We secured more than $4.5 billion in new funding, which will create Medicare funded dentistry for kids and young Australians so that going to the dentist becomes just like going to the doctor. It also means a huge investment in the public dental system so that there are better facilities and much smaller waiting lists.
In my home state of Victoria, I’m focussing on the diminishing number of Leadbeater’s Possums, our faunal emblem, due to destructive forestry practises and the recent bushfires. Our national environment laws need to be stronger, but instead the Australian Government wants to make them weaker by handing over most of their responsibilities to the states. We need to work together to send a strong message to the Environment Minister, who can act to protect species like the Leadbeater’s Possum. These are just two of the issues my office has worked on during my first year but they encompass the Greens agenda of caring for people and the planet. What could be more important than that? senator.dinatale@aph.gov.au
Senator Larissa Waters - qld
Coal seam gas (CSG) and the dangers it poses to our water and land has been an issue that the Australian Parliament has been reluctant to deal with, despite concern from the Australian community and the Greens. So I was encouraged when a bill was introduced to create an independent scientific expert committee to look into coal seam gas. Unfortunately, the Government and the Coalition have moved to ensure that this committee is toothless. CSG projects are approved and regulated at the state level, and while state governments can listen to the advice of the committee, they are not bound to take into account its recommendations. The federal Environment Minister is bound to do so, but as he has no role in approving the water impacts of CSG projects, there isn’t much he can do with this advice. The committee will spend the next five years getting better science on the longterm impacts of CSG on our groundwater resources and food-growing land. I moved an amendment that would have pressed pause on CSG approvals while this science was being done, so that the Government could take the opportunity to create and implement science-based policy, but this five year moratorium was voted down by the old parties.
Recently, the Greens launched a national ‘Too Precious to Lose’ campaign. All over the country, we are seeing our precious places and wildlife being sacrificed for mining and other damaging development. The federal Environment Minister doesn’t even want his duties any more, and is giving away his powers, including over nuclear issues and World Heritage, to state Premiers like Campbell Newman and Colin Barnett who already have a disastrous track record on protecting the environment. We’re asking everyone in Australia who loves and values our precious places to join our campaign. www.tooprecioustolose.org.au senator.waters@aph.gov.au
Senator Penny Wright - sa
In light of the Government dropping its Proceeds of Crime case against David Hicks and reports that he was subject to chemical torture while at Guantanamo Bay, I have continued to call for an independent inquiry and also attempted to have the case referred to a parliamentary inquiry which was voted down by ALP and Coalition. We remain the only political party to back the call for a full and independent inquiry into David Hicks’ trial, treatment and detention by the US and the role played by the then Australian government. In the mental health space, I have been working on suicide prevention initiatives, including organising joint-motions with Opposition Mental Health Spokesperson Senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells to recognise World Suicide Prevention Day and RUOK? Day; both of which gained the support of the Senate. I have also continued my tour of rural Australia, holding meetings regarding the provision of mental health services in these communities. On my tour of my home state of South Australia, I visited mental health service providers, advocates, consumers and carers in Barmera, Berri, Renmark, Murray Bridge, Whyalla, Port Lincoln, Port Augusta and Mount Gambier. Over coming months I will continue these meetings in rural Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland. These meetings are extremely worthwhile and with every rural community I visit, I learn a great deal and am inspired by their resilience, ingenuity and resourcefulness in trying circumstances. Finally, I have been calling for Australians who have been killed during overseas peacekeeping missions to be included on the Australian War Memorial’s Honour Roll. Australian peacekeepers have made a significant contribution to the important task of maintaining and restoring peace and security in over 60 peacekeeping operations around the world. Almost 70,000 Australians have contributed to these peacekeeping missions since 1947, and 48 have died as part of their service. Australia’s peacekeepers promote peace and security in the face of difficult and dangerous circumstances and deserve to be recognised and honoured for their service. senator.wright@aph.gov.au
Australian Greens National Conference 2012
Senator PETER WHISH-WILSON - TAS
Greetings from Canberra. My vertical learning curve has continued since the last time I had a chance to put pen to paper and let you all know what I’ve been up to. The spectre of the F.V. Margiris ‘super trawler’ fishing off our coast has been prevented, although we have to keep up the fight as the Government has only committed to a two-year ban after finally listening to the deafening roar of community opposition. At the time of writing I’m about to head out the door to the Senate for the vote to establish an inquiry into allegations of rorting around the Northern Territory and South Australian container deposit schemes. Such an inquiry is important for several reasons. Firstly, it’s a chance to shine a light on companies who have been opposing a national container deposit scheme, principally for ideological reasons. Secondly, it will allow federal legislators to understand potential problems of a national cash-for container scheme before it commences. Thirdly, it provides an opportunity to expose allegations of price-gouging and rorting to independent scrutiny. This inquiry is a significant signpost on the journey toward a national scheme, something an overwhelming majority of Australian’s support but has been prevented due to intensive back –room lobbying from the bottling industry. Studies have now shown a link between jurisdictions with a cash-forcontainer scheme and lower levels of marine plastic contamination, an issue close to my heart. The reason for this is that by placing an economic value on empty plastic containers, the market intervenes to ensure their collection and subsequent recycling, thereby lowering the chance of them entering the waste or litter stream and ending up in our waterways. senator.whish-wilson@aph.gov.au
Adam Bandt - MEMBER FOR MELBOURNE deputy Leader
Paid to Pollute? A key part of the Clean Energy package negotiated by the Greens with the government was the planned closure of Australia’s dirtiest power stations like Hazelwood in the Latrobe Valley. The creation of the Contracts for Closure program was a crucial element of the clean energy package, as the government also insisted on giving Australia’s most polluting power stations $5.5 billion in compensation. The Greens didn’t feel this level of compensation was necessary, but we reluctantly agreed to it given that 2000MW of dirty power generation would be closed. In September, the Minister for Energy, Martin Ferguson announced the government would not proceed with the Contracts for Closure program, but would continue with the $5.5 billion in compensation to the dirtiest power stations. Already $1 billion in cash compensation has been given to these power companies, with the owners of Hazelwood having received $265 million. Another $4.5 billion in free carbon permits are earmarked for the big polluters over the next 5 years. Just this month the Labor government voted with Tony Abbott to reject amendments I moved to the Clean Energy Act which would have established a Productivity Commission Review into the $5.5 billion compensation. We will not start to address the climate crisis unless we rapidly move to clean energy. Giving the big polluting power companies billions in compensation undermines the effectiveness of the price on pollution and creates barriers to investment in clean energy. The next deadline for compensation is September next year, so we are joining with climate groups to push for the compensation to be reviewed and redirected to investments in renewable energy like solar. adam.bandt.mp@aph.gov.au
new south wales
FROM THE STATES & TERRITORIES australian capital territory
ACT voters went to the polls on the 20th October to elect a new Legislative Assembly. Attempting to defend our 4 MLAs (Meredith Hunter, Shane Rattenbury, Caroline Le Couteur and Amanda Bresnan) and increase our vote from our record 2008 achievement, the ACT Greens came into this campaign knowing it would be a tough election. Despite a strong and exciting campaign that included a range of new techniques and launched many exciting policies, our vote unfortunately went down on the day. At the time of writing, we don’t know how many of our MLAs will be returned to the Assembly, but unfortunately we do know we will have a reduced number. We also know we will continue to hold the balance of power and that, despite the drop in our vote we held up relatively well in a tough electoral environment. More importantly we know that the political environment in the ACT has changed dramatically over the past four years due to the presence of our four wonderful MLAs. Our Assembly members have forced significant changes; a legislated commitment to 40% greenhouse gas emissions reduction target by 2020, the strengthening of the ACT civil unions legislation, and a massive increase in mental health funding for the territory. Going into the next term we have a commitment from a majority of our Assembly to build light rail for our city. This is a massive achievement that will dramatically change Canberra, and would not have occurred without the Greens. Following the ACT election the Greens are a little down, but definitely not out. The next four years will be different for the party and our Assembly, but there is still a lot to do to make Canberra a Green city. We will continue to work hard to achieve great things for the ACT community. Finally, we are now looking ahead to the federal election. Our pre-selection process is well under way and campaign strategising is in full swing. Over the next year we are determined to do all we can to win our first Senate seat in the ACT.
simon copland ACT Convenor
ACT Greens GPO Box 2019 Canberra ACT 2601 Ph: 02 6140 3220 office@act.greens.org.au www.act.greens.org.au
In NSW we are digesting the meaning of the recent Local Government election. The election saw the Greens NSW go from 74 Councillors to 44 - a reduction of approx. 40%. Although it was a disappointing result there were some bright points. We have our first Green Councillor elected in Sydney’s western suburbs (Nepean), and regained positions on Eurobodalla and Pittwater Councils. Despite the tendency for local campaign teams and candidates to point the finger at local issues there is no doubt that the swing against the Greens was State wide (a little over 1%). The ALP suffered a bigger swing against them (approx. 4%) however the swing did not translate into a loss of elected ALP Councillors (in fact ALP representation in non-Sydney NSW increased!). The big story was the swing to the Liberals of approx. 7%. In some ways we were fortunate in 2008 to have such a successful and high profile state campaign focusing on developer donations to political parties and the need to reform planning law. The campaign directly related to the role of local governments in planning and left no doubt that voters could rely on the Greens for transparency and championing the public interest. In contrast, in 2012 a voter could still rely on The Greens but our message was not as clearly defined. In 2012 the Federal issues of the price on Carbon and refugees also impacted dramatically on local politics. The Coalition deliberately leafleted local government areas with an outrageous campaign on how the Carbon Tax would be an impossible burden on Councils. We can no longer assume that Green voters are above the distortion that is peddled by the Coalition regarding the price on carbon. It is our responsibility to take the campaign to the people and explain what a progressive and beneficial step the price on carbon is for Australian people. We need to explain in a tangible way the economic and employment opportunities that will open up as a result. If ever there was an example of thinking globally and acting locally, Australia has just done it! We need to be proud of our Green achievement and shout it loudly! The NSW Local elections are a timely reminder of what happens if we do not shout loudly enough!
James Ryan NSW Convenor
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 debates surrounding marriage equality, offshore detention and the Murray Darling Basin Plan have been in full swing and keeping us all very busy. The states stand to lead the way on marriage equality after the Federal Government’s failure to do so, and I am calling on the Prime Minister to rule out a Commonwealth challenge to any state-based marriage equality laws. By refusing to rule out a challenge, Julia Gillard is further hindering this inevitable reform. We saw the designation of both Nauru and Papua New Guinea as regional processing countries in recent weeks, despite the UNHCR’s concerns that the two nations won’t be able to assess the asylum claims of vulnerable refugees. We sent out a call to action, inviting you to sign a petition that asks Immigration Minister Chris Bowen to end the indefinite detention of refugees. You can still be involved - http://sarahhanson-young.greensmps.org.au/ content/petition/minister-bowen-endindefinite-detention-australia In early October the High Court of Australia ruled that locking up refugees with adverse ASIO assessments was illegal. I have tabled a bill in the Senate that gives the Government an option to fix this by implementing a humane, legal and just system for refugees. In September we joined the folks behind ‘Repower Port Augusta’ at the Rally for Solar in Adelaide. They are calling for the old coalfired power stations to be replaced with clean, safe and cheap concentrated solar thermal power plants. Their campaign has received across the board support in Port Augusta and now the State and Federal Governments need to support the project too. With the tabling of the Murray Darling Basin Plan expected before the end of the year, we know how important it is to have a plan that is based on the best available science. A healthy river is the only option and I have been calling for a solution that would save the Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth in South Australia, along with the communities and businesses that rely on the river to survive. What a busy few months it has been! senator.hanson-young@aph.gov.au
Senator Lee Rhiannon - nsw
Did you know that government statistics show that more than half a million animals died on the sea voyage from Australia to overseas ports between 2000 and 2010; including 496,162 sheep and 12,417 cattle? This is just one of the disturbing facts that have driven Australians to strongly back a move away from live exports. The Greens bill to ban the trade is in the Senate and now is the time to act. Australia can reap the economic benefits and jobs that will come from growing our domestic meat processing industry. You can follow the campaign on our ‘Ban Live Exports Now’ facebook page. TAFE is another hot button issue right now. State government cuts in Victoria and NSW, and a new federal funding framework which has allowed private colleges to undermine TAFE are negatively affecting staff and students. We are campaigning to revitalise the public TAFE system to meet future highlevel skills and workforce development that is crucial to our economic future. Afghanistan is one of the world’s poorest countries, ranking 155 out of 169 countries on the UN Human Development Index. Over a third of the population lives below the poverty line. The withdrawal of Australian troops will drastically change the context in which Australian foreign aid is provided. Australia has provided more than $944 million in aid to Afghanistan over the past decade and this amount per year is set to rise to $250 by 2015/16. I was successful in securing a Senate inquiry to shine a light on our aid program there and capture lessons to help ensure our aid program makes a real difference to the lives of Afghan people into the future. senator.rhiannon@aph.gov.au
Australian Greens Higher Education spokesperson Lee Rhiannon is campaigning for a boost to university and TAFE funding.
Senator Richard Di Natale vic
As we near the end of 2012, it’s important to take time and reflect on all that we have achieved this year. Along with my fellow Greens MPs in the federal Parliament, I’ve worked hard this year to represent Greens members and Australians who want to see progressive and fairer politics in our country. Dental health has been my top priority as the federal Greens health spokesperson. The Greens have been campaigning for a universal Denticare scheme for years and this year we were finally able to lay the foundations for that vision. I led negotiations with the Minister for Health that delivered the biggest reform in dental health Australia has ever seen. We secured more than $4.5 billion in new funding, which will create Medicare funded dentistry for kids and young Australians so that going to the dentist becomes just like going to the doctor. It also means a huge investment in the public dental system so that there are better facilities and much smaller waiting lists.
In my home state of Victoria, I’m focussing on the diminishing number of Leadbeater’s Possums, our faunal emblem, due to destructive forestry practises and the recent bushfires. Our national environment laws need to be stronger, but instead the Australian Government wants to make them weaker by handing over most of their responsibilities to the states. We need to work together to send a strong message to the Environment Minister, who can act to protect species like the Leadbeater’s Possum. These are just two of the issues my office has worked on during my first year but they encompass the Greens agenda of caring for people and the planet. What could be more important than that? senator.dinatale@aph.gov.au
Senator Larissa Waters - qld
Coal seam gas (CSG) and the dangers it poses to our water and land has been an issue that the Australian Parliament has been reluctant to deal with, despite concern from the Australian community and the Greens. So I was encouraged when a bill was introduced to create an independent scientific expert committee to look into coal seam gas. Unfortunately, the Government and the Coalition have moved to ensure that this committee is toothless. CSG projects are approved and regulated at the state level, and while state governments can listen to the advice of the committee, they are not bound to take into account its recommendations. The federal Environment Minister is bound to do so, but as he has no role in approving the water impacts of CSG projects, there isn’t much he can do with this advice. The committee will spend the next five years getting better science on the longterm impacts of CSG on our groundwater resources and food-growing land. I moved an amendment that would have pressed pause on CSG approvals while this science was being done, so that the Government could take the opportunity to create and implement science-based policy, but this five year moratorium was voted down by the old parties.
Recently, the Greens launched a national ‘Too Precious to Lose’ campaign. All over the country, we are seeing our precious places and wildlife being sacrificed for mining and other damaging development. The federal Environment Minister doesn’t even want his duties any more, and is giving away his powers, including over nuclear issues and World Heritage, to state Premiers like Campbell Newman and Colin Barnett who already have a disastrous track record on protecting the environment. We’re asking everyone in Australia who loves and values our precious places to join our campaign. www.tooprecioustolose.org.au senator.waters@aph.gov.au
Senator Penny Wright - sa
In light of the Government dropping its Proceeds of Crime case against David Hicks and reports that he was subject to chemical torture while at Guantanamo Bay, I have continued to call for an independent inquiry and also attempted to have the case referred to a parliamentary inquiry which was voted down by ALP and Coalition. We remain the only political party to back the call for a full and independent inquiry into David Hicks’ trial, treatment and detention by the US and the role played by the then Australian government. In the mental health space, I have been working on suicide prevention initiatives, including organising joint-motions with Opposition Mental Health Spokesperson Senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells to recognise World Suicide Prevention Day and RUOK? Day; both of which gained the support of the Senate. I have also continued my tour of rural Australia, holding meetings regarding the provision of mental health services in these communities. On my tour of my home state of South Australia, I visited mental health service providers, advocates, consumers and carers in Barmera, Berri, Renmark, Murray Bridge, Whyalla, Port Lincoln, Port Augusta and Mount Gambier. Over coming months I will continue these meetings in rural Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland. These meetings are extremely worthwhile and with every rural community I visit, I learn a great deal and am inspired by their resilience, ingenuity and resourcefulness in trying circumstances. Finally, I have been calling for Australians who have been killed during overseas peacekeeping missions to be included on the Australian War Memorial’s Honour Roll. Australian peacekeepers have made a significant contribution to the important task of maintaining and restoring peace and security in over 60 peacekeeping operations around the world. Almost 70,000 Australians have contributed to these peacekeeping missions since 1947, and 48 have died as part of their service. Australia’s peacekeepers promote peace and security in the face of difficult and dangerous circumstances and deserve to be recognised and honoured for their service. senator.wright@aph.gov.au
Australian Greens National Conference 2012
Senator PETER WHISH-WILSON - TAS
Greetings from Canberra. My vertical learning curve has continued since the last time I had a chance to put pen to paper and let you all know what I’ve been up to. The spectre of the F.V. Margiris ‘super trawler’ fishing off our coast has been prevented, although we have to keep up the fight as the Government has only committed to a two-year ban after finally listening to the deafening roar of community opposition. At the time of writing I’m about to head out the door to the Senate for the vote to establish an inquiry into allegations of rorting around the Northern Territory and South Australian container deposit schemes. Such an inquiry is important for several reasons. Firstly, it’s a chance to shine a light on companies who have been opposing a national container deposit scheme, principally for ideological reasons. Secondly, it will allow federal legislators to understand potential problems of a national cash-for container scheme before it commences. Thirdly, it provides an opportunity to expose allegations of price-gouging and rorting to independent scrutiny. This inquiry is a significant signpost on the journey toward a national scheme, something an overwhelming majority of Australian’s support but has been prevented due to intensive back –room lobbying from the bottling industry. Studies have now shown a link between jurisdictions with a cash-forcontainer scheme and lower levels of marine plastic contamination, an issue close to my heart. The reason for this is that by placing an economic value on empty plastic containers, the market intervenes to ensure their collection and subsequent recycling, thereby lowering the chance of them entering the waste or litter stream and ending up in our waterways. senator.whish-wilson@aph.gov.au
Adam Bandt - MEMBER FOR MELBOURNE deputy Leader
Paid to Pollute? A key part of the Clean Energy package negotiated by the Greens with the government was the planned closure of Australia’s dirtiest power stations like Hazelwood in the Latrobe Valley. The creation of the Contracts for Closure program was a crucial element of the clean energy package, as the government also insisted on giving Australia’s most polluting power stations $5.5 billion in compensation. The Greens didn’t feel this level of compensation was necessary, but we reluctantly agreed to it given that 2000MW of dirty power generation would be closed. In September, the Minister for Energy, Martin Ferguson announced the government would not proceed with the Contracts for Closure program, but would continue with the $5.5 billion in compensation to the dirtiest power stations. Already $1 billion in cash compensation has been given to these power companies, with the owners of Hazelwood having received $265 million. Another $4.5 billion in free carbon permits are earmarked for the big polluters over the next 5 years. Just this month the Labor government voted with Tony Abbott to reject amendments I moved to the Clean Energy Act which would have established a Productivity Commission Review into the $5.5 billion compensation. We will not start to address the climate crisis unless we rapidly move to clean energy. Giving the big polluting power companies billions in compensation undermines the effectiveness of the price on pollution and creates barriers to investment in clean energy. The next deadline for compensation is September next year, so we are joining with climate groups to push for the compensation to be reviewed and redirected to investments in renewable energy like solar. adam.bandt.mp@aph.gov.au
new south wales
FROM THE STATES & TERRITORIES australian capital territory
ACT voters went to the polls on the 20th October to elect a new Legislative Assembly. Attempting to defend our 4 MLAs (Meredith Hunter, Shane Rattenbury, Caroline Le Couteur and Amanda Bresnan) and increase our vote from our record 2008 achievement, the ACT Greens came into this campaign knowing it would be a tough election. Despite a strong and exciting campaign that included a range of new techniques and launched many exciting policies, our vote unfortunately went down on the day. At the time of writing, we don’t know how many of our MLAs will be returned to the Assembly, but unfortunately we do know we will have a reduced number. We also know we will continue to hold the balance of power and that, despite the drop in our vote we held up relatively well in a tough electoral environment. More importantly we know that the political environment in the ACT has changed dramatically over the past four years due to the presence of our four wonderful MLAs. Our Assembly members have forced significant changes; a legislated commitment to 40% greenhouse gas emissions reduction target by 2020, the strengthening of the ACT civil unions legislation, and a massive increase in mental health funding for the territory. Going into the next term we have a commitment from a majority of our Assembly to build light rail for our city. This is a massive achievement that will dramatically change Canberra, and would not have occurred without the Greens. Following the ACT election the Greens are a little down, but definitely not out. The next four years will be different for the party and our Assembly, but there is still a lot to do to make Canberra a Green city. We will continue to work hard to achieve great things for the ACT community. Finally, we are now looking ahead to the federal election. Our pre-selection process is well under way and campaign strategising is in full swing. Over the next year we are determined to do all we can to win our first Senate seat in the ACT.
simon copland ACT Convenor
ACT Greens GPO Box 2019 Canberra ACT 2601 Ph: 02 6140 3220 office@act.greens.org.au www.act.greens.org.au
In NSW we are digesting the meaning of the recent Local Government election. The election saw the Greens NSW go from 74 Councillors to 44 - a reduction of approx. 40%. Although it was a disappointing result there were some bright points. We have our first Green Councillor elected in Sydney’s western suburbs (Nepean), and regained positions on Eurobodalla and Pittwater Councils. Despite the tendency for local campaign teams and candidates to point the finger at local issues there is no doubt that the swing against the Greens was State wide (a little over 1%). The ALP suffered a bigger swing against them (approx. 4%) however the swing did not translate into a loss of elected ALP Councillors (in fact ALP representation in non-Sydney NSW increased!). The big story was the swing to the Liberals of approx. 7%. In some ways we were fortunate in 2008 to have such a successful and high profile state campaign focusing on developer donations to political parties and the need to reform planning law. The campaign directly related to the role of local governments in planning and left no doubt that voters could rely on the Greens for transparency and championing the public interest. In contrast, in 2012 a voter could still rely on The Greens but our message was not as clearly defined. In 2012 the Federal issues of the price on Carbon and refugees also impacted dramatically on local politics. The Coalition deliberately leafleted local government areas with an outrageous campaign on how the Carbon Tax would be an impossible burden on Councils. We can no longer assume that Green voters are above the distortion that is peddled by the Coalition regarding the price on carbon. It is our responsibility to take the campaign to the people and explain what a progressive and beneficial step the price on carbon is for Australian people. We need to explain in a tangible way the economic and employment opportunities that will open up as a result. If ever there was an example of thinking globally and acting locally, Australia has just done it! We need to be proud of our Green achievement and shout it loudly! The NSW Local elections are a timely reminder of what happens if we do not shout loudly enough!
James Ryan NSW Convenor
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 NT election is over and while the Green vote dropped slightly and the NT now has a conservative government, there are still some highlights for us. We finished the year with three Greens elected to local government, a solid membership base, and a strong NT focused policy platform. With both local and NT government elections it has been a busy year for us and we were fortunate to have a full time campaign manager, Bharath Ragothaman work for us. Bharath put a huge amount of work into the campaign – thank you Bharath. One positive aspect of the election was that the result was entirely determined by the vote in the bush no seats changed in either Darwin or Alice Springs. For the main part, remote aboriginal communities delivered a change of government, and the CLP will be challenged trying to manage the expectations of the traditional CLP vote and the remote indigenous vote; two very different constituent groups with very different expectations. We can only hope that from now on Aboriginal and remote communities across the NT will not be taken for granted. The seat of Nightcliff, where we had hoped to do well, saw our vote fall in the face of stiff competition from a high profile Green independent and other independents. One positive is that the combined “green vote” did increase to close to 30% despite all minor candidates being massively outspent by the ALP and CLP. With the NT Election now over, our attention must focus on re-engaging, supporting our three Green Aldermen on Darwin and Alice Springs Councils, and of course planning for next year’s federal election. November will see our AGM elect a new committee and there is much to do for both the committee and members. In fact, the strength of the Greens is dependent on members getting actively involved with the party and the community. So if you want to make the NT a Green and fairer place to live, please get in touch and get involved. There is plenty to do.
Simon Niblock NT Convenor
NT Greens PO Box 421 Nightcliff NT 0814 Ph: 0402 617 416 convenor@nt.greens.org.au www.nt.greens.org.au
QUEENSLAND
With state elections, council elections, by-election and internal elections to select a new Management Committee all completed, the Qld Greens are now focusing in on the upcoming federal election. Our Senate pre-selection has concluded, with Adam Stone being elected by the membership to head our Senate ticket. There is a real opportunity to win an extra Senate seat in Queensland and Adam is already campaigning hard. We are also well underway with selecting candidates for the thirty House of Representatives electorates. The Queensland community is currently experiencing enormous upheavals in the early stages of the new LNP government led by Campbell Newman. Around 14 000 public service jobs have been lost, along with major cuts to community organisations. Any groups engaging in advocacy have come in for special targeting, along with those perceived as ideological enemies of the LNP. We have also seen serious weakening of our environmental laws, continuing ‘jobs for the boys’ with many LNP mates getting plum public sector and other jobs, and a proposal to weaken the Crime and Misconduct Commission – a body set up in the wake of the Fitzgerald Inquiry to tackle corruption. We are working on strengthening our links to key groups, including a number of trade unions who are also under attack from the state government. There has been a coming together of many people and groups to fight against the public sector and funding cuts and a pending ‘law and order’ campaign. We are also hoping to spark community support for electoral reform, as Queensland is currently suffering under one of the most disproportionate levels of representation of any Parliament for many a year. Despite getting just under 50% of the vote at the state election, the LNP holds nearly 88% of the seats, with 78 of the 89 seats in the Parliament. With no Upper House and a weakened committee system, there is minimal accountability and half of the population has minimal representation.
Andrew Bartlett Qld Convenor
Queensland Greens PO Box 661, Albion BC, 4010 Ph: 07 3173 1127 office@qld.greens.org.au www.qld.greens.org.au
SOUTH AUSTRALIA
The upcoming federal election is dominating the agenda for SA Greens. This next election is a critical time for the Greens with SA Senator, Sarah Hanson-Young up for re-election. It is vital that the Greens nationally support this campaign as Sarah’s position may well impact the balance of power. With pre-selection for the Senate ticket completed, activity has been at fever pitch to pre-select candidates for the lower house seats. Thanks to the hard efforts of many involved this is nearing completion, a mammoth task, achieved in what must be near record time. Of course, at the same time, preparations are continuing for the upcoming March 2014 State election with an aim of adding another representative to the Upper House. On the political scene, the Murray Darling Basin continues to dominate the agenda with negotiations escalating in order to protect the environment and those who depend on the river. Olympic Dam Expansion, the plight of refugees and the placement and size of sanctuary zones (where species are protected) for the State marine parks are also consuming the work undertaken by our parliamentary representatives. In September, many people voted with their feet and walked from Port Augusta to Adelaide showing support for the proposal to convert the two existing coalfired power stations into solar thermal plants (rather than a gas plant). This has local support and needs federal input financially to make renewable energy a reality in this area. Locally, we are also contributing to the Greens policy discussion, fundraising feverishly and preparing for the national conference. Finally, thanks to Craig Wilkins and the previous Coordinating Group which very ably led the South Australian Greens through changes to the constitution and other important financial and administrative matters last year. And welcome to the new Coordinating Group which was voted in at the AGM to steer us through the next election year. I look forward to working with you and the Greens to achieve electoral success and ultimately a better social and natural environment for all.
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
With transport this issue’s theme, the Tasmanian Greens are punching above our weight in this area. This is thanks, in part, to our two standout Federal candidates, Anna Reynolds and Rosalie Woodruff, in the electorates of Denison and Franklin respectively, two of the traditionally greenest-voting seats in the country. Passenger transport in the State has a long legacy of woeful under-investment. With oil prices unlikely to fall, an overreliance on cars for transport has left the State vulnerable; this affects private passengers as much as commercial freight. Anna and Rosalie have real-world and attractive visions of how to make transport sustainable and people-focused. With Denison covering Hobart and its northern suburbs, Anna has made public transport central to her campaign. Working with Greens Leader and Minister for Sustainable Transport, Nick McKim, Anna is campaigning for a light rail system, a Greens policy since the midnineties. Anna is also championing cycleways, and has been a vocal supporter of the long-running campaign to create a cycleway on Sandy Bay Road, one of the main thoroughfares into Hobart. Rosalie Woodruff has taken a different tack, making the retro-fitting of cars (including turning them into electric vehicles) central to her campaign. Tasmanians collectively spent $620 million on petrol last year, and this is expected to double in ten years. There is a nascent cottage industry emerging in the state, with mechanics retro-fitting cars to run on electrical batteries or making them more fuel efficient. Rosalie is keen to see this turn into a more mainstream enterprise and has wasted no time highlighting the multiple benefits of such schemes. In fact, both candidates have got off to a flying start after a series of seismic developments in the state. These include the collapse of notorious timber company, Gunns Ltd, the forthcoming downsizing of “rogue government agency”, Forestry Tasmania, as well as some high-profile Greens wins, such as the banning of battery hens and sow stalls. Rosalie and Anna are helping make the continued greening of the state’s transport system popular and realistic propositions.
VICTORIA
As we write, the AGV’s 42 branches and 107 Greens candidates are in the throes of Victoria’s local government elections and we’ll know the outcomes by the time you are reading this. In the wake of our massive campaign and record result for Dr Cathy Oke in July’s by-election for the State seat of Melbourne, our campaign for Lord Mayor of Melbourne is attracting great public interest, with Mayoral candidate Dr Alison Parkes, Deputy Dave Collis, incumbent Councillor Cathy Oke and the whole Melbourne team doing the Greens proud. The AGV continues with the implementation of our new branchbased Constitution and last month welcomed the launch of the Surfcoast Greens, on Victoria’s iconic southwest coast. We’re also excited by the news that the Melton Greens, another periurban branch, are next in line. Another very positive development for the Vic Greens is the recent formation of the Victorian Young Greens, who are up and running with an extremely talented group of office bearers. The VYG have been busy fundraising and have ensured a strong Greens presence at some recent important protests. The AGV is subsidising the attendance of two VYG members at this year’s AG National Conference. This is in recognition of the impact of meeting other Greens, after young AGV member Tamar Primoratz funded her trip to Dakar earlier this year and, inspired by the work of the European Young Greens, returned to help establish the VYG. In our 20th year, it’s been a momentous year of campaigning for the Vic Greens membership and we’re all looking forward to our Anniversary celebration in December and a bit of a summer hiatus before we kick off our federal election efforts next year.
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
The advent of fixed terms in WA has meant that we are able to run our campaigns with greater pre-planning than in previous years, although of course there are still many organisational challenges to be overcome as we head towards the state election in March. MPs Giz Watson, Robin Chapple, Alison Xamon and Lyn McLaren along with candidate Cameron Poustie have their upper house campaigns up and running, and selection of lower house candidates is well underway. In particular I would like to single out the Kimberley candidate, Chris Maher, who is running a remarkable campaign with a highly motivated team. The issue of the Kimberley gas hub is creating a great deal of passion in local communities and in the state generally. It epitomises the pressing need to have greater democratic and local control over major planning issues in the state, and the need to look at long term solutions rather than taking the fast and dirty option. Our messaging effort is well underway with an advertising company selected and all state MPs and upper house candidates involved in the process to ensure maximum “buy in” of the messaging strategy. It has been very interesting and rewarding to see the campaign taking form, from the basic research stage through to messaging strategies and moving into concrete ideas and outcomes. We are very enthusiastic about the work that has been done so far and believe we will have some impressive campaign tools to deploy in this coming election, and in the federal election that will follow it. We have been running a series of “Green Mythbusters” events around the Perth metropolitan area which have been effective in generating interest in both the public and local media. Two of our MP’s or candidates representing state and federal politics give a short presentation aimed at demolishing many common misconceptions about the party, followed by a Q&A session. These discussions can be very productive, and sometimes allow us to identify issues and problems we were not aware of!
CHRIS DICKINSON WA CONVENOR
CATHERINE BROWN TAS Convenor
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
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
november 2012
OUR FEDERAL MPS Senator CHRISTINE MILNE - TAS Federal Parliamentary Leader
October marks 6 months as the Australian Greens leader and it’s been a month of forging some key messages about the Greens’ economic vision and foreign policy goals. On a beautiful Canberra spring day I delivered a speech to the National Press Club in which I explained how the Greens want to better use economic tools to serve people and nature. The Greens have a strong economic vision which is about creating long-term jobs in service industries, the booming renewable energy sector and protecting the public service from the government’s razor gang. You can’t have jobs on a dead planet. Global warming promises to radically change not only our ecosystem, but our cities, our society, and our economy. We want a country with an unpolluted environment, rich biodiversity and clean waterways so that our children and grandchildren can enjoy it as we do. I argued to the assembled press gallery that we need to focus on building the skills we need for the 21st century; we need to invest in environmental protection, in education, health and better public infrastructure. We have proposed a number of revenue raising measures – including fixing loopholes in the mining super profits tax, simplifying superannuation tax to make it more accessible to people on low incomes, and cutting fossil fuel subsidies. I delivered another major speech at the Sydney Institute calling for our troops to be brought home from Afghanistan swiftly and safely. We have lost 38 soldiers already to this war and there is no positive end to this three decades old conflict. I have the utmost admiration for the bravery and professionalism of our troops, but sadly nothing between now and the withdrawal date two years from now will fix the quagmire in which we find ourselves in Afghanistan. senator.milne@aph.gov.au
Senator Rachel Siewert - wa
It was extremely disappointing to see the Government and Coalition vote together to cut payments to more than 140,000 single parents by moving them onto the Newstart Allowance, a reduction of income between $60 and $100 a week. This vote took place shortly before Anti-Poverty Week, and underlines how important it is that we continue to drive the debate around improving support and assistance for vulnerable people in our community. The cuts will take effect from January 1 next year; one of the worst financial times of the year for families with Christmas, school holiday and back-to-school costs stacking up. It appears from questions I asked in Question Time that the Government hasn’t even thought about the increased demand for emergency relief services that may occur and if services will be able to meet demand. Transferring single parents and their families to Newstart condemns these families to living in poverty and highlights the importance of our campaign to increase Newstart by $50 per week. At more than $130 per week below the poverty line, Newstart fails to provide essential financial support to those who most need it and fails to support them in finding secure work. For those people most at risk of poverty, finding an appropriate job requires a number of barriers to be overcome. What happens if you need to further your education, undertake training or work experience before you can transition into the workforce? What happens if you’re an older worker subject to age discrimination? What happens if you’re raising kids and need flexible hours to care for them? The current system is unable to deliver the kind of support that a responsible and caring country should have in place. Action to reduce poverty must include an improved approach to income support and assistance for vulnerable people. The current inquiry into Newstart and other allowance payments, instigated by the Greens, is set to report in November. greensmps.org.au/Newstart. senator.siewert@aph.gov.au
Senator Scott Ludlam - WA
This year I travelled to Japan and visited the site of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. I travelled through a huge area of land now completely evacuated. 160,000 people were forced to flee their homes. Inside people’s homes in Fukushima city ambient radiation levels are two or three times what they would be in an ordinary environment. Australian uranium was loaded in all four reactors at the Fukushima complex. Now the Prime Minister visits India to initiate a uranium sales deal. Earlier this year India was ranked 28th out of 32 countries in terms of the security of their nuclear stockpiles. Last month, the Indian Auditor General’s report on nuclear regulation in India found that 60% of inspections for nuclear power plants were seriously delayed or didn’t happen. Despite an order from the Indian Government 29 years ago, a national nuclear safety policy has not been developed and it has almost no power to penalise breaches. The tsunami of 2004 hit the southern coast of India where nuclear power plants are built at sea level. An assessment of safety standards at Koodankulum power plant found that, in the event of an interruption to the electricity supply, there is only two days’ supply of fresh water on site to cool the cores. A repeat of the Fukushima scenario in Tamil Nadu would be a catastrophe on a scale beyond imagination. Australian uranium miners are alarmed at the freefall of the world uranium price since Fukushima. 150 nuclear power plants in Europe alone are set for closure, and several countries have committed to shutting down their nuclear sectors completely. The power of the panic-stricken uranium lobby is great and in Western Australia the Barnett Government has approved a project that sets a dangerously low standard for uranium mines. In the same week Barnett backed this project, the nation’s biggest solar power project began operating in Western Australia. Greenough River Solar shows the way to the future. The future is renewable, not radioactive. 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 NT election is over and while the Green vote dropped slightly and the NT now has a conservative government, there are still some highlights for us. We finished the year with three Greens elected to local government, a solid membership base, and a strong NT focused policy platform. With both local and NT government elections it has been a busy year for us and we were fortunate to have a full time campaign manager, Bharath Ragothaman work for us. Bharath put a huge amount of work into the campaign – thank you Bharath. One positive aspect of the election was that the result was entirely determined by the vote in the bush no seats changed in either Darwin or Alice Springs. For the main part, remote aboriginal communities delivered a change of government, and the CLP will be challenged trying to manage the expectations of the traditional CLP vote and the remote indigenous vote; two very different constituent groups with very different expectations. We can only hope that from now on Aboriginal and remote communities across the NT will not be taken for granted. The seat of Nightcliff, where we had hoped to do well, saw our vote fall in the face of stiff competition from a high profile Green independent and other independents. One positive is that the combined “green vote” did increase to close to 30% despite all minor candidates being massively outspent by the ALP and CLP. With the NT Election now over, our attention must focus on re-engaging, supporting our three Green Aldermen on Darwin and Alice Springs Councils, and of course planning for next year’s federal election. November will see our AGM elect a new committee and there is much to do for both the committee and members. In fact, the strength of the Greens is dependent on members getting actively involved with the party and the community. So if you want to make the NT a Green and fairer place to live, please get in touch and get involved. There is plenty to do.
Simon Niblock NT Convenor
NT Greens PO Box 421 Nightcliff NT 0814 Ph: 0402 617 416 convenor@nt.greens.org.au www.nt.greens.org.au
QUEENSLAND
With state elections, council elections, by-election and internal elections to select a new Management Committee all completed, the Qld Greens are now focusing in on the upcoming federal election. Our Senate pre-selection has concluded, with Adam Stone being elected by the membership to head our Senate ticket. There is a real opportunity to win an extra Senate seat in Queensland and Adam is already campaigning hard. We are also well underway with selecting candidates for the thirty House of Representatives electorates. The Queensland community is currently experiencing enormous upheavals in the early stages of the new LNP government led by Campbell Newman. Around 14 000 public service jobs have been lost, along with major cuts to community organisations. Any groups engaging in advocacy have come in for special targeting, along with those perceived as ideological enemies of the LNP. We have also seen serious weakening of our environmental laws, continuing ‘jobs for the boys’ with many LNP mates getting plum public sector and other jobs, and a proposal to weaken the Crime and Misconduct Commission – a body set up in the wake of the Fitzgerald Inquiry to tackle corruption. We are working on strengthening our links to key groups, including a number of trade unions who are also under attack from the state government. There has been a coming together of many people and groups to fight against the public sector and funding cuts and a pending ‘law and order’ campaign. We are also hoping to spark community support for electoral reform, as Queensland is currently suffering under one of the most disproportionate levels of representation of any Parliament for many a year. Despite getting just under 50% of the vote at the state election, the LNP holds nearly 88% of the seats, with 78 of the 89 seats in the Parliament. With no Upper House and a weakened committee system, there is minimal accountability and half of the population has minimal representation.
Andrew Bartlett Qld Convenor
Queensland Greens PO Box 661, Albion BC, 4010 Ph: 07 3173 1127 office@qld.greens.org.au www.qld.greens.org.au
SOUTH AUSTRALIA
The upcoming federal election is dominating the agenda for SA Greens. This next election is a critical time for the Greens with SA Senator, Sarah Hanson-Young up for re-election. It is vital that the Greens nationally support this campaign as Sarah’s position may well impact the balance of power. With pre-selection for the Senate ticket completed, activity has been at fever pitch to pre-select candidates for the lower house seats. Thanks to the hard efforts of many involved this is nearing completion, a mammoth task, achieved in what must be near record time. Of course, at the same time, preparations are continuing for the upcoming March 2014 State election with an aim of adding another representative to the Upper House. On the political scene, the Murray Darling Basin continues to dominate the agenda with negotiations escalating in order to protect the environment and those who depend on the river. Olympic Dam Expansion, the plight of refugees and the placement and size of sanctuary zones (where species are protected) for the State marine parks are also consuming the work undertaken by our parliamentary representatives. In September, many people voted with their feet and walked from Port Augusta to Adelaide showing support for the proposal to convert the two existing coalfired power stations into solar thermal plants (rather than a gas plant). This has local support and needs federal input financially to make renewable energy a reality in this area. Locally, we are also contributing to the Greens policy discussion, fundraising feverishly and preparing for the national conference. Finally, thanks to Craig Wilkins and the previous Coordinating Group which very ably led the South Australian Greens through changes to the constitution and other important financial and administrative matters last year. And welcome to the new Coordinating Group which was voted in at the AGM to steer us through the next election year. I look forward to working with you and the Greens to achieve electoral success and ultimately a better social and natural environment for all.
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
With transport this issue’s theme, the Tasmanian Greens are punching above our weight in this area. This is thanks, in part, to our two standout Federal candidates, Anna Reynolds and Rosalie Woodruff, in the electorates of Denison and Franklin respectively, two of the traditionally greenest-voting seats in the country. Passenger transport in the State has a long legacy of woeful under-investment. With oil prices unlikely to fall, an overreliance on cars for transport has left the State vulnerable; this affects private passengers as much as commercial freight. Anna and Rosalie have real-world and attractive visions of how to make transport sustainable and people-focused. With Denison covering Hobart and its northern suburbs, Anna has made public transport central to her campaign. Working with Greens Leader and Minister for Sustainable Transport, Nick McKim, Anna is campaigning for a light rail system, a Greens policy since the midnineties. Anna is also championing cycleways, and has been a vocal supporter of the long-running campaign to create a cycleway on Sandy Bay Road, one of the main thoroughfares into Hobart. Rosalie Woodruff has taken a different tack, making the retro-fitting of cars (including turning them into electric vehicles) central to her campaign. Tasmanians collectively spent $620 million on petrol last year, and this is expected to double in ten years. There is a nascent cottage industry emerging in the state, with mechanics retro-fitting cars to run on electrical batteries or making them more fuel efficient. Rosalie is keen to see this turn into a more mainstream enterprise and has wasted no time highlighting the multiple benefits of such schemes. In fact, both candidates have got off to a flying start after a series of seismic developments in the state. These include the collapse of notorious timber company, Gunns Ltd, the forthcoming downsizing of “rogue government agency”, Forestry Tasmania, as well as some high-profile Greens wins, such as the banning of battery hens and sow stalls. Rosalie and Anna are helping make the continued greening of the state’s transport system popular and realistic propositions.
VICTORIA
As we write, the AGV’s 42 branches and 107 Greens candidates are in the throes of Victoria’s local government elections and we’ll know the outcomes by the time you are reading this. In the wake of our massive campaign and record result for Dr Cathy Oke in July’s by-election for the State seat of Melbourne, our campaign for Lord Mayor of Melbourne is attracting great public interest, with Mayoral candidate Dr Alison Parkes, Deputy Dave Collis, incumbent Councillor Cathy Oke and the whole Melbourne team doing the Greens proud. The AGV continues with the implementation of our new branchbased Constitution and last month welcomed the launch of the Surfcoast Greens, on Victoria’s iconic southwest coast. We’re also excited by the news that the Melton Greens, another periurban branch, are next in line. Another very positive development for the Vic Greens is the recent formation of the Victorian Young Greens, who are up and running with an extremely talented group of office bearers. The VYG have been busy fundraising and have ensured a strong Greens presence at some recent important protests. The AGV is subsidising the attendance of two VYG members at this year’s AG National Conference. This is in recognition of the impact of meeting other Greens, after young AGV member Tamar Primoratz funded her trip to Dakar earlier this year and, inspired by the work of the European Young Greens, returned to help establish the VYG. In our 20th year, it’s been a momentous year of campaigning for the Vic Greens membership and we’re all looking forward to our Anniversary celebration in December and a bit of a summer hiatus before we kick off our federal election efforts next year.
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
The advent of fixed terms in WA has meant that we are able to run our campaigns with greater pre-planning than in previous years, although of course there are still many organisational challenges to be overcome as we head towards the state election in March. MPs Giz Watson, Robin Chapple, Alison Xamon and Lyn McLaren along with candidate Cameron Poustie have their upper house campaigns up and running, and selection of lower house candidates is well underway. In particular I would like to single out the Kimberley candidate, Chris Maher, who is running a remarkable campaign with a highly motivated team. The issue of the Kimberley gas hub is creating a great deal of passion in local communities and in the state generally. It epitomises the pressing need to have greater democratic and local control over major planning issues in the state, and the need to look at long term solutions rather than taking the fast and dirty option. Our messaging effort is well underway with an advertising company selected and all state MPs and upper house candidates involved in the process to ensure maximum “buy in” of the messaging strategy. It has been very interesting and rewarding to see the campaign taking form, from the basic research stage through to messaging strategies and moving into concrete ideas and outcomes. We are very enthusiastic about the work that has been done so far and believe we will have some impressive campaign tools to deploy in this coming election, and in the federal election that will follow it. We have been running a series of “Green Mythbusters” events around the Perth metropolitan area which have been effective in generating interest in both the public and local media. Two of our MP’s or candidates representing state and federal politics give a short presentation aimed at demolishing many common misconceptions about the party, followed by a Q&A session. These discussions can be very productive, and sometimes allow us to identify issues and problems we were not aware of!
CHRIS DICKINSON WA CONVENOR
CATHERINE BROWN TAS Convenor
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
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
november 2012
OUR FEDERAL MPS Senator CHRISTINE MILNE - TAS Federal Parliamentary Leader
October marks 6 months as the Australian Greens leader and it’s been a month of forging some key messages about the Greens’ economic vision and foreign policy goals. On a beautiful Canberra spring day I delivered a speech to the National Press Club in which I explained how the Greens want to better use economic tools to serve people and nature. The Greens have a strong economic vision which is about creating long-term jobs in service industries, the booming renewable energy sector and protecting the public service from the government’s razor gang. You can’t have jobs on a dead planet. Global warming promises to radically change not only our ecosystem, but our cities, our society, and our economy. We want a country with an unpolluted environment, rich biodiversity and clean waterways so that our children and grandchildren can enjoy it as we do. I argued to the assembled press gallery that we need to focus on building the skills we need for the 21st century; we need to invest in environmental protection, in education, health and better public infrastructure. We have proposed a number of revenue raising measures – including fixing loopholes in the mining super profits tax, simplifying superannuation tax to make it more accessible to people on low incomes, and cutting fossil fuel subsidies. I delivered another major speech at the Sydney Institute calling for our troops to be brought home from Afghanistan swiftly and safely. We have lost 38 soldiers already to this war and there is no positive end to this three decades old conflict. I have the utmost admiration for the bravery and professionalism of our troops, but sadly nothing between now and the withdrawal date two years from now will fix the quagmire in which we find ourselves in Afghanistan. senator.milne@aph.gov.au
Senator Rachel Siewert - wa
It was extremely disappointing to see the Government and Coalition vote together to cut payments to more than 140,000 single parents by moving them onto the Newstart Allowance, a reduction of income between $60 and $100 a week. This vote took place shortly before Anti-Poverty Week, and underlines how important it is that we continue to drive the debate around improving support and assistance for vulnerable people in our community. The cuts will take effect from January 1 next year; one of the worst financial times of the year for families with Christmas, school holiday and back-to-school costs stacking up. It appears from questions I asked in Question Time that the Government hasn’t even thought about the increased demand for emergency relief services that may occur and if services will be able to meet demand. Transferring single parents and their families to Newstart condemns these families to living in poverty and highlights the importance of our campaign to increase Newstart by $50 per week. At more than $130 per week below the poverty line, Newstart fails to provide essential financial support to those who most need it and fails to support them in finding secure work. For those people most at risk of poverty, finding an appropriate job requires a number of barriers to be overcome. What happens if you need to further your education, undertake training or work experience before you can transition into the workforce? What happens if you’re an older worker subject to age discrimination? What happens if you’re raising kids and need flexible hours to care for them? The current system is unable to deliver the kind of support that a responsible and caring country should have in place. Action to reduce poverty must include an improved approach to income support and assistance for vulnerable people. The current inquiry into Newstart and other allowance payments, instigated by the Greens, is set to report in November. greensmps.org.au/Newstart. senator.siewert@aph.gov.au
Senator Scott Ludlam - WA
This year I travelled to Japan and visited the site of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. I travelled through a huge area of land now completely evacuated. 160,000 people were forced to flee their homes. Inside people’s homes in Fukushima city ambient radiation levels are two or three times what they would be in an ordinary environment. Australian uranium was loaded in all four reactors at the Fukushima complex. Now the Prime Minister visits India to initiate a uranium sales deal. Earlier this year India was ranked 28th out of 32 countries in terms of the security of their nuclear stockpiles. Last month, the Indian Auditor General’s report on nuclear regulation in India found that 60% of inspections for nuclear power plants were seriously delayed or didn’t happen. Despite an order from the Indian Government 29 years ago, a national nuclear safety policy has not been developed and it has almost no power to penalise breaches. The tsunami of 2004 hit the southern coast of India where nuclear power plants are built at sea level. An assessment of safety standards at Koodankulum power plant found that, in the event of an interruption to the electricity supply, there is only two days’ supply of fresh water on site to cool the cores. A repeat of the Fukushima scenario in Tamil Nadu would be a catastrophe on a scale beyond imagination. Australian uranium miners are alarmed at the freefall of the world uranium price since Fukushima. 150 nuclear power plants in Europe alone are set for closure, and several countries have committed to shutting down their nuclear sectors completely. The power of the panic-stricken uranium lobby is great and in Western Australia the Barnett Government has approved a project that sets a dangerously low standard for uranium mines. In the same week Barnett backed this project, the nation’s biggest solar power project began operating in Western Australia. Greenough River Solar shows the way to the future. The future is renewable, not radioactive. 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