The Greens in Palerang
 

Archive for August, 2010

Thanks to many people

Monday, August 30th, 2010

(letter to the editor, Eden-Monaro papers)

The recent five week Federal Election campaign was probably the most intensive I have been involved in, and I couldn’t have done it without the help and support I received from many people. (more…)

response to anonymous phone call

Wednesday, August 25th, 2010

(letter to Bungendore Mirror, published August 25)

“Yeah fortunately you weren’t able to get elected. Maybe you can concentrate on Palerang Council now and botch that up.” (anonymous phonecall, Monday morning.)

As a result of Saturday’s election, we are looking at what has the potential to be a new and positive direction in government. One of the reasons for that is that the two other major parties have lost their stronghold and will need to engage with Greens and independents as part of the political process. I think that can only be a good thing.

Most Greens candidates know they are not going to get elected at this time in history, but we recognise the role we can play in the democratic system, part of which is raising issues that people care about but that many politicians seem not to. (more…)

Greens increase vote in Eden-Monaro and across country

Sunday, August 22nd, 2010

The Greens have doubled their representation in the federal parliament, with the election of new senators in SA, Victoria, QLD and most likely NSW. Adam Bandt has won the seat of Melbourne.

“It appears that we will now have nine senators, up from five,” said Catherine Moore, Greens candidate for Eden-Monaro .

“Our success across Australia signals that The Greens are now very much part of the mainstream.  We are the party of the future.

“The Greens also increased our vote in Eden-Monaro, something that was looking less likely to happen as the polls showed the ALP and the Coalition neck and neck. (more…)

Why are you standing and why should people vote for you?

Friday, August 20th, 2010

(300 words for the Queanbeyan Age, August 20 edition)

We need to start doing politics differently, by focusing on issues, not personalities, taking the adversarial approach out of campaigning and decision-making, and talking about the vision we have for local communities and for Australia.

Many important issues have been forgotten or not adequately dealt with by the other major parties. Climate change needs our immediate attention. We don’t need a scheme that will only deliver a 5% cut to emissions and result in huge subsidies to big polluters. We do need a carbon tax on those big polluters, with the funds redirected to help low-income earners with increased power bills and installation of renewable energy systems. We could create thousands of jobs in renewable energy (wind, wave, solar and geothermal) and move to 100% renewables by 2050. (more…)

Imbalanced reporting on marine parks

Thursday, August 19th, 2010

(letter to the editor, Canberra Times)

Your story “Voters all at sea over over future of South Coast” (CT, 19 August) leaves little time before the election for setting the record straight about marine parks. This unbalanced report said nothing about the indisputable fact that marine parks go a long way towards stopping the decline in fish stocks and giving them a chance to regenerate.

Nor did it mention that both the Narooma and Bateman’s Bay Chambers of Commerce and Eurobodalla Shire Council have come out in support of Batemans Marine Park, with local businesses reporting that the region is booming, and car parks at boat ramps are packed full.

No mention either of the reports from the volunteer coastal patrols about increased boat traffic, or fishing magazines like NSW Fishing Monthly consistently speaking well of the Batemans Marine Park, using expressions like ‘South Coast fishing on fire’ and ‘as good as it gets’. (more…)

With rights come responsibilities, say Greens

Tuesday, August 17th, 2010

Greens candidate for Eden-Monaro Catherine Moore wants less talk about rights and more about responsibilities, saying that humans are just one part of the huge web of life, and if we continue on the same path we cannot guarantee our long-term survival.

Commenting on the fishing rights/anti-marine park demonstration held in Narooma today, she said:
“As this election campaign has progressed, the Coalition has demonstrated just how out of touch it is with the large number of Australians who want to see governments playing their role in standing up for and protecting the environment.

“We rely on a healthy planet for our survival, yet the Coalition is hell-bent, through its populist policies, on continuing to treat Australia like a quarry, with profit as the main driver. (more…)

Greens say much more is needed for the Snowy River

Wednesday, August 11th, 2010

Greens candidate for Eden-Monaro Catherine Moore has cautiously welcomed today’s water announcements by the Federal Government but is concerned that they will only result in minor increases in flows to the Snowy River.

Meeting with members of the Snowy River Alliance in Dalgety and Jindabyne today, Catherine said:

“The announcement to pay out the Snowy River “debt” will only result in a mere 2% increase to flows for the current water year (2010-11) when the legislated target for June 2009 was 15% below Jindabyne Dam and 21% by 2012.

“The Snowy River remains on life support. What the Snowy needs is action that will deliver major volumes of water down the river now. (more…)

Greens offer climate change vision for NSW

Monday, August 9th, 2010

In the lead-up to tonight’s Clean Energy for Eternity’s candidate forum on climate change in Bermagui, Greens candidate for Eden-Monaro, Catherine Moore has challenged the other major parties to outline their plans for reducing NSW’s and Australia’s climate change burden.

“Despite the ALP and Coalition trying to claim that a 5% cut to emissions somehow represents adequate action on this pressing issue, it is only The Greens who have a clear long-term vision, which would start immediately, to change the energy mix in NSW and significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” said Catherine.

At the statewide launch of the Greens NSW election campaign today, Senate candidate Lee Rhiannon outlined a clear plan for action on climate change that she will take to Canberra if she is elected as the next Greens Senator for NSW.

“NSW needs a clear direction on how to start cutting the state’s greenhouse emissions while creating new, sustainable jobs, and that’s another reason we need more Greens in the Senate,” said Catherine.

“Government plans to reduce NSW greenhouse pollution, which makes up 27 per cent of the nation’s carbon emissions, are weak and ineffective. (more…)

Why The Greens did not support the ETS

Friday, August 6th, 2010

The ALP has done an excellent job in duping the wider community into believing that The Greens have prevented this country from moving forward to address climate change. Meanwhile neither the ALP nor the Coalition has been able to to end its love affair with coal and Federal and State governments are continuing to approve more coal-fired power stations and more coal mines.

By the time the Government wanted The Greens’ vote on the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS), the scheme had been watered down by big business and the Opposition to such an extent that it would not have reduced carbon emissions in Australia.

In outlining the process leading up to the failure of the Bill to pass through the Senate, Tony Kevin in his book Crunch time explains “it emerged the next day that companies risked losing $12 billion worth of free carbon permits they had negotiated with the government if the legislation were not passed in 2009, before Copenhagen.”(1) These carbon credits were all to be funded by the tax-payer.

The Greens wanted to negotiate with the ALP on the scheme, but the ALP refused. The 5% carbon pollution reduction targets were weak and the scheme was corrupted by lavish compensation payments and subsidies to big emitters. The Greens maintained, and still do, that we need a scheme that makes polluters pay, not households. A carbon tax has been part of our policy from the beginning and this tax is now being recognised by an increasing number of economists and others to have the potential to be far more effective than an ETS. (more…)

Greens call for truth in forestry debate

Friday, August 6th, 2010

On the 65th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima, The Greens have called on the Federal Government, the woodchipping industry and all other stakeholders to have a truthful debate on woodchipping and biomass burning to avoid ongoing forest conflict into the future.

“Despite how some may talk it up, everyone in the native forest woodchipping industry knows that life is not good at moment,” said Catherine Moore, Greens candidate for Eden-Monaro.

“The forest industry is in a very difficult position. Why? Because there is a very big plantation resource coming on stream to feed the hardwood chip market.

“The Japanese market is flat and will remain flat, because it it is not willing to take native forest woodchips. It is only interested in chips from plantations.

“As a result, Nippon is proposing to burn native forest wood for power production. This is a symptom of the problem – no market for the chips. And if burning chips is the only solution, forest conflict is only set to escalate. (more…)

Authorised by Catherine Moore, 1149 Charleys Forest Road, Charleys Forest NSW 2622 for the Braidwood Greens
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Welcome to the website for the Greens in Palerang, who comprise the Braidwood Greens and some members of the Queanbeyan-Monaro Greens local groups. These groups run joint campaigns in the state seat of Monaro, and together with the Eurobodalla and Bega Greens groups, in the federal seat of Eden-Monaro.

Green policies are based on the four green principles of: These principles are at the foundation of everything we do, from our local activities and the way we operate in our local group to our representation at the local government level.

The Greens