(published Queanbeyan Age, 26 November 2010)

Greens candidate for Monaro Paul Cockram expressed his disappointment at the NSW Coalition’s decision to scrap ethics classes.

“We’re really going backwards here. If this is an indication of social policy under a fundamentalist O’Farrell government, we’re heading for big trouble,” he said.

“I remember many years ago one of my children booked himself back into scripture because the alternative on offer was so mind-numbingly boring.”

“If scripture classes can’t incorporate ethics into their teaching, it makes you wonder what values they do espouse,” said Paul Cockram.

“In this country we’re proud of our religious tolerance. It’s time this tolerance was reciprocated.”

The Greens are working with the Keneally government to secure the ethics option for  children who do not attend scripture. (‘Law will protect ethics classes from being dumped by Coalition’, Sydney Morning Herald, 26 November, page 3).

Greens NSW MP John Kaye said: “Opposition Leader Barry O’Farrell has made it clear he will destroy ethics classes in his pursuit of support from the conservative Christian lobby.

“Legislation is the only protection against the fanaticism of the anti-ethics religious right and their powerful backers in the Liberal and National parties.

“Changes to the Education Act to stop a future Coalition Education Minister taking away ethics classes will pass through parliament over the next week with the combined votes of Greens and Labor MPs. (more…)

NSW nurses and their union are taking action today to protect their patients in the response to a government that refuses to listen to the evidence, according to Greens NSW MP John Kaye.

Dr Kaye said: “Nurses have been forced into industrial action by their professional concern for the welfare of patients in under-staffed wards.

“This is about saving lives. Current staffing levels are putting patients at risk.  UTS Professor Christine Duffield found that nurses are overworked and that patients’ welfare suffers.

“Increasing the ratio of nurses to patients from 1 to 8 to 1 to 4 reduces the chances of dying in hospital by 30 percent. (more…)

NSW nurses and their union are taking action today to protect their patients in the response to a government that refuses to listen to the evidence, according to Greens NSW MP John Kaye.
 
Dr Kaye said: “Nurses have been forced into industrial action by their professional concern for the welfare of patients in under-staffed wards.
 
“This is about saving lives. Current staffing levels are putting patients at risk.  UTS Professor Christine Duffield found that nurses are overworked and that patients’ welfare suffers.
 
“Increasing the ratio of nurses to patients from 1 to 8 to 1 to 4 reduces the chances of dying in hospital by 30 percent.
 
“Health Minister Carmel Tebbutt has driven nurses to industrial action by failing to negotiate in good faith.
 
“The Greens will be putting a motion in support of reduced ratios to the Upper House of the NSW Parliament today. We want to send a message of support for safer hospitals and put the government on notice that this will be a major election issue.
 
“It will also be a test for the Coalition.
 
“Shadow Health Minister Jillian Skinner has been quick to criticise the Labor government’s management of hospitals but has offered little in the way of alternatives. If the Liberals and Nationals fail to support the state’s nurses, it will be clear that hospitals would face the same lack of commitment to safer patient care under an O’Farrell government.
 
“The Greens congratulate nurses for having the courage to take a stand for the welfare of their patients and the future of the public hospital system,” Dr Kaye said.

As reported in today’s Sun Herald, Greens MP and mining spokesperson Cate Faehrmann has exposed government papers which reveal an exploration drilling approval for the metropolitan suburb of St Peters in Sydney’s inner-west.

“Gas is being touted by the industry as clean and green. Yet there is a growing body of evidence which suggests exploring for and extracting gas can have significant impacts on the local environment and underground water supplies,” said Ms Faehrmann. (more…)

Australian Greens Leader Senator Bob Brown has written to Minister for Environment Tony Burke calling for an immediate moratorium on approval of coal seam gas projects.

Senator Brown said the Government should establish an independent inquiry with judicial powers into potential dangers of coal seam gas mining on human and environmental health.

“As the new Minister for Environment, Tony Burke has an opportunity to get the facts on the significant concerns amongst farmers, local communities and environmental experts which these projects are generating,” said Senator Brown. (more…)

Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown today announced new plans to legislate to put a 24 month freeze on banks being able to increase interest rates beyond the Reserve Bank rate. The new action also aims to ensure banks pass on decreases to official Reserve Bank rates to customers for the next 24 months.

The new legislative action is in addition to a bill to make banking fairer which Greens MP Adam Bandt will introduce to the Lower House tomorrow.

The Banking Amendment (Delivering Essential Financial Services for the Community) Bill 2010 provides legislative protection for customers including a ban on unfair $2 bank ATM fees, ensuring basic fee-free bank accounts, capping the level of mortgage exit fees, and introducing a variable rate mortgage product (”Fair Price Mortgages”) that will only permit genuine changes to the lender’s cost of funds to be passed on to customers.

This year’s update to the My School website risks misleading parents and damaging school communities, according to Greens NSW MP John Kaye. (‘Call to delay My School data amid ‘wild’ swings’, SMH 13 November 2010, page 5).
The site, which is due to go live in early December, lists each school’s average results in year 3, 5, 7 and 9 literacy and numeracy from this year’s NAPLAN tests, as well as an index of the socio-economic status of the parents and the income levels of the school.

Dr Kaye said: “NSW Education Minister Verity Firth should tell her federal colleague Peter Garrett to pull the plug on the school results website before it does yet more damage. (more…)

The Greens’ move to ban all political campaign donations from tobacco companies will successfully pass both houses of parliament  with government support. It will become law in time for the 2011 election funding period. (‘Tobacco cash ban will hit Coalition’, Sydney Morning Herald 9 November, page 1).

Greens NSW MP John Kaye said that without the ban, tobacco control in NSW will be almost impossible under a future Coalition government.

Since the 2003 election, the Liberals and National parties have received more than $600,000 in donations from an industry that is directly responsible for more than 5,000 deaths and 42,000 hospitalisations each year. (more…)

While welcoming the NSW government’s move towards labelling of the energy count of fast foods, the Greens say they will amend the legislation to include salt, transfats and saturated fat content.

Greens NSW MP and Consumer Affairs spokesperson John Kaye said: “Premier Kristina Keneally caved in to pressure from the fast food industry.

“Desperate to be able to continue to boost their profits by selling fatty and salty foods, the quick serve lobby has been able to persuade the NSW government to only require the labelling of energy.

“Kilojoules labels will reveal only one part of the obesity and health impacts of burgers, wraps, thick shakes, doughnuts and other quick serve food.

“Parents need to be armed with information about salt, transfats and saturated fat. (more…)