Voters face a serious choice on September 7 and the choice they make will determine the direction this country follows, not just for the next three years but for a long time after, says Greens candidate for Eden-Monaro Catherine Moore.

“On the one hand we have an Opposition that has set itself up to take control, but whose policies are largely unknown and whose actions are all about making the rich richer. It is an Opposition that denies the need to act decisively on climate change and perpetuates fear and loathing of some of the most vulnerable people, including asylum seekers,” says Catherine.

“On the other hand we have  government that seems to be trying to match the Opposition’s position in a number of areas, including refugees, and that also lacks the courage to ask the wealthiest to pay a fairer share.

“Both are determined to hold onto power at any cost, and have lost sight of the need to make decisions for the greater good of the whole community, into the future.

“But it doesn’t have to be simply an “either… or” situation. (more…)

In the wake of the launch of The Australian Greens’ policy platform “Standing up for what matters”, Greens candidate for Eden-Monaro Catherine Moore says that The Greens are the obvious party of choice for all those who want to see a change of focus in politics, and positive and meaningful proposals to take us into the future.

“If they were implemented, the policy initiatives that we have released for this election would ensure a healthy, just and sustainable future for the people of Eden-Monaro.

“By introducing simple measures like a 0.2% levy on bank assets in excess of $100 billion, the abolition of tax-payer funded fossil fuel subsidies, an effective mining tax and 50% tax on incomes in excess of $1,000,000, we could raise $42.7 billion over three years.

“These funds could then be directed into social and environmental policy actions that benefited all Australians. (more…)

Following Julia Gillard’s election date announcement, the Bega District News asked the three known candidates for Eden-Monaro a series of questions. Here are The Greens’ responses.

What are the big issues as you see them in Eden-Monaro for this election year? Which will you be championing in your election campaign?
Climate change remains the biggest issue of our time, and it is already starting to affect everyone, so it will be of great concern if there is any party or candidate who does not take climate change seriously. Recognising how it permeates all our lives through health impacts, electricity and insurance costs for example, and taking positive action by way of investment in renewable energy programs, will filter through to a range of policy areas and benefit everyone in the electorate. While coal and coal seam gas mining does not affect Eden-Monaro directly, its impacts will be felt by all. Continuing to mine and export coal in increasing volumes together with the use of processes that pollute or destroy water supplies is something we need to stop. As with every previous election in which I have been involved, the closure of the chipmill is a major issue. The Greens presented a plan for softwood processing to state government and opposition candidates in the 1999 state election, and some of that has now been taken up, but we need to go further. See later responses for more detail. (more…)

Events in Parliament this week demonstrate a new low and point to the urgent need to change the way we do politics. There are serious issues which need to be addressed by politicians in parliaments and councils around Australia, but we have no hope of finding real solutions when debate is tainted by the sorts of exchanges we have seen this week and are seeing more and more on a regular basis. It is no wonder that Australians have lost faith in the people they have elected to represent them.

When the hung Parliament first started operating back in 2010 after the last Federal Election, many people had high hopes that we might be entering a new era of co-operation. Instead, politicians’ behaviour has continued to deteriorate, with the new low epitomised this week by the leader of the Opposition’s gratuitous and repugnant “dying of shame” comments in Parliament, clearly echoing those of talkback radio’s Alan Jones.

But sexism and misogyny are only part of the story, with Coalition and ALP and politicians alike continuing to focus on personality attacks and point-scoring instead of trying, in an adult fashion, to address the many difficult issues we face. (more…)

With women around the world celebrating International Women’s Day today, it seems an appropriate time to mention the NSW local government elections that will take place on September 9 this year and talk about the need for women to stand for and be elected to local government, says Catherine Moore, Palerang councillor and 2010 Greens candidate for Eden-Monaro.

Women make up more than fifty percent of the population, and were granted equal pay for equal work in 1969. However in 2010, women were receiving on average seventeen percent less pay for equal work or work of the same value and, in some sectors, like finance and insurance, this gap jumps to 32 per cent. Women are still noticeably absent in the boards, senior staff and parliaments of Australia.

As the WA Department of Local Government website says, “women make a valuable contribution to the local government sector and increase the diversity of decision makers to better reflect the interests and needs of our community.

“Local Government Managers Australia statistics indicate women represent only 5% of local government chief executives nationally and, according to Australian Local Government Women’s Association figures, in July 2009, women represented only 28.4% of the total number of councillors across Australia.” (more…)

Negotiations between the Greens and the Keneally government have produced an election funding and donations reform package that will significantly reduce the impacts of big money on politics in this state, according to Greens NSW MP John Kaye.

Dr Kaye said: “The final package is far from perfect but it is much better than the current laws. It creates a starting point for driving money politics out of NSW.

“It can now pass through the Upper House with the combined votes of Labor and the Greens who together can form a majority.

“We spoke to the Coalition but there was little progress that could be made with parties that are expecting a flood of corporate donations for the March 2011 election.

“The outcome is a big step forward but we were unable to convince Labor on a ban on all corporate donations, smaller caps on expenditure and a
more effective model for restricting third parties. (more…)

(letter to the editor)

The Coalition is clearly extremely bitter about the final outcome of the election, but they are not assisting their cause by attacking the independents, lying about Greens’ policies, speaking scathingly about the colour of the new Government, and refusing to engage with it before it has even got off the ground.  How does having Greens in Parliament not benefit rural and regional Australia? People interested in the truth will look at the record of Greens in Federal and State Parliaments and local government, and the policies that guide them, to see that the country has been well-served by The Greens and will continue to be while ever The Greens have a voice.

Catherine Moore
Greens candidate for Eden-Monaro 2010

The Australian Greens and the Labor Party have signed an agreement to ensure stability for Labor in Government. The Greens will ensure supply and oppose any motion of no confidence in the Government from other parties or MPs.

Labor will work with The Greens to deliver improved transparency and integrity to Parliament and pursue policies that promote the national interest  and address climate change. (more…)

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…)

(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…)