Perhaps the Araluen meet-the-candidates night was premature. The Greens (and others?) missed its advertisement, but would have liked to attend. Nominations close this week, when the candidate line-up will no longer be a mystery. After that, all prospective councillors might be interested in meeting people in this part of ECCR.

Catherine Moore
No. 1 Greens candidate for ECCRC
Charleys Forest
via Braidwood 2622

As Graham Parton (Bungendore Mirror, May 12) quite rightly points out, The Greens support wind power as an alternative and sustainable source of energy. But that is not to say that we would give a blanket endorsement to wind farms anywhere, anytime. If there are compelling reasons not to support a wind farm development in a certain area - such as noise, tree preservation orders and/or loss of vegetation, proximity to dwellings and the existence of other more suitable sites - the Greens at whatever level of government was involved in making the final decision would want to take all those things into account first. (more…)

As one of the participants of the diverse network that is Beyond Federation, I was glad to see Jim Snow’s article in the April 21 edition of the Mirror. As suggested by Jim, there are many ideas for what a new, state government-free system might look like. At the moment, the onus is on the group to hold meetings around the country as part of the slow progress to what we hope will be a more efficient and more democratic form of government. But imagine if local councils took a more pro-active approach in involving the community in a range of discussions about important issues such as this one? (more…)