The Results

The final results see The Greens’ vote in Monaro at 9.99% (surely we can round that up to 10!) of the primary vote. This is a 2.5% increase on the 2003 result, and slightly less than the 10% recorded before the pre-polling and postal votes were counted. Click here to see the booth-by-booth results for election night, here for the summary and here for the final figures.  The ALP’s Steve Whan regained the seat with an increased majority, so clearly Greens’ preferences were not as important as some had thought!

Thanks to everyone who voted 1 Green and also to all the people who helped before and on the day.

Coming soon, the Federal Election…

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The Election

The 2007 NSW State Election will take place on March 24, 2007. Don’t forget to vote!!! If you are not currently enrolled, you must do so before by 6pm on the day of the issue of the writ. An enrolment form and reply paid envelope is available from your local post office. The form will enrol you for State, Federal and Council elections.

POSTSCRIPT: The writ was issued on Monday March 5 and so the rolls are now closed. If you missed out, enrol anyway in readiness for the Federal Election expected later this year.,

To find out more about the NSW election process, you can visit the NSW Electoral Commission website.

Why vote Green?

The Greens are visionary, energetic, and compassionate. Please consider voting for us first if you agree with any or all of the following:

• decision-making based on principles not self-interest;
• social & economic justice; ecological sustainability; grassroots democracy; peace, nonviolence & disarmament at the foundation of all decision-making;
• a ban on donations from corporations to political parties;
• doing politics differently - co-operation not conflict, focusing on issues not personalities;
• openness and accountability in government;
• long-term planning, not short-term expediency;
• growth and development if it can be sustained by local conditions;
• immediate action on climate change, based on renewables not nuclear;
• addressing health and justice issues through preventative, not band-aid solutions;
• free dental care;
• support for diversity in the community;
• adequately funded public health, education and transport facilities in rural and regional areas;
• no genetically manipulated foods until they have been proven to be safe for human health and the environment;
• a sustainable timber industry, with no more export woodchipping of our native forests;
• more women in Parliament

The major party parties are not the only option. Double your vote: vote 1 Green and then the order of your choice.

Greens candidate

The Greens candidate for Monaro is Catherine Moore, who is a member of Braidwood Greens and Greens councillor on Palerang Council. To view her profile on the The Greens NSW webpage, click here.

To view campaign media releases, comments and columns click here.

(Profile for March 6 edition of the Queanbeyan Chronicle):

Name: Catherine Moore
Age: 48
Family: various, including one child
Where you live: in a solar-powered earth house at Charleys Forest, north-east of Braidwood
Hobbies: no hobbies as such, but favourite activities include going to art galleries and films, body surfing, being in the bush
Education: Diploma of Visual Arts (Printmaking), a range of arts degree subjects including French, Linguistics and Australian Literature, currently undertaking Master of Visual of Arts
Work history: now – artist, activist, local government councillor. Before – artist, activist, teacher, framer, fitness instructor, policy writer, builder’s labourer, barmaid, cycle courier, waiter.
Political history: joined The Greens in 1993, candidate in nine elections, represented Australian Greens at 1997 Kyoto Climate Change Convention, elected to 1998 Constitutional Convention, elected as a Greens councillor to Palerang Council in 2004
Why have you decided to stand for the electorate of Monaro in the 2007 NSW State election?: Social justice, ecological responsibility, grassroots democracy and peace, nonviolence and disarmament need to guide decision-making if want to create a safe and healthy society. All Greens policies are based on these principles. Not everyone wants to vote for the coalition or the ALP, and people need an alternative voice to speak out about issues so often ignored by the major parties. The Greens provide that voice and have been actively raising awareness about important issues in state, federal and local parliaments for many years. We need to do politics differently, by taking a less adversarial approach to decision-making, with co-operation, not conflict, as the focus.
What do you love most about the Monaro?: The weather and the seasons. The changing colours of the mountains. The forests. The clean air and water. The diversity of people. The sense of community.

The optional preferential voting system

It’s not uncommon for people to make the comment that they want to vote Green, but also want to make sure one of the major parties don’t get in, so think that their Green vote might be wasted. In fact, voting for The Greens first, and then for a major party, is equivalent to having a double vote. When the votes are counted, the number ones are piled up for each of the candidates. Assuming the usual happens, and the Greens receive fewer number one votes and are excluded, all the votes for the Greens are redistributed into the piles for the candidates still in the race, who have received the number two preference from the Green voters.

This is not something the major parties publicise, but it is important nevertheless to reassure people who might be worried about wasting their vote. The only way your vote will be “wasted” is if you choose not to direct a preference to anyone else. This is a valid way of voting in NSW, where it is optional preferential, and good for those of us who don’t want to give a preference to either major party.

It is no wonder that people are confused, given the variety of voting arrangements that we have in Australia, depending on which election it is and which state you are in.

Democracy by media

There are many print media outlets in Monaro, many of which are happy to print news and letters. Have a say about about an issue that concerns you by sending a letter to the editor, or ring up your local radio. Contact details for newspapers and radio in Monaro can be found here.

PRINT MEDIA

Braidwood Times
Wednesdays (deadline Mon morning)
ph: 4842 2508
fax: 4842 2419
braidwood@ruralpress.com
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Cooma-Monaro Express
Tues (2,500) & Thurs (3,500) (deadline - 9am Mon, 4pm Tues)
ph: 6452 1066
fax:6452 1322
editor.cmexpress@ruralpress.com
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Canberra Times
ph: 6280 2122
fax: 6280 2282
media.release@canberratimes.com.au
letters.editor@canberratimes.com.au
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Monaro Post
Wednesday
deadline - Monday noon
ph: 6452 0312
email all releases
editor@monaropost.com.au
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Summit Sun (Jindabyne)
Thursday
deadline - Tuesday morning
ph: 6456 1574
denise.dion@ruralpress.com
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Bombala Times
Wednesday
deadline Sunday pm
ph: 6458 3666
mail.bombalatimes@ruralpress.com
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Snowy River Echo
ph:6456 1122
email all releases
echoeditor@bigpond.com
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Town & Country Magazine
mail.centraltc@ruralpress.com
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Queanbeyan Chronicle
Tues
ph: 6280 2200
fax: 6239 1345
editorial@chronicle.com.au
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Queanbeyan Age
Tues & Fri (deadline two days in advance)
ph: 6297 3033
fax: 6297 6201
editor.queanbeyanage@ruralpress.com
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Bega District News
Tues & Fri
ph: 6492 1177
fax: 6492 4154
mail.beganews@ruralpress.com
editorial.beganews@ruralpress.com
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Bungendore Mirror (free to Bungendore area,
ph: 4842 1156
editor@bungendoremirror.com.au
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Bungendore Bulletin
bi-monthly
bungendorebulletin@bigpond.com
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Eden Magnet
Tues and Thurs
Ph: 6496 1199
Fax: 6496 1940
editorial.magnet@ruralpress.com
editor.magnet@ruralpress.com

RADIO

ABC Radio, Bega
Ph: 6491 6011
Fax: 6491 6099
bega.regional@abc.net.au
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ABC Radio Canberra
Ph: 6275 4555
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2EC Bega and Bateman’s Bay
Ph: 6492 1633
Fax: 6492 2614
2ecradio@acr.net.au
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2XL Cooma
www.snowfm.com.au
www.2xl.com.au
Editor: April Centauri
Ph: 6452 1521
Fax: 6452 1006
xl@capitalradio.net.au
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QBN FM Queanbeyan
Ph: 6299 6899
Fax: 6299 6804