Stopping the sale of Snowy Hydro

Australian Greens leader Senator Bob Brown obtained the crucial legal advice to show that the federal government’s agreement to the sale was illegal and would require a new bill to be placed back before the Commonwealth parliament. With a divided coalition and sensing the scale of the public backlash, the Prime Minister was not willing to risk a split vote so he pulled out of the sale.

On the day the ALP Government’s announced its plan to sell off Snowy Hydro, NSW Greens MP Ian Cohen publicly opposed the sell-off, issuing a media release.

Australian Greens Senators in federal parliament voted against the motion to authorise the sale, while both the Labor and the Liberal/National Coalition voted in support of privatisation.

The Greens organised for speakers from the Snowy region to come to parliament to put their views to the MPs and the media. There was good media coverage of this event and many journalists made contact with local Snowy region campaigners for follow up stories.

Sylvia Hale wrote to every NSW Local and Shire Council asking them to oppose the sale. Dozens did so with Greens Councillors around the state moving motions opposing the sale at their local Councils.

Sylvia also successfully moved the motions in parliament that ordered the government to table all of the documents relating to the sale.

Ian Cohen successfully moved a bill to amend the NSW Snowy Corporatisation Act to ensure that any future move to privatise the Snowy Hydro can only proceed if it is supported by both houses of parliament.

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Local Government campaign 2004

In 2004 the Braidwood Greens ran a ticket of six candidates - four women and two men - for the local government elections. In the lead-up to the election, they held a series of information events to better inform people about the voting system. The following information was posted on the old website.

Local Government Information Events

Have you ever wondered what a quota is, or how preferences are distributed? What is above-the-line voting? How many squares do you have to number to make sure your vote is formal? What makes a vote informal?

After the first round of local government elections in March, it became obvious very quickly that there was a lot of confusion amongst the community about many aspects of the voting system. So, in the lead-up to the elections on June 26, The Greens are holding a series of Local Government Information Events in an attempt to better inform the communities in the “Eastern Capital City Region” about the election process and about issues that have specific relevance to our new council area - like its boundaries for example.

There will be information on display, and of course opportunities for questions. But the events won’t be just a one-way information flow. People will be able to contribute their ideas for a vision for the new shire, and will also have the opportunity to talk about some of the things that may be concerning them as a result of the changes.

So why are the Greens doing this? With grassroots democracy as one of the Greens’ four principles, sharing information about voting processes is vital to ensure that people feel empowered and want to participate in decision-making processes. Because when there is limited participation, decisions are often made that do not reflect the views of the community, or that people feel unhappy about. Voting in council elections is compulsory, and for democracy to work, it’s important that every vote counts.

Sylvia Hale MLC will be a guest speaker at the inaugural event on May 27. Sylvia was elected to the NSW Parliament in the 2003 State Election as the third Greens Member of the Upper House. She was a councillor on Marrickville Council for eight years and her portfolio responsibilities include Local Government, Housing, Health, and Development and Planning. She will talk about some of the problems that became evident after the elections held elsewhere in NSW on March 27 this year, help explain the new voting system and discuss some of the topics relating to the areas of her portfolio responsibility.

The first Local Government Information Event will take place at the National Theatre, Braidwood on the evening of Thursday May 27, commencing at 7.30pm, and will be followed by similar events at the School Hall in Bungendore at 3pm on Saturday May 29, at the Community Centre in Wamboin on Thursday June 3 at 7.30pm, at the Community Centre in Burra on Monday June 7 at 7.30pm and at the Community Centre in Captains Flat on Thursday June 10 at 7.30pm.

Report on first Information Night

On Thursday May 27, The Braidwood Greens held their first information night at the National Theatre. Guest speaker was Sylvia Hale, Greens Member of the Legislative Council, pictured here with some of the candidates and supporters launching the Greens’ campaign for ECCR at Eureka Pizzeria before the event. Later, across the road at the National Theatre, those attending heard about the history of the State Government’s move to amalgamate councils and information about the voting system. A large number of invalid votes were cast at the other Local Government Elections in March, so The Greens are hoping that through these sessions, people will be better able to make their vote count on June 26. The Greens are holding six such events in the ECCR before the election and are also taking the opportunity during this time to find out people’s concerns and ideas for the new shire.

Voting for The Greens on June 26

In order to minimise waste, The Greens in the ECCR are considering not handing out how-to-votes for this election. Please use the following information to assist you if you are considering voting Green, and look for The Greens tables outside polling booths for more information.

EITHER - Vote 1 The Greens above the line

OR - number at least nine squares below the line, starting with The Greens in the order they appear on the ballot paper and continuing with the other candidates of your choice.

DO NOT VOTE BOTH ABOVE AND BELOW THE LINE OR YOU RISK MAKING YOUR VOTE INVALID.

In the forthcoming Local Government Elections in the ECCR, The Greens will not be directing preferences to any particular candidate or group/party but rather, leaving it up to the voter to decide who to vote for after putting The Greens first, in the order they appear on the ballot paper.

Some of The Greens’ campaign issues:

* ensuring that all development is appropriate, with an emphasis on energy and water efficiency;
* facilitating democracy with roving council meetings and meaningful community consultation;
* openness and accountability in all decision-making;
* focus on service provision when prioritising expenditure;
* supporting appropriate facilities and activities for young people and older people.

Polling places for ECCRC election:

• Bungendore Community Centre, 2 Majara St, Bungendore 2621
• ECCR Queanbeyan Office, 11 Farrer Place, Queanbeyan 2620
• National Theatre, Wallace St, Braidwood 2622
• Burra Community Hall, Burra Park, 2620
• Captains Flat Community Hall, Foxlow St, Captains Flat, 2623
• Stoney Creek Community Hall, Gathering Place, Carwoola, 2620
• Wamboin Community Hall, Bingley Way, Wamboin 2620
• Nerriga Community Hall, Nerriga Rd, Nerriga 2622
• Araluen Community Hall, Main Rd, Araluen 2622
• Gundillion Community Hall, Gundillion 2620
• Boro Private Residence, “Branxton Park”, Goulburn Rd 2622
• Majors Creek Rural Fire Services Station, Majors Creek 2622

About the ECCRC

Eastern Capital City Regional Council was formed on 11 February 2004 by the amalgamation of all of Tallaganda Shire with most of Yarrowlumla Shire and some parts of Gunning Shire.

The proposal and report of the New South Wales Boundaries Commission into the proposal for this new Council can be found at:
http://www.dlg.nsw.gov.au/Files/CommissionsTribunals/BC_Proposal_Eastern_Capital_City_Council.pdf
and
http://www.dlg.nsw.gov.au/Files/CommissionsTribunals/Final%20Report_Clarence%20LGA%20200220041.pdf
respectively. Please note that these files are 200kb and 900kb respectively.

The Proclamation that created the new Council can be found at this link:
http://www.dlg.nsw.gov.au/DLG/DLGHome/documents/CommissionsTribunals/proclamation_ACT.pdf
Please note that this file is large - 729kb

A map of the new Council can be found at:
http://www.dlg.nsw.gov.au/DLG/DLGHome/documents/CommissionsTribunals/BC_EastCap_LGA_Map.pdf
Please note that this file is very large - 3.4mb

You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view these files - it can be obtained free from www.adobe.com

The Council’s draft Three Year Management Plan and Budget can be obtained from:

http://tallaganda.local-e.nsw.gov.au/council/14/1085463856_15957.html

Meet the Greens candidates