The Greens in Palerang
 

Archive for November, 2007

Forest absurdity - appeal to Rudd, Garrett certain, High Court likely

Friday, November 30th, 2007

Greens leader Bob Brown has called on the Rudd government and Environment Minister Peter Garrett to read and take action to rectify the absurdity of today’s Federal Appeal Court’s decision on Tasmania’s Wielangta forest and to nullify the Regional Forest Agreement.

While the appeal bench ruled 3-0 that section 38 of the federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act exempts logging from environmental law, it left intact Justice Marshall’s finding that logging had a significant and unacceptable impact on the endangered species. (more…)

Greens welcome Rudd Cabinet to challenges ahead

Thursday, November 29th, 2007

The Greens have welcomed Prime Minister-elect Kevin Rudd’s cabinet.

“I look forward to having the minister for Climate Change and Water, Penny Wong, in the Senate, along with 7 other ministers or secretaries and to working with Peter Garrett in environment and all other ministers,” Greens Leader Bob Brown said in Hobart this afternoon.

“After the Bali world conference on climate change, the first big challenge is getting rid of the pulp mill in the Tamar Valley.  For the ministers involved - Garrett (Environment), Wong (Climate Change and Water) and Tony Burke (Forestry) - this will make or break the Rudd government’s credentials for new leadership and a change of climate in Australian politics,” Senator Brown said.

Iemma govt ignores soaring coal mine pollution

Thursday, November 29th, 2007

Greens MP and mining spokesperson Lee Rhiannon is calling on the Labor government to crack down on mining companies causing water, air and noise pollution and to force them to abide by their pollution licences.

“Many people in coal communities are living in unhealthy conditions because the NSW government is not forcing coal companies to abide by the rules,” Ms Rhiannon said.

“Data collected by the NSW government’s own Environmental Protection Authority reveals that coal companies are increasingly breaching their licence conditions and that fines are rarely imposed. (more…)

GM status requires urgent Rudd action

Wednesday, November 28th, 2007

The Rudd government should override the Victorian and NSW governments’ decision to lift the ban on genetically modified canola crops, Greens leader Bob Brown said today.

“This is a nation-changing decision being made by two state governments. It has huge ramifications across Australia - the
Constitution ensures that there can be no confinement of the GM produce to the states involved,” Senator Brown said.

“Australia’s premium status as a GM-free food producer is being sabotaged by Premiers Brumby and Iemma. The Constitution, including its corporations power, enables Mr Rudd to override them, and so he should,”
Senator Brown said.

GM status requires urgent Rudd action

Wednesday, November 28th, 2007

The Rudd government should override the Victorian and NSW governments’ decision to lift the ban on genetically modified canola crops, Greens leader Bob Brown said today.

“This is a nation-changing decision being made by two state governments. It has huge ramifications across Australia - the
Constitution ensures that there can be no confinement of the GM produce to the states involved,” Senator Brown said.

“Australia’s premium status as a GM-free food producer is being sabotaged by Premiers Brumby and Iemma. The Constitution, including its corporations power, enables Mr Rudd to override them, and so he should,”
Senator Brown said.

GM madness

Tuesday, November 27th, 2007

(letter to the Sydney Morning Herald, with a similar letter also sent to The Age)

The decision by the NSW and Victorian premiers to lift the ban on genetically engineered canola is a tragedy for both consumers and the environment, and the rationale of Ian MacDonald that NSW farmers can now compete on a level playing field with overseas farmers because GM canola now accounts for 70 per cent of the global canola market is staggering in the extreme.

What this decision does is remove the capacity for Australian farmers to realise premium prices for and corner the market on non-GE canola, highly sought after by an increasingly large Asian and European market, not to mention a growing number of consumers here in Australia. And as for GE canola needing fewer pesticides and herbicides, this is a furphy, given that farmers can and have used more chemicals because the canola remains unaffected, so every time a weed comes up, it’s out with the spray pack. (more…)

GM genie out of the bottle – who’s liable for contamination?

Tuesday, November 27th, 2007

In the wake of a decision announced today to lift the blanket ban on GM food crops – specifically canola - NSW Greens MP Ian Cohen will move a motion in the NSW Upper House tomorrow in an attempt to protect farmers who want to remain GM free.

“The Greens intend to fight tooth and nail to protect farmers who want to exercise their choice to remain GM free,” Mr Cohen said. (more…)

Florentine flashpoint set to rebound on Gunns

Tuesday, November 27th, 2007

Greens Greens Leader Bob Brown says logging the world heritage value Upper Florentine forest in central Tasmania will draw nation-wide condemnation.

“Sending the chainsaws into this fragile forest will be an own-goal against Gunns pulp mill which, in any case, now faces very rough waters ahead,” Senator Brown said.

“I cannot see Prime Minister Rudd ratifying the Kyoto Protocol one week and justifying Gunns greenhouse gas monstrosity the next. It would be incomprehensible,” Senator Brown said as Gunns share price tumbled in the Sydney Stock Exchange.

Greens pass million milestone

Tuesday, November 27th, 2007

The Greens’ vote in the Senate has exceeded one million. The final count will near 1,080,000 compared with 917,000 in 2004.

In other outcomes the Greens:

  • Supplanted the National Party as Australia’s third largest political party - by a country mile;
  • Rescued the Senate’s balance of power through winning a seat in South Australia (Sarah Hanson-Young) as well as Nick Xenophon;
  • Busted the Senate quota barrier (14.2%) for the first time - In Tasmania, with 17.74%;
  • Scored a new record high percentage national Senate vote (9.02%);
  • Scored a new record high percentage Senate vote in any electorate (ACT - 22%);
  • Gave Labor the preference flow to win 21 seats, including Bass, Braddon, Bennelong and Bowman;
  • May well pass the Liberals in Melbourne to score over 22% (with candidate Adam Bandt) and will peg Labor’s Lindsay Tanner to closer than 55-45 in two party preferred;
  • Will go into the next Senate with between 5-7 seats (1998 - 1 seat; 2001-2 seats; 2004 - 4 seats) and hold or share the balance of power;
  • Increased the Greens Northern Territory vote to 9% from 7.7% after opposing the Howard government’s intervention laws which Rudd Labor supported.

“In the Howard-Rudd context, this has been another electoral advance for the Greens, who do best when Labor, rather than the Coalition, is in office,” Greens leader Bob Brown said today.

Victoria emerges as crucial state in Senate balance of power

Sunday, November 25th, 2007

After a record Senate vote of more than 10 per cent in Victoria, the Greens will battle it out with the Liberals for the final Senate seat.

Lead Senate candidate Dr Richard Di Natale said the Victorian result would be vital to the composition of the new Senate.

“A win to us in Victoria will be crucial to the balance of power in the Senate because a Greens victory is most likely to be at the expense of the Liberals,” Dr Di Natale said.

“Throughout the country, the Greens have achieved a remarkable result to emerge as the clear third force in Australian politics.”

“Our Senate vote in Victoria and nationally has grown by 1.3 per cent over the 2004 result at a time when the focus was overwhelmingly on Kevin Rudd and John Howard.” (more…)

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Welcome to the website for the Greens in Palerang, who comprise the Braidwood Greens and some members of the Queanbeyan-Monaro Greens local groups. These groups run joint campaigns in the state seat of Monaro, and together with the Eurobodalla and Bega Greens groups, in the federal seat of Eden-Monaro.

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