Following the ballot draw last week and the absence of any progressive small party or independent candidates, The Greens in Monaro, comprising the Braidwood and Queanbeyan-Monaro Greens local groups, have determined that, after a recommendation for voters to vote 1 Green in the March 28 State Election, voters number the ballot paper 2 ALP, 3 Nationals, 4 No Land Tax and 5 CDP.

This decision has been made independently by The Greens in Monaro, following the distribution of a questionnaire to John Barilaro, sitting National Party member, and Steve Whan, ALP candidate.

Unfortunately and despite follow-up attempts, no response was received from the office of John Barilaro, but even so, it has not been an entirely straightforward decision, as some of the ALP responses continue to differ widely from the policies and priorities of The Greens and Green voters. (more…)

Releasing a list of the Abbott government’s top failures, the Australian Greens say the first 100 days have been a secretive, cruel and chaotic preview of what is to come.

“During the election campaign the Abbott government’s true agenda was hidden behind cheap rhetoric, but you can’t run a country with a slogan,” said Australian Greens Leader Christine Milne.

“The Abbott government has tried to claim a so-called mandate to take Australia back to the last century, but he doesn’t have one. The longer Prime Minister Abbott and his big business mates run the show, the less the public knows about what’s going on behind the scenes. The Abbott government is a secretive, cruel and chaotic government.

“The Australian people didn’t sign up to this, and the Greens will stand against it. (more…)

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…)

The Greens in Eden-Monaro have decided ahead of the final list of candidates to announce our preference recommendation decision. We have taken this course of action to end the speculation about this issue and allow us to get on with the important task of campaigning on real issues.

The four groups in Eden-Monaro have determined that, after a recommendation for voters to vote 1 Green, they number the ballot paper in favour of any like-minded independents. We will also be suggesting they number the ALP ahead of the Liberal Party candidate, but the final order of all other candidates will not be determined until after the draw, according to our usual practice.

The decision has been made independently by the four groups, based on an assessment of the current political situation. It has not been a straightforward decision, with Green voter opinions polarised. Some people say they will not vote Green unless we preference the ALP, others say they will not vote Green if we do. None of them wants to see us suggest a recommendation for the Liberal Party. Many Greens would prefer that we do not recommend a preference to anyone, so that the voter makes their own decision, and while many of us support this, we also acknowledge that we do not want to risk an Abbott-led Coalition government if there is a likelihood of informal votes resulting from that.

The rationale for our decision is based on the following:

• The Coalition’s ongoing refusal to act on climate change, beginning in 1996 at the start of the Howard era. This has set us back decades, especially now that the impacts of climate change have accelerated. Despite this, members of the current Coalition are still in denial.

• The Greens’ support for the National Broadband Network, particularly in relation to the benefits that will be felt in many rural and regional parts of Eden-Monaro.

• Introduction by the ALP of the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

• The Coalition’s regressive tax proposals.

• WorkChoices, and the Liberal candidate’s involvement in its development and implementation during the Howard era.

• While we acknowledge that the ALP has shown itself to be at least as bad as the Coalition on the issue of asylum seekers, we also acknowledge that it was the Howard government who first created the climate of “fear and loathing” around some of the world’s most vulnerable people. It was also the Howard Government which took us to war with Iraq, which helped to create many of the problems we are now seeing and which are causing people to flee in the first place.

We would reiterate that as always, it is up to voters to make up their own minds, and numbering all squares on the small ballot paper will ensure that they cast a formal vote.

Our comprehensive election platform “Standing up for what matters” has been fully costed by the Parliamentary Budget Office and makes The Greens the obvious choice for all who want to see a change of focus in politics. If implemented, it would ensure a healthy, just and sustainable future for the people of Eden-Monaro.

Simple measures like a 0.2% levy on bank assets above $100 billion, the abolition of fossil fuel subsidies, an effective mining tax and 50% tax on all incomes in excess of $1,000,000 would raise $42.7 billion.

There is an urgent need to act on climate change. If we don’t, there is every likelihood we will see an end to snow this century, and farming will be even more difficult than it is now. The Greens want a swift transition to renewable energy, for which there is huge potential here, and which would create thousands of jobs. Imagine if Eden-Monaro became home to Australia’s first solar thermal energy plant!

Farmers are essential to our country’s future prosperity and a sustainable economy. We propose actions to strengthen the viability of farming and farming communities, and increase support for small business and local employment in general. (more…)

The Australian Greens have launched a new plan to give refugees a safer pathway to protection. The plan includes increasing the government’s humanitarian intake to 30,000 a year, providing an extra $70 million per annum in emergency funding to help fast track the processing of refugee claims in Indonesia and shutting down all detention camps in Nauru and Papua New Guinea.

It comes on top of a Galaxy poll, commissioned by the Australian Greens, which shows that 48 per cent of Australians don’t trust Labor or the Coalition to care for refugees ahead of political interests, while 20 per cent remain undecided.

“The majority of Australians recognise that Kevin Rudd and Tony Abbott cannot be trusted to care for refugees,” Greens Leader Senator Christine Milne said.

“They are locked in a race to the bottom to see who can adopt the cruellest approach to refugees, including dumping them on our poorest neighbours. (more…)

The Australian Greens’ food plan announced today is great news for food producers in the region, says Greens candidate for Eden-Monaro Catherine Moore.

“Farmers’ markets and community gardens have been springing up across Eden-Monaro for years, in Bega, Moruya, Braidwood, Cooma and Queanbeyan, to name a few places.

“This is happening for a number of reasons, ranging from concern about where our food is coming from and what is going into its production in the way of chemicals to recognition of the need to reduce ‘food miles’.

“It is about time farmers received a fair price for the food they are producing, but with the current supermarket duopoly, many can barely scratch a living from the low prices they are being paid.”

The Greens plan would boost local food production with an $85 million dollar injection of funds so producers can set up or strengthen farmers markets, food box sales, farmers’ co-operatives, regional marketing and food hubs. (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…)

Australian Greens Leader Senator Christine Milne has announced a plan to lower on-farm energy bills with $100 million in grants for efficiency and infrastructure on energy-intensive farms.

“The clean technology, food and foundry grants program for food processors has been one of the success stories of the package negotiated with the Greens to tackle climate change, but it didn’t go far enough,” Australian Greens Leader Senator Christine Milne said.

“Many farmers rely on cool storage and high energy usage with water heating, sterilisation, and irrigation pumps and they need help on the farm to upgrade their equipment to save money and become more efficient.

“The Greens understand that and are now ready to offer this additional help to farmers. (more…)

Only the Greens stand in the way of Tony Abbott gaining absolute power of the parliament, Australian Greens Leader Senator Christine Milne said in Canberra today.

“I’m here today with all of the Greens’ lead candidates to deliver the strong message that a vote for the Greens is a vote against Tony Abbott controlling the parliament.

“The last time the Coalition controlled both houses of parliament we ended up with Work Choices.

“If the current polls hold up then we could see an Abbott controlled Senate or one where extreme conservatives hold the balance of power.

“We are in real danger of Tony Abbott gaining control of the Senate which is why it’s so important for voters to return Scott Ludlam in Western Australian, Sarah Hanson-Young in South Australia and Peter Whish-Wilson in Tasmania.

“We also need to return Adam Bandt in the seat of Melbourne as a strong voice in the House of Representatives for the Greens.

“We have outstanding candidates in all our other seats, who show talent, passion and care for Australia’s future: Cate Faehrmann in New South Wales, Simon Sheikh in the ACT, Janet Rice in Victoria, Adam Stone in Queensland and Warren H. Williams in the Territory.

“We’ve completed our Senate team today with the announcement of well-known musician Warren H. Williams as our Northern Territory Senate candidate and welcome him to our team.

“Warren grew up in the Territory and has spent a lot of time working closely with local communities standing up for Aboriginal rights and fighting to protect the environment and caring for people. He understands the challenges the NT faces and the issues that matter to Northern Territory voters,” Senator Milne said.