Why should the residents of Cooranbong consider me at the upcoming election?
The Greens are a party whose policies are underpinned by the principles of Social & Economic Justice, Grassroots Democracy, Ecological Sustainability and Peace, Nonviolence & Disarmament. This means that Greens think about and do politics differently.
Grassroots Democracy means that the Local group is the highest level of decision making because these are the people most in touch with their constituents. The Greens do not accept developer donations because this corrupts the democratic process. The Greens have moved a Private Members Bill to ban developer donations to political parties to make sure Government decisions are free from improper influence.
An example of the principle of social and economic justice can be seen in the Planning and Development policy which says the public interest must become the dominant consideration in all planning and development decisions. Obtaining approval for developments that are over sized, unsustainable and inappropriate has been made easier than ever under the current Government, while the ability of the community to resist such developments has been diminished. The Greens are working to reform the Land and Environment Court to protect the rights of the community.
Ecological sustainability emphasises the need to consider the long term implications of our everyday decisions upon the environment that sustains us. The Greens have policies on managing our water resources efficiently, looking towards renewable technologies to provide for our future energy needs and protecting our wild places for their inherent worth and the vast variety of life that exists in them. The Greens are committed to no new coal mines or coal infrastructure and transforming the electricity industry into a renewable energy industry that provides a job rich future and protects the environment.
The Greens might be a small political party but they are seen by many as the true opposition in the NSW Parliament. We are looking for a future beyond coal, not just for our communities but also for our children and humanity. We are committed to advancing an agenda of social and economic justice, environmental protection and democratic values.
Monday, 26 February 2007
Saturday, 24 February 2007
Intellectual Disability Forum
Today I travelled to the southernmost part of the Lake Macquarie Electorate to attend an Intellectual Disability Forum hosted by the NSW Council for Intellectual Disability.
The forum was structured to hear from the political representatives but more importantly to hear from the people who advocate and care for the intellectually disabled.
It was a heart wrenching experience to hear about the lives of the carers in their quest to get support and ensure the care of their children into the future.
One mum, in her late 70s still caring for her almost 50 year old daughter, shared her frustration in trying to find suitable accommodation for her daughter. She recognised she was tired, physically tired, with not as much enthusiasm or energy any more, she said she was just ‘worn out’, and was well aware that her capacity to continue to cope was diminishing. You have to wonder what sort of system allows this to happen. Where is the compassion, where is the appreciation and gratitude for having cared for so long? Where is the planning to support the life time of needs of the children and their carers?
Another mum told of how the only reason her son found accommodation was because she was the most neurotic and closest to a breakdown of the parents all vying for the place!
All the parents spoke of having to fight for a place for their child to live. It shouldn’t be a battle. What became apparent is that it is hard to keep fighting. All the parents spoke of the exhaustion they live with.
A dad in his late 60s spoke about the 3 hours travelling he has to do each day to take his son to a day care facility. How they have lost their case worker and the desperate need to get transport assistance. He spoke about how he and his wife use to receive 4 weeks of respite a year which has gradually been cut back to one. This family have also had their paperwork repeatedly lost which has added to the frustration of trying to get through the system to gain some support for the care of their son.
Another dad spoke of the struggles with the education system. Having to fight to get his children accepted into mainstream education, something that was the norm in England where they had lived prior to returning to Australia. Whilst it was acknowledged that there was adequate support at present within the school system the real stumbling block for the children was challenging the mindset of the ‘establishment’. A suggestion was raised to develop a ‘one stop shop’ of professionals to enable the multitude of support services to be integrated in a way where the pressure was taken off the parents to negotiate the bureaucracy.
There was discussion about the Governments Welfare to Work program and how increasingly employment agencies were not putting intellectually disabled people forward for placements or providing the support needed to assist in the transition into the work environment. This has created higher unemployment and underemployment. One jobseeker stated the ‘Agencies’ were useless as she had tried to get work for over 12 months.
At the end of the forum it had become glaringly obvious that there was little in the way of long term planning happening to support the intellectually disabled community and their carers. This is a quiet community, because there is no energy to shout, muted by a system that doesn’t listen. The voices of the advocates cry out in frustration, looking for lifetime solutions to a lifetime of disability and a generation of caring.
The Greens policies on Disability Support Services, Health, Housing and Education all address the needs that were expressed in the forum. The Greens foundation principles of social equity ensure that all members of society have access to the services they need to lead fulfilling lives
The forum was structured to hear from the political representatives but more importantly to hear from the people who advocate and care for the intellectually disabled.
It was a heart wrenching experience to hear about the lives of the carers in their quest to get support and ensure the care of their children into the future.
One mum, in her late 70s still caring for her almost 50 year old daughter, shared her frustration in trying to find suitable accommodation for her daughter. She recognised she was tired, physically tired, with not as much enthusiasm or energy any more, she said she was just ‘worn out’, and was well aware that her capacity to continue to cope was diminishing. You have to wonder what sort of system allows this to happen. Where is the compassion, where is the appreciation and gratitude for having cared for so long? Where is the planning to support the life time of needs of the children and their carers?
Another mum told of how the only reason her son found accommodation was because she was the most neurotic and closest to a breakdown of the parents all vying for the place!
All the parents spoke of having to fight for a place for their child to live. It shouldn’t be a battle. What became apparent is that it is hard to keep fighting. All the parents spoke of the exhaustion they live with.
A dad in his late 60s spoke about the 3 hours travelling he has to do each day to take his son to a day care facility. How they have lost their case worker and the desperate need to get transport assistance. He spoke about how he and his wife use to receive 4 weeks of respite a year which has gradually been cut back to one. This family have also had their paperwork repeatedly lost which has added to the frustration of trying to get through the system to gain some support for the care of their son.
Another dad spoke of the struggles with the education system. Having to fight to get his children accepted into mainstream education, something that was the norm in England where they had lived prior to returning to Australia. Whilst it was acknowledged that there was adequate support at present within the school system the real stumbling block for the children was challenging the mindset of the ‘establishment’. A suggestion was raised to develop a ‘one stop shop’ of professionals to enable the multitude of support services to be integrated in a way where the pressure was taken off the parents to negotiate the bureaucracy.
There was discussion about the Governments Welfare to Work program and how increasingly employment agencies were not putting intellectually disabled people forward for placements or providing the support needed to assist in the transition into the work environment. This has created higher unemployment and underemployment. One jobseeker stated the ‘Agencies’ were useless as she had tried to get work for over 12 months.
At the end of the forum it had become glaringly obvious that there was little in the way of long term planning happening to support the intellectually disabled community and their carers. This is a quiet community, because there is no energy to shout, muted by a system that doesn’t listen. The voices of the advocates cry out in frustration, looking for lifetime solutions to a lifetime of disability and a generation of caring.
The Greens policies on Disability Support Services, Health, Housing and Education all address the needs that were expressed in the forum. The Greens foundation principles of social equity ensure that all members of society have access to the services they need to lead fulfilling lives
Wednesday, 21 February 2007
Over the top development
Lake Macquarie Greens candidate, Suzanne Pritchard has been supporting the Toronto Brighton-Excelsior Action group to oppose a 56 unit development spanning the Toronto ridgeline that is setting a frightening precedent for the local community.
“This development is laying the foundations for the future of this community and it’s a future that is not wanted,” Suzanne said.
The Greens believe that the urban and regional built environments will continue to be degraded unless there is a complete overhaul of the current laws, codes and practices. This will not be possible until there is a complete ban on developer donations to political parties. The public interest must become the dominant consideration in all planning and development decisions.
“The Lower Hunter Regional Strategy which will be guiding development in our region for the foreseeable future is a flawed document with a flawed process. It overrides the Local Environment Planning and it gives the Planning Minister Frank Sartor indisputable control over all development. He can rezone and approve development with a sweep of his pen and in the blink of an eye,” Suzanne said.
The Greens are working towards restricting the Planning Minister’s ability to ‘call in’ and approve developments.
“The situation at Toronto is set to be replayed constantly throughout the city unless planning laws are changed. It’s an enormous ask to expect the local community to have to keep fighting the same battles over and over again,” Suzanne said.
The Greens are working for placing the onus of proof on the developer, to establish that the development does not damage local amenity, heritage, environment, transport and infrastructure facilities.
“The final version of the Lower Hunter Regional Strategy bore little resemblance to that which was put out for community consultation. The development lobby had access to comment and Frank Sartor long after the community were shut out of further input. The original intent of the document as a planning instrument became nothing more than a land use plan. The Greens are calling for a re-exhibition to allow genuine comment on the proposed document.
“This development is laying the foundations for the future of this community and it’s a future that is not wanted,” Suzanne said.
The Greens believe that the urban and regional built environments will continue to be degraded unless there is a complete overhaul of the current laws, codes and practices. This will not be possible until there is a complete ban on developer donations to political parties. The public interest must become the dominant consideration in all planning and development decisions.
“The Lower Hunter Regional Strategy which will be guiding development in our region for the foreseeable future is a flawed document with a flawed process. It overrides the Local Environment Planning and it gives the Planning Minister Frank Sartor indisputable control over all development. He can rezone and approve development with a sweep of his pen and in the blink of an eye,” Suzanne said.
The Greens are working towards restricting the Planning Minister’s ability to ‘call in’ and approve developments.
“The situation at Toronto is set to be replayed constantly throughout the city unless planning laws are changed. It’s an enormous ask to expect the local community to have to keep fighting the same battles over and over again,” Suzanne said.
The Greens are working for placing the onus of proof on the developer, to establish that the development does not damage local amenity, heritage, environment, transport and infrastructure facilities.
“The final version of the Lower Hunter Regional Strategy bore little resemblance to that which was put out for community consultation. The development lobby had access to comment and Frank Sartor long after the community were shut out of further input. The original intent of the document as a planning instrument became nothing more than a land use plan. The Greens are calling for a re-exhibition to allow genuine comment on the proposed document.
Friday, 16 February 2007
56 units…Get used to it!
Members of a residents group opposing a 56 unit development straddling Brighton Avenue to Excelsior Parade were told they “better get use to it (medium density zoning)” in a recent meeting they had with the developers and real estate agents.
The Toronto Brighton-Excelsior Action Group has reformed and are opposing a six and four storey high density application on the grounds that it is not in keeping with the existing character of the area, goes against the intent of LMCC’s Lifestyle 2020 and sets a disastrous precedent for future development.
“The developers told us that they were within the Council’s development guidelines but we have identified numerous breaches of the development Control Plans and associated guidelines,” Greg Tate residents’ spokesperson said.
“The medium density zoning is aimed at encouraging people to walk to town and yet there is nowhere to walk safely, the footpaths are unformed, the road is so narrow that if there are parked cars the traffic is forced over the centre lines, and if you’ve got a pram or ride a bike it’s a major risk going over the hills.”
“ This development is in an area which Council has classified as a Scenic Management zone where buildings should not extend above the physical ridge line and are limited to three storeys. This application would be highly visible from across the Lake and as far away as Warners Bay and once and for all break the ridgeline corridor,” Greg said.
“The developers told us that this is the first of this ‘new’ style of development allowed under the LEP and they couldn’t see why we were upset. The ridge from Toronto to Carey Bay has now become a developer’s goldmine and if this application is approved it will be the start of high density, high rise buildings stretching from Toronto to Carey Bay.”
“This is not why we have chosen to live in this area. Over 60 people attended our community meeting and over a hundred objections have been lodged at Council, which is not bad considering we only found out about the application the week after Christmas and had three weeks to comment. It wasn’t a very good way to start the year.”
“The State Government’s Lower Hunter Regional Strategy is planning for 117,000 new dwellings in the region in the next 25 years, a lot of them in Lake Macquarie yet the infrastructure isn’t here or even in the plan. This is well and truly putting the cart before the horse”
“We’re not opposed to development, but we are against inappropriate development and we’re fighting for everyone in the area to keep the values and character of the area intact.”
“It looks like we are going to have to fight the same battle over and over again unless LMCC can make it clear that developers must respect the rules and guidelines which were formulated in consultation with the community,” Greg said.
The Toronto Brighton-Excelsior Action Group has reformed and are opposing a six and four storey high density application on the grounds that it is not in keeping with the existing character of the area, goes against the intent of LMCC’s Lifestyle 2020 and sets a disastrous precedent for future development.
“The developers told us that they were within the Council’s development guidelines but we have identified numerous breaches of the development Control Plans and associated guidelines,” Greg Tate residents’ spokesperson said.
“The medium density zoning is aimed at encouraging people to walk to town and yet there is nowhere to walk safely, the footpaths are unformed, the road is so narrow that if there are parked cars the traffic is forced over the centre lines, and if you’ve got a pram or ride a bike it’s a major risk going over the hills.”
“ This development is in an area which Council has classified as a Scenic Management zone where buildings should not extend above the physical ridge line and are limited to three storeys. This application would be highly visible from across the Lake and as far away as Warners Bay and once and for all break the ridgeline corridor,” Greg said.
“The developers told us that this is the first of this ‘new’ style of development allowed under the LEP and they couldn’t see why we were upset. The ridge from Toronto to Carey Bay has now become a developer’s goldmine and if this application is approved it will be the start of high density, high rise buildings stretching from Toronto to Carey Bay.”
“This is not why we have chosen to live in this area. Over 60 people attended our community meeting and over a hundred objections have been lodged at Council, which is not bad considering we only found out about the application the week after Christmas and had three weeks to comment. It wasn’t a very good way to start the year.”
“The State Government’s Lower Hunter Regional Strategy is planning for 117,000 new dwellings in the region in the next 25 years, a lot of them in Lake Macquarie yet the infrastructure isn’t here or even in the plan. This is well and truly putting the cart before the horse”
“We’re not opposed to development, but we are against inappropriate development and we’re fighting for everyone in the area to keep the values and character of the area intact.”
“It looks like we are going to have to fight the same battle over and over again unless LMCC can make it clear that developers must respect the rules and guidelines which were formulated in consultation with the community,” Greg said.
Thursday, 15 February 2007
Have you got big feet?
Tonight I went to the Community Environment Network’s Network meeting. Over 50 people from a variety of environmental groups and local council were there to share their current projects and hear Associate Professor Glenn Albrecht talk about Ecological Footprints, and it was a great talk. Here are some of the notes I took from the night
Our ecological footprint is a way we can measure the load imposed by people on nature. It represents the land area necessary to sustain current levels of resource consumption and waste discharge by that population.
The Ecological Footprint is gaining global acceptance as ‘The Tool’ to measure sustainability because it is a concept that people can understand. Ways of measuring sustainability in the past have created confusion, mixed economic with environmental, have not been able to be applied generically around the globe and just weren’t user friendly.
The indicator of a good indicator is that it should tell you where you are with enough information that you can make informed decisions to respond to the that information. Just like the fuel gauge when its hovering below the empty line, you know you have to get petrol…and soon.
The ecological footprint is an indicator of a population’s current and projected level of resource use. It compares the renewable resources consumed and available to a population, individual, city, organisation or region with the waste that is produce as global hectares/person.
The ecological footprint is the sustainability equivalent of the GDP and All Ords Index only what it is measuring is the human relationship to the environment.
The Ecological Footprint (EF) is an easy to understand equation
The Ecological Footprint equals the biological productivity from land and water required to produce all goods and services that are consumed minus all the waste .
The Ecological Footprint is measured in global hectares which is a productivity weighted area used to report both the biocapacity of the earth, and the demand on biocapacity.
The Ecological Footprint shows who’s using the resources, in what proportion and which activities are using them, so it’s a very handy educational tool.
If all of the world’s population had an equitable share of the available resources and their use the ecological footprint would be 1.8 biological productive hectares per person. But this isn’t how it is.
For the Sydney region the ecological footprint is 8ha/person. If everybody lived by these standards we would need 3-4 planets to survive. In Bangladesh the ecological footprint is 0.5ha/person, at this rate the planet could support 22 billion people.
I did the Ecological Footprint quiz and found out my footprint is 3.9 global hectares. The average Aussie footprint is 7.6 global hectares. If everyone lived like me we’d need 2.2 planets to sustain ourselves.
The real surprise though was how I was making the most impact and it was my food. By eating meat a couple of times a week it made a huge difference. It was a really quick quiz, it only took a couple of minutes, and it gave me a really great insight into how I can make a difference.
The Greens are about treading lightly on the planet all of our polices reflect concerns for the global sustainability of our actions. It’s great to be a part of an organisation that cares about the cumulative impacts of all the small decisions we make every day.
Our ecological footprint is a way we can measure the load imposed by people on nature. It represents the land area necessary to sustain current levels of resource consumption and waste discharge by that population.
The Ecological Footprint is gaining global acceptance as ‘The Tool’ to measure sustainability because it is a concept that people can understand. Ways of measuring sustainability in the past have created confusion, mixed economic with environmental, have not been able to be applied generically around the globe and just weren’t user friendly.
The indicator of a good indicator is that it should tell you where you are with enough information that you can make informed decisions to respond to the that information. Just like the fuel gauge when its hovering below the empty line, you know you have to get petrol…and soon.
The ecological footprint is an indicator of a population’s current and projected level of resource use. It compares the renewable resources consumed and available to a population, individual, city, organisation or region with the waste that is produce as global hectares/person.
The ecological footprint is the sustainability equivalent of the GDP and All Ords Index only what it is measuring is the human relationship to the environment.
The Ecological Footprint (EF) is an easy to understand equation
The Ecological Footprint equals the biological productivity from land and water required to produce all goods and services that are consumed minus all the waste .
The Ecological Footprint is measured in global hectares which is a productivity weighted area used to report both the biocapacity of the earth, and the demand on biocapacity.
The Ecological Footprint shows who’s using the resources, in what proportion and which activities are using them, so it’s a very handy educational tool.
If all of the world’s population had an equitable share of the available resources and their use the ecological footprint would be 1.8 biological productive hectares per person. But this isn’t how it is.
For the Sydney region the ecological footprint is 8ha/person. If everybody lived by these standards we would need 3-4 planets to survive. In Bangladesh the ecological footprint is 0.5ha/person, at this rate the planet could support 22 billion people.
I did the Ecological Footprint quiz and found out my footprint is 3.9 global hectares. The average Aussie footprint is 7.6 global hectares. If everyone lived like me we’d need 2.2 planets to sustain ourselves.
The real surprise though was how I was making the most impact and it was my food. By eating meat a couple of times a week it made a huge difference. It was a really quick quiz, it only took a couple of minutes, and it gave me a really great insight into how I can make a difference.
The Greens are about treading lightly on the planet all of our polices reflect concerns for the global sustainability of our actions. It’s great to be a part of an organisation that cares about the cumulative impacts of all the small decisions we make every day.
Monday, 12 February 2007
Confession #4 I’ve been SCAMming
Tonight was Southlakes Communities Against Mine’s Annual General Meeting and public forum. My first speaking adventure into the great unknown with the other candidates Greg Piper (Independent Mayor), Jeff Hunter (Labor) and Ken Paxinos (Liberal). I was nervous so I prepared a few points. A valuable lesson I learnt was if you do make notes it’s sometimes helpful to remember to take them with you.
Congratulations to all the SCAMmers who were re-elected to their positions with the hope that in the very near future there would no longer be a need for the organisation and the high conservation land of western Lake Macquarie would become part of the Green Corridor as a park for perpetuity.
There was a lot of discussion about Frank Sartor’s Part 3A powers that allow him to rezone and approve anything he deems of State significance. There was a general feeling from the other candidates that in exceptional circumstance the State probably does need to have that power and as long as it’s used wisely. There was a general feeling from the meeting that Frank was taking it a bit too far and who could you trust to do the right thing in the future?
The Greens were the only ones with a firm policy to restrict the Planning Minister’s ability to call in and approve developments and we were the only ones who mentioned the importance of banning developer donations because they compromise democracy.
Some of the points that I covered in my talk were
The greens are a party where decisions are made locally. Grassroots democracy is a foundation along with social equity and economic justice, peace and non-violence and ecological sustainability. These principles underpin everything we do, so we do things a little bit differently
When we look at the coal industry we don’t just consider export dollars, we consider the social impacts on the communities around the mines, and the environmental damage, and the long term impacts on the region and the country.
The Greens are not compromised by donations from big business, developers or banks, our backers are the people, so people come first.
The Greens have people in the NSW Upper House who have a proven track record of influencing and improving government policy. Lower house candidates can make a difference too by introducing private members bills to open up discussion.
Voting Green is sending a clear message to the major parties that you want a different agenda on the political platform. Climate change is upon us and we’re all a little bit responsible because we’ve kept people in power that refuse to even look to making a plan for a transition from coal to renewables for a better future regionally and globally.
Congratulations to all the SCAMmers who were re-elected to their positions with the hope that in the very near future there would no longer be a need for the organisation and the high conservation land of western Lake Macquarie would become part of the Green Corridor as a park for perpetuity.
There was a lot of discussion about Frank Sartor’s Part 3A powers that allow him to rezone and approve anything he deems of State significance. There was a general feeling from the other candidates that in exceptional circumstance the State probably does need to have that power and as long as it’s used wisely. There was a general feeling from the meeting that Frank was taking it a bit too far and who could you trust to do the right thing in the future?
The Greens were the only ones with a firm policy to restrict the Planning Minister’s ability to call in and approve developments and we were the only ones who mentioned the importance of banning developer donations because they compromise democracy.
Some of the points that I covered in my talk were
The greens are a party where decisions are made locally. Grassroots democracy is a foundation along with social equity and economic justice, peace and non-violence and ecological sustainability. These principles underpin everything we do, so we do things a little bit differently
When we look at the coal industry we don’t just consider export dollars, we consider the social impacts on the communities around the mines, and the environmental damage, and the long term impacts on the region and the country.
The Greens are not compromised by donations from big business, developers or banks, our backers are the people, so people come first.
The Greens have people in the NSW Upper House who have a proven track record of influencing and improving government policy. Lower house candidates can make a difference too by introducing private members bills to open up discussion.
Voting Green is sending a clear message to the major parties that you want a different agenda on the political platform. Climate change is upon us and we’re all a little bit responsible because we’ve kept people in power that refuse to even look to making a plan for a transition from coal to renewables for a better future regionally and globally.
Sunday, 11 February 2007
Want a job?
When you get a group of Greens together you’re guaranteed the conversation will be interesting. The Hunter Regional Greens have been gathering every month to hear guest speakers on all sorts of topics. This Sunday we heard from Victor Quirk from the Centre of Full Employment & Equity.
It’s great when you hear about different ways of doing things that can work. Like giving people work, keeping their job and social skills in tact whilst transitioning between jobs. How do you get rid of a skills shortage… by training people to have skills, it seems so simple. How do you to keep developing a society that has people fully employed assisting communities to develop…you identify the jobs in the community and find people for them.
The Cof FEE approach is about giving people a Job Guarantee of the minimum wage which the Federal Government pays for. It’s so easy because in Australia we have functional finance. That is wehave a government who can create and issue money, that means the Australian government has the ability to make as much money as they want, the Reserve bank gets a credit and then it’s there.
What a Job Guarantee guarantees is that people will have a real job, not stigma. They will have a real wage not poverty and they will have meaningful community work as valuable members of their community.
Around about 1974 was the abandonment of full employment as a government policy. The Government services and utility providers who were the main providers of apprenticeships decided the private sector would pick up the skills development of the workforce.
Unfortunately it didn’t happen, what did happen was a deepening and broadening precariousness of employment, systematic disempowerment of the labour market, loss of the public sector as a net trainer of skilled workers, and coercive management of underutilised labour supply…some call it WorkChoices
The other really interesting thing Victor talked about was the “Record jobs growth” we’ve been experiencing as Australia has become one of the most casualised workforces in the OECD.
What happens when you have the casualisation of jobs and count people not hours of employment it leads to over estimating number of people in work and does not reflect how much work is being done or people being underemployed. The Government counts 1 hour of work a week as employed. Cof FEE have come up with a new measure which better reflects actual unemployment /underemployment, currently it is 9.2%.
Victor had a lot to say and it certainly resonated with the Greens employment policy, both of which are on the think links.
It’s great when you hear about different ways of doing things that can work. Like giving people work, keeping their job and social skills in tact whilst transitioning between jobs. How do you get rid of a skills shortage… by training people to have skills, it seems so simple. How do you to keep developing a society that has people fully employed assisting communities to develop…you identify the jobs in the community and find people for them.
The Cof FEE approach is about giving people a Job Guarantee of the minimum wage which the Federal Government pays for. It’s so easy because in Australia we have functional finance. That is wehave a government who can create and issue money, that means the Australian government has the ability to make as much money as they want, the Reserve bank gets a credit and then it’s there.
What a Job Guarantee guarantees is that people will have a real job, not stigma. They will have a real wage not poverty and they will have meaningful community work as valuable members of their community.
Around about 1974 was the abandonment of full employment as a government policy. The Government services and utility providers who were the main providers of apprenticeships decided the private sector would pick up the skills development of the workforce.
Unfortunately it didn’t happen, what did happen was a deepening and broadening precariousness of employment, systematic disempowerment of the labour market, loss of the public sector as a net trainer of skilled workers, and coercive management of underutilised labour supply…some call it WorkChoices
The other really interesting thing Victor talked about was the “Record jobs growth” we’ve been experiencing as Australia has become one of the most casualised workforces in the OECD.
What happens when you have the casualisation of jobs and count people not hours of employment it leads to over estimating number of people in work and does not reflect how much work is being done or people being underemployed. The Government counts 1 hour of work a week as employed. Cof FEE have come up with a new measure which better reflects actual unemployment /underemployment, currently it is 9.2%.
Victor had a lot to say and it certainly resonated with the Greens employment policy, both of which are on the think links.
Saturday, 10 February 2007
Confessions # 3 floating for a future
It’s been a fun weekend. On Saturday the people’s blockade of the world’s largest coal exporting harbour was a festive affair. A flotilla of like minded individuals drifted about on a beautiful sunny day enjoying the relatively warm water of a working harbour.
There were several hundred people at the event organised by Rising Tide, double the numbers from last year. Holding it in summer not winter was definitely a good idea. We are so lucky to have a glorious coastline. The opportunity to bob about with a banner for a few hours and get up close and personal with a tanker full if woodchips was a memorable peaceful protest action.
The Greens were well represented with Federal Senator Kerry Nettle on the shores with Charlestown Candidate Jane Smith whilst Upper House MP Lee Rhiannon, Newcastle hopeful Michael Osborne and Maitland’s Jan Davis were onboard a dingy that was kept afloat with ham sandwich plugs. In true Greens spirit they fought against the sea level change, using their No New Coal banners to paddle safely back to shore.
For many urban electorates climate change is a philosophical issue but in Lake Macquarie where there are so many mines and mining proposals keen to extract as much as they can, to the detriment of the local communities and the environment coal is an in your face topic.
Bob Brown’s call for the government to begin the process of developing a plan in the next three years to start the transition out of a coal based economy is a very reasonable request if you want a future for your community as well as the planet as a whole. Thank goodness someone realises that before you do anything you should have a plan. The fact that he was so grossly misrepresented in the media probably means it was a good idea, why else would you not want people to know what was actually said?
There were several hundred people at the event organised by Rising Tide, double the numbers from last year. Holding it in summer not winter was definitely a good idea. We are so lucky to have a glorious coastline. The opportunity to bob about with a banner for a few hours and get up close and personal with a tanker full if woodchips was a memorable peaceful protest action.
The Greens were well represented with Federal Senator Kerry Nettle on the shores with Charlestown Candidate Jane Smith whilst Upper House MP Lee Rhiannon, Newcastle hopeful Michael Osborne and Maitland’s Jan Davis were onboard a dingy that was kept afloat with ham sandwich plugs. In true Greens spirit they fought against the sea level change, using their No New Coal banners to paddle safely back to shore.
For many urban electorates climate change is a philosophical issue but in Lake Macquarie where there are so many mines and mining proposals keen to extract as much as they can, to the detriment of the local communities and the environment coal is an in your face topic.
Bob Brown’s call for the government to begin the process of developing a plan in the next three years to start the transition out of a coal based economy is a very reasonable request if you want a future for your community as well as the planet as a whole. Thank goodness someone realises that before you do anything you should have a plan. The fact that he was so grossly misrepresented in the media probably means it was a good idea, why else would you not want people to know what was actually said?
Media Release: More Jobs Fewer Holes
“A booming industry producing renewable energy technologies could be the future for Lake Macquarie if the political will existed” Greens Candidate for Lake Macquarie Suzanne Pritchard said
On a visit to the Hunter on Tuesday Greens Upper House candidate John Kaye said the Iemma government’s failure to develop a plan for the Hunter to make the transition from coal to renewables would cost the region 25,000 jobs over the next decade.
Between the mid 1980s and 2004 the coal industry shed 18,000 jobs largely because of technological changes. Based on the experiences in other countries where governments have taken responsibility to ensure a planned transition from coal to renewables, a conservative estimate is that 25,000 additional jobs could be created over the next 10 years.
“We’ve got 12.8% of the population already in the manufacturing industry so we have a strong skill base, we’ve got land at the old Pasminco site able to provide the place for the industry so we have the location and we have the transport infrastructure with good access to rail on the doorstop so, all that is needed is the political will to make it happen” Suzanne said.
“The Greens are about providing a future, not only for people but for the planet. The impacts of burning coal are changing our world and this electorate is making quite a contribution to that change. We need to accept some responsibility and that means looking for alternatives. Fortunately we don’t have to look too far because the answer is obvious, renewable energy technologies that create lots of jobs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”
“Coal is under our feet everywhere in this electorate, many of us live with the impacts of subsidence in our communities and dust in the air. Moving to a renewable energy industry that creates jobs instead of big holes and environmental devastation would be a much better long term future for this area” Suzanne said
“ Lake Macquarie is a major electricity producer for the region and the State, we could still contribute to electricity production not only locally but globally if subsidies were given to kick start a local industry that is in such demand world wide”
“ In an area where water restrictions are a way of life expanding the coal industry that consumes massive amounts of water seems ludicrous”
On a visit to the Hunter on Tuesday Greens Upper House candidate John Kaye said the Iemma government’s failure to develop a plan for the Hunter to make the transition from coal to renewables would cost the region 25,000 jobs over the next decade.
Between the mid 1980s and 2004 the coal industry shed 18,000 jobs largely because of technological changes. Based on the experiences in other countries where governments have taken responsibility to ensure a planned transition from coal to renewables, a conservative estimate is that 25,000 additional jobs could be created over the next 10 years.
“We’ve got 12.8% of the population already in the manufacturing industry so we have a strong skill base, we’ve got land at the old Pasminco site able to provide the place for the industry so we have the location and we have the transport infrastructure with good access to rail on the doorstop so, all that is needed is the political will to make it happen” Suzanne said.
“The Greens are about providing a future, not only for people but for the planet. The impacts of burning coal are changing our world and this electorate is making quite a contribution to that change. We need to accept some responsibility and that means looking for alternatives. Fortunately we don’t have to look too far because the answer is obvious, renewable energy technologies that create lots of jobs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”
“Coal is under our feet everywhere in this electorate, many of us live with the impacts of subsidence in our communities and dust in the air. Moving to a renewable energy industry that creates jobs instead of big holes and environmental devastation would be a much better long term future for this area” Suzanne said
“ Lake Macquarie is a major electricity producer for the region and the State, we could still contribute to electricity production not only locally but globally if subsidies were given to kick start a local industry that is in such demand world wide”
“ In an area where water restrictions are a way of life expanding the coal industry that consumes massive amounts of water seems ludicrous”
Tuesday, 6 February 2007
War chest v's Poor Chest
There was an article published in the Herald today describing the political ‘war chest of funds’ for the local candidates. Jeff Hunter, the Labor incumbent was doubling his campaign expenditure to about $40,000, Greg Piper, high profile independent candidate and currently Mayor of Lake Macquarie was hoping to raise $40,000- $50,000 for his campaign.
If the major parties and independents have a war chest the Greens campaign would have to be described as a poor chest. The Lake Macquarie campaign budget at a whopping $5000 is small pickings compared to the other candidates in the up coming election. In fact the Newcastle Greens are running candidates in six electorates on less than Jeff Hunter’s budget of $40,000.
Why is this so? The Greens do not accept donations from developers, it is seen to compromise the process of democracy. There was also a statement in the Herald article that the Johnson Property group have ‘occasionally’ donated to the Greens, this is untrue. An attempt to donate online, on Monday before the article was published was reversed as soon as it became apparent who the source of the donation was. Electoral records show that the Johnson Property Group donated $74,250 to Sydney Labor in 2005/05 and $39,500 to the Liberals in 2005/06.
Research by the Greens on developer donations shows the NSW Labor Party has raised $9.88 million from the property sector since 1998-99, and the NSW Liberals and Nationals received $7.01 million. Donations by developers can be searched at The Greens Democracy4Sale website which is based on official electoral funding returns.
So one question that needs to be asked is who is funding the campaigns of the independents? As they say whoever pays the piper gets their tune played.
If the major parties and independents have a war chest the Greens campaign would have to be described as a poor chest. The Lake Macquarie campaign budget at a whopping $5000 is small pickings compared to the other candidates in the up coming election. In fact the Newcastle Greens are running candidates in six electorates on less than Jeff Hunter’s budget of $40,000.
Why is this so? The Greens do not accept donations from developers, it is seen to compromise the process of democracy. There was also a statement in the Herald article that the Johnson Property group have ‘occasionally’ donated to the Greens, this is untrue. An attempt to donate online, on Monday before the article was published was reversed as soon as it became apparent who the source of the donation was. Electoral records show that the Johnson Property Group donated $74,250 to Sydney Labor in 2005/05 and $39,500 to the Liberals in 2005/06.
Research by the Greens on developer donations shows the NSW Labor Party has raised $9.88 million from the property sector since 1998-99, and the NSW Liberals and Nationals received $7.01 million. Donations by developers can be searched at The Greens Democracy4Sale website which is based on official electoral funding returns.
So one question that needs to be asked is who is funding the campaigns of the independents? As they say whoever pays the piper gets their tune played.
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