The Greens Party has written to the NSW Electoral Commissioner to ensure that writing ‘no sale’ on local government ballot papers will not render the vote informal, according to Greens NSW MP John Kaye.

Dr Kaye said: “The Iemma government is pushing ahead with the sale of the retailers against the wishes of parliament and the people of this state.

“Treasurer Michael Costa has broken his promise to the Upper House to allow parliament the final say.

“Premier Iemma has broken his 2007 election promise to the union movement and the people of NSW to not privatise the state’s electricity supply. (more…)

What: Greens MPs Sue Pennicuik (Vic), Lee Rhiannon (NSW) and Deb Foskey (ACT) visit Eden Chipmill and the South East forests area.
When: Monday 1 September 2008
Where: Eden Chipmill at 11.30am, Gnupa area logged site at 2pm

Greens MPs from Victoria, NSW and the ACT will converge on South East NSW to step up the Greens campaign to end the logging of native forests.

The MPs will:
· meet with local campaigners and Greens activists
· tour the Eden Chipmill
· visit a recently logged area of native forest at Gnupa. (more…)

Gene Ethics applauds Tasmania’s all-party joint select committee report published today which recommends that: “prohibition on the release of GMO (Genetically Manipulated Organism) food crops to the Tasmanian environment should be extended and reviewed after five years.” See: http://www.parliament.tas.gov.au/CTEE/genetech.htm

“The GM ban helps isolate the rogue states of Victoria and NSW which allow Monsanto’s Roundup tolerant GM canola to be grown commercially this year,” says Gene Ethics Director Bob Phelps. (more…)

Plans by the Eden chipmill to burn so-called ‘mill wastes’ to generate electricity should not qualify as environmentally-friendly green power, according to Greens NSW MP John Kaye

Dr Kaye said: “SEFE is about to exploit loopholes in the national renewable energy target and in the Rudd government’s emissions trading scheme.

“Burning chipmill wastes will be responsible for substantial greenhouse gas emissions, unacceptable local air pollution and increased damage to the state’s native forests.

“Recent research from the ANU massively increased estimates of carbon locked up in the native forests. Greenhouse gas emissions from feeding biomass power stations could be in the same league as coal-fired generation. (more…)

Matters arising, controversial developments and caretaker mode, discussion papers and submissions, questions and statements, at this last meeting of the inaugural Palerang (previously ECCR) Council (Greens councillor contributions)

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Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown today gave notice that he will re-introduce the Democrats’ Protecting Children from Junk Food Advertising (Broadcasting Amendment) Bill 2008 to ban junk food advertising during children’s TV viewing hours.

“Access Economics estimates the cost of obesity to the community is $58 billion a year. Only 1 per cent of food advertising promotes healthy food. The other 99 per cent promotes fast food, soft drinks, ice cream and other junk food,” Senator Brown said.

“A national ban on junk food advertising during children’s TV viewing hours is a sensible first step in tackling childhood obesity. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” (more…)

The Greens say a landmark agreement by all sides of politics to urgently investigate how to save the Coorong and lower lakes of the Murray can be a blueprint for future action by the Senate.

Greens Senator for South Australia Sarah Hanson-Young today moved that the Rural and Regional Affairs Committee “urgently inquire into the availability of water for the Murray River’s lower lakes and Coorong regions, to save our Storm Boy country”, which was supported unanimously.

“Today we moved from talk to action to save a national icon and help Australians in need. There’s nothing Australians can’t achieve when all sides of politics work together,” Senator Hanson-Young said. (more…)

Greens MP Lee Rhiannon today welcomed the co-ordinated action of state and federal governments to buy back land and water to try save the Macquarie Marshes, but said much more is needed to stop their terminal decline.

“By waiting until the eleventh hour to act, the NSW government carries responsibility for the permanent damage to this internationally significant Macquarie Marshes,” Ms Rhiannon said.

“Returning an additional 8,658 megalitres to this fragile system is just a drop in the bucket.

“It’s estimated 140,000 extra megalitres of water are needed if there is any chance of saving the marshes. (more…)

(councillor contribution for August edition of the Palerang Bulletin)

At the last Council Meeting Cr Matt presented Part One of his report card for Palerang Council and suggested that other councillors might like to do the same, as we come to the end of our term. It’s a good idea, but if I’m to give my personal perspective, I am hard pressed to come up with much that’s positive.

The last four years have provided some of the more unpleasant experiences of my life. I’ve talked before on these pages about my early attempts to introduce safe meeting procedure, rejected by nearly all around the table. And when things deteriorated, I requested that we have team building and conflict resolution, but the professional employed to talk to us all individually and then come up with a plan to help us sort out our differences and get on with the job came to the conclusion that it was a lost cause, and that there was nothing he could do for us. (more…)