It is beholden on us at the local government level to ensure that activities like mining do not make it impossible for our residents to live in their own homes. It is appalling that a mining company’s activities override the rights of people to live simply and comfortably and have adequate sleep. The general situation with mining in this country, which has a long record of destroying farmland, damaging ecosystems, polluting waterways, destroying Aboriginal sites of significance, sucking out huge amounts of underground and riverine water and generally impacting negatively on communities, is unacceptable to anyone who puts social justice and quality of life before gold and the dollar and I hope that we will do everything we can to lessen the impact of this particular goldmine on our residents.

Catherine Moore, Questions and Statements, February 4 Council meeting

With today’s official launching of the International Year of Biodiversity by the United Nations in Berlin, the Keneally Government should be outlining how it’s addressing declining biodiversity in NSW.

“The recent 2009 State of the Environment Report, a report card on the state’s environmental performance over the last three years, shows that the NSW Government is failing to stop biodiversity decline. Three of the four critical performance indictors for native fauna and flora show poor environmental health and systems under significant stress,” says Greens MP Ian Cohen.

“Of the 25% of the terrestrial native animals monitored in NSW for sustainability, 64% of fauna and 65% of birds species have a moderate or greater risk of extinction. This is only a sampling; if we assessed all species it is fair to assume that the potential extinction rate would be much higher. ” (more…)

Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young is urging the Federal Government to ensure that the issue of childcare is high on the agenda at this week’s Australian Council of Local Governments, given the uncertainty in the childcare sector following the collapse of ABC Learning.

More than 500 mayors will meet with key ministers in Canberra this week. The Australian Services Union has already written to Education Minister Julia Gillard to ask for support for local government to take over some of the ABC Learning childcare centres.

“This summit of local governments is a golden opportunity for the Federal Government and councils to work together on fixing this country’s childcare woes,” said Senator Hanson-Young.

“Local government already provides a portion of Australia’s high-quality, not-for-profit childcare, as well as maternal and child health services.

“With the right support from their federal counterpart, local governments could play a crucial role in transforming Australian childcare services away from the unstable, profit-driven industry it unfortunately has become. (more…)

Jamie Parker was elected as the first Greens Mayor of Leichhardt at last night’s council meeting at Leichhardt Town Hall. Fellow Greens councillor Michele McKenzie was elected Deputy Mayor.

Councillor Parker has served on Council since 1999 and has previously served as Deputy Mayor.

He was elected by nine votes to three over Liberal Party nominee, Gordon Weiss. In addition to the votes of the six Greens councillors Councillor Parker received support from the two Labor and the Independent Councillors. Councillor McKenzie was elected Deputy Mayor by the same margin.

The election of Leichhardt’s first Greens Mayor has been welcomed by Sylvia Hale the NSW Greens MP and Local Government spokesperson.

“Jamie Parker joins the popularly elected Jan Barham from Byron Bay as the Greens second Mayor arising from the recent local government elections,” said Ms Hale.

“The result in Leichhardt, where the Greens received over 46% of the primary vote, is a wonderful vote of confidence in the work of Greens councillors.” (more…)

Scott Ludlam, Western Australia’s most recently elected Greens Senator, will put forth his parliamentary agenda on Tuesday in an inaugural speech that will both inspire and confront.

“It is time for determined, intelligent, coordinated action,” Senator Ludlam said.

“An energy-efficient Australia can be renewably powered within a generation.

“With determination and foresight, we can step past the desperate handful of fossil advocates who are scaremongering about the end of the economy as they know it and demanding that Australia not get too far in front of the rest of the world. The most damaging myth of all is the one which says this can’t be done.

“People who say it can’t be done need to get out of the way of those who are doing it.” (more…)

The announcement today by new Planning Minister Kristina Kenneally that developers will be required to disclose their political donations when they submit development applications is “too little, too late” according to NSW Greens planning spokesperson Sylvia Hale.

The new laws are to take effect from 1 October 2008.

“This announcement is a desperate band-aid to try to staunch the bloodletting predicted for Labor at the tomorrow’s Council elections,” said Ms Hale.

“ICAC recommended this a year ago but the government has waited until the afternoon before the council elections to implement ICAC’s advice.” (more…)

Launching The Greens revamped donations website today, www.democracy4sale.org, Greens MP Lee Rhiannon has vowed to continue the Greens donations research project to expose the rorts that are plaguing NSW politics.

The Greens donations website www.democracy4sale.org now includes local government donations and Council donations case studies.

“One week out from the Council election we are still in the dark about who is funding the campaigns of Council election candidates,” said Ms Rhiannon. (more…)

Planning Minister Frank Sartor’s decision to overrule independent advice and approve a major residential development at Catherine Hill Bay continues the pattern of the Labor government favouring the interests of party donors.

Electoral Funding Authority figures released today reveal that Rosecorp, the developer behind the Catherine Hill Bay proposal, has made payments of over $219,000 to the NSW ALP since the commencement of the project’s planning and while the project was being considered for approval by Planning Minister Frank Sartor.

“Minister Sartor has a record of overruling or ignoring independent advice from expert panels and his own department when making decisions that have resulted in big financial windfalls to ALP donors,” said Sylvia Hale, NSW Greens MP and planning spokesperson.

“Approving Rosecorp’s development at Catherine Hill Bay is the latest in a series of highly questionable decisions by this
Minister. (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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NSW Greens MPs are supporting a call for a parliamentary inquiry into Frank Sartor’s new planning Bill, describing the Bill as having potentially devastating consequences for the state’s environment and heritage and being an open invitation for corruption of the planning system.

“This Bill will affect billions of dollars of developments. It will affect the rights and the amenity of every citizen in this state,”
said Greens MP and planning spokesperson Sylvia Hale.

The government today refused a Greens motion to release the submissions that had been received about the planning changes.

Ms Hale referred to a report of the cross-party Legislative Review Committee that raised significant concerns with the planning Bill including that it would trespass on individual rights to have views heard and represented, procedural fairness, access to justice and may erode the rule of law and individual property rights. (more…)