Following Julia Gillard’s election date announcement, the Bega District News asked the three known candidates for Eden-Monaro a series of questions. Here are The Greens’ responses.

What are the big issues as you see them in Eden-Monaro for this election year? Which will you be championing in your election campaign?
Climate change remains the biggest issue of our time, and it is already starting to affect everyone, so it will be of great concern if there is any party or candidate who does not take climate change seriously. Recognising how it permeates all our lives through health impacts, electricity and insurance costs for example, and taking positive action by way of investment in renewable energy programs, will filter through to a range of policy areas and benefit everyone in the electorate. While coal and coal seam gas mining does not affect Eden-Monaro directly, its impacts will be felt by all. Continuing to mine and export coal in increasing volumes together with the use of processes that pollute or destroy water supplies is something we need to stop. As with every previous election in which I have been involved, the closure of the chipmill is a major issue. The Greens presented a plan for softwood processing to state government and opposition candidates in the 1999 state election, and some of that has now been taken up, but we need to go further. See later responses for more detail. (more…)

The Greens in Eden-Monaro say that the High Court ruling that the Commonwealth acted outside its constitutional powers in funding the National School Chaplaincy Program (NSCP) is the biggest impetus yet in the campaign for constitutional recognition of local government.

Greens candidate for Eden-Monaro and Palerang councillor Catherine Moore says it is imperative  for communities around the country to mobilise now to support the campaign for local government  recognition in the constitution, to ensure a resounding “yes” vote at referendum.

“The viability of local government is at stake as a result of this ruling, as it sets a precedent that threatens local government funding. Many of the federal grants that councils currently receive, such as the Financial Assistance Grants (FAGS), could disappear.

“While this decision might be a big win for accountability, it also threatens the ability of local councils to function; many councils rely on their FAGS to carry out much-needed roadwork in country areas, for example.” (more…)

Members of the four Greens groups in Eden-Monaro – Bega Valley, Braidwood, Eurobodalla and Queanbeyan-Monaro – have again endorsed Catherine Moore as their candidate in Eden-Monaro for the next Federal Election, the date of which is as yet unknown.

Catherine, who is an artist and has been a Palerang councillor since 2004, was The Greens candidate at the 2010 Federal Election and for the State seat of Monaro in 1995, 1999, 2003 and 2007. She will not be recontesting her council position at the September 2012 elections.

“I am really pleased to again be able to represent The Greens in Eden-Monaro over the period between now and the next Federal Election, raising the issues that are important if we want a safe, just and sustainable future. The last campaign was a very short one, so it is great to have an opportunity to continue the work from 2010 over a longer time-frame.

“Contrary to what some people believe, the outcome of the last election and the hung parliament which resulted have been very healthy for democracy in this country. Democracy should not be about a system dominated by two parties only, legitimised by absolute majority of either of those parties, and operating in an atmosphere of adversarial confrontation. It is time we recognised the value of constructive debate and negotiation which is required when such a majority does not exist, and the important role played by parties like The Greens, together with independents, in that process. (more…)

(letter to the editor, Canberra Times, published to ** 13 March 2012, published in full in March 14 editions of Bungendore Mirror and Braidwood Times)

My heart goes out to all those whose lives will never be the same as a result of losing their loved ones on the Kings Highway last weekend.  These tragic events are yet another wake-up call to all of us who drive, a graphic reminder that the lower speed limits on some sections of the road, advisory speeds on bends, and unbroken lines on bends and crests are there for a reason. We cannot keep blaming the road, and it is hard to imagine that there will ever be enough money to build a dual carriageway down the Clyde. But we all can, and must, learn a lesson from these events and take the utmost care to drive according to conditions, and if it takes an increased, ongoing police presence on the highway in marked and unmarked cars to make sure we do, that needs to happen.

As a Palerang councillor and resident of the Braidwood area, I travel the Kings Highway frequently and invariably with trepidation, not because of the road but because of the acts of dangerous driving that I witness nearly every time I am in my car, whether they be by people travelling at high speeds, overtaking in unsuitable places or tail-gating, apparently oblivious to the consequences of the car in front having to brake suddenly, for whatever reason. We drivers have a responsibility not just for our own lives and those of our passengers, but for others on the road too, and for the police, the ambulance drivers and the emergency services personnel** who must deal with the consequences of the rush to get to the coast or Canberra and elsewhere a little bit sooner.

Catherine Moore