Why voting Green is vitally important

With climate change, drought, energy and a sustainable future now high on the political agenda, there has never been a more important time to vote for the Greens so that we get real action rather than rhetoric.

In the House of Representatives

Some residents I have spoken to recently have said they support the Greens by putting them as number 2 on their ballot after either Labor or Liberal.

They are surprised when I tell them that 2 for the Greens does nothing if you have a Liberal or Labor as number 1.

Nobody ever notices your number 2. Unfortunately, this doesn't help the Greens or show your support at all. Your vote just goes directly to the Labor or Liberal party and stays there.

However, if you like the Greens policies and would like me to represent you in Canberra, you can vote 1 Greens, then for the other parties of your choice.

This is really effective because you actually get double the value for your vote. Here is how it works:

Select 1 Greens. You make a really strong statement that you support the environment, open and fair government and a sustainable future. If I get enough votes, I will be elected and will be privileged to represent your views in parliament so I can work for a better future.

Select 2. This is your second preference, it is your choice. If I don't get elected, your vote is distributed to this choice on your ballet paper. The vote is counted again, at full value.

• So if you would like to John Howard returned, you can give your second choice to Petro Georgiou, the Liberal candidate.
  
• If you prefer Kevin Rudd, you can give your second choice to Ken Harvey, the Labor candidate.

If you prefer other parties (such as the Democrats) above either Labor or Liberal, you can give them your second preference. What really matters in the end is where you put Labor with respect to the Liberals. Whichever has the lower number will invariably get your vote. So if you vote 1 Green, 2 Democrat, 3 Liberal, 4 Labor then the Liberals will end up with your vote.

Need to know more? See the Australian Electoral Commission notes for more details.

Make no mistake: I’m serious about getting elected to represent you in Kooyong, but given that that is a big, BIG task, it is good to be able to reassure supporters that their vote will STILL BE COUNTED (twice, in fact.)

In the Senate
Even if Labor win enough lower house seats to form government, the polls and analysts indicate they will not win control of the Senate. It is important that more Greens are elected to the Senate so that it can act as a real house of review. The Greens will ensure there is balance in the Senate so that no major party will hold sway pushing their own agendas.

Either Vote 1 Green (above the line) in the Senate (the big ballot paper) or number the Greens candidates 1 to 6 then number every other square below the line in the order of your choice (also known as voting "below the line"). If you make a mistake or miss a number then your vote will be invalid and not be counted. Ask for another ballot paper if you have made a mistake!

Gunns pulp mill will not be clean

Both Kevin Rudd and John Howard support the proposed Gunns pulpmill in the Tasmania’s Tamar valley. Peter Garrett supports it too. This is in spite of polls showing that two out of three locals in the valley oppose the mill due to serious concerns about the air and water pollution it will produce and the native forest it will consume.

Once again we see major party politics let down the people of Australia. Why not have a local plebiscite on this divisive issue?

The Lennon government has abandoned its own environmental assessment and public consultation to fast track the mill. Malcolm Turnbull is keeping his options open with a huge majority of voters in his marginal seat of Wentworth also opposing the mill.

If it were truly a world-class, best environment standards pulp mill then I think it would proceed. But this would mean a plantation-based, chlorine-free, closed-loop pulp mill that doesn't use a Kraft (sulphur-based) pulping process.

This would enhance Tasmania’s growing green image and ecotourism appeal that the Government has spent millions promoting. This is where Tasmania’s long term future, employment and prosperity should be.

See also: Greens Kooyong website

Kooyong climate change forum

I spoke at the Kooyong climate change forum on the evening of Monday 3 September 2007.


It was encouraging to see about 350 people turn up to hear the candidates for Kooyong talk about climate change. Greens policies on climate change are fairly close to the Democrats (David Collyer) in that we both specify short term emission reduction targets. However, Labor (Ken Harvey) is still refusing to specify any targets earlier than 2050, with the Liberals (Petro Georgiou) are still refusing to set any targets at all.

Interestingly, all candidates set their "temperature arrow" to 2 degrees, even though both Labor and Liberal voted against the Greens motion for this in the Senate in April, and John Howard has stated that "Australia can adapt to climate change of up to 5 degrees", a statement which is bordering on lunacy.


It really is a case of separating what politicians say from how they or their party votes in parliament. There is often a world of difference. So now we can hold John Howard to the two degrees rise maximum, courtesty of Petro Georgiou. But maybe this is just another "non-core promise".

Below are my presentation slides. Click on any to enlarge them.