On the campaign trail at railway stations

One of my aims in the campaign in Kooyong is to reach as many residents and provide information and get feedback on issues that matter to them.

Visiting railway stations and handing out our free Green Times newspaper is a good opportunity to do this. Public transport users are doing the right thing by not taking their cars into a the city and thereby reducing congestion and greenhouse gas emissions.

The Green Times is an informative read which provides some details on our policies and approaches for this election and for the future, which the mainstream media very rarely mentions.

Hawthorn railway station

Chatham railway station

I have visited may stations in Kooyong this week. This year it is evident that many more people are catching trains and the system is now overloaded past its capacity. Currently, no federal funding is provided to the states for public tranport. However, the federal governement provides several $billion to the states for road funding, which of course encourages more road and freeway construction, which in turn encourages more people to use their cars more often.

By contrast, no new train lines have been built in Melbourne since the Glen Waverly line in 1937, and several have been decommissioned.

It is time that this inequity was addressed. Rather then $34b in tax cuts that both old parties are offering to try and win the election, the Greens say that this money should be invested in services such as public transport, which can then be matched by State funding.

This could double the funds available to greatly improve the coverage, frequency and integration of public transport. Only the Greens have this policy and commitment. Improved public transport can also enable use to reduce our carbon emissions.

Greens TV ad and the 3 parties video

Here is the new Greens TV ad. I think it is well worth a look.



Another excellent video produced by the campaign group GetUp is below. 3 Senators from 3 parties (Labor, Greens and Democrats) supporting each other in the interests of a balanced Senate:



And Who on Else Cares is an interesting site that allows you to register your concern about climate change, send a letter to your local federal MP and see who else cares about climate change is on the map too.

Disability and carers forum in Kooyong, they need a fair go

I attended a forum held in Hawthorn Town Hall by the Australian Association for Families of Children with a Disability (AAFCD). Greens Senator Rachel Siewert spoke along with Annette Ellis MP (ALP), Minister for Family & Community Services Mal Brough (Liberal Party), Senator Lynn Allison (Democrats) and Junelle Rhodes (Carers Alliance party).

It was a great opportunity to hear from people who are making huge comitments and efforts caring for disabled people, and from disabled people too. It was evident that resources and funding for both carers and disabled people are far too low.

Rachel, elected in 2004, has an enviable track record both chairing and working on numerous Senate committees. Rachel played an active role in the Disabilities CSTDA Inquiry in Feb 2007 and contributed to the recommendations in the report. Rachel also has good relationships with a range of disabilities groups and community and is co-convenor and founder of the Parliamentary Friends of People with a Disability. Rachel also has national responsibility in the Australian Greens for the disabilities portfolio.

Rachel stated in answer to a question that the Greens recognise that funding for people living with a disability and their carers is urgently needed and that neither the Government nor the ALP would commit to increasing funding to the level needed. Yet both are offering a massive $34 billion tax package - tax cuts which could fund community services and resources.

Michael Gourlay, the CEO of AAFCD joked that when he heard about the $34 billion tax cuts he thought about calling John Howard and asking for about $4 billion.

Unfortunately the Commonwealth and the States (and Territories) process (CSTDA) that is supposed to be managing the framework and funding for people with disabilities has been has been marred by a continuing blame-game between the Commonwealth and the States (and Territories).

In this very meeting, Mal Brough attempted to shift the blame for lack of progress on provision of much-needed disabilities services onto the States.

On the other side, Labor hasn’t even bothered releasing a policy yet. It’s clear that carers and the disabled are being ignored by both major parties, and are being forced into a great mobilisation towards democracy.

The Australian Greens continue to:

• advocate for giving people living with a disability, their families and carers a greater opportunity to actively participate in policy development, service planning and delivery.
• support whole of life planning covering activities and services that should be accessible to children, adolescents and adults with a disability
• increasing funding for supporting people with a disability and their carers
• stopping the "race to the bottom" where only the person with the worst case wins funding

You can read Rachel's full report on the forum on the Greensblog here.

More kindergarten places are needed for Kooyong

The local Progress Leader newspaper (31/10 edition) covers of concerns about funding for the Manresa kindergarten and increased childcare costs in Boroondara.

I am hearing from many people in the Kooyong electorate that there is a real shortage of local kindergarten places. Many parents are forced to place their children at kindergartens some distance from where they live which is inconvenient and often requires car transport. I share this problem as I have a young daughter who may well miss out on a place at the local kinder.

Many couples are now starting families or have moved into the Kooyong electorate with children. The planning and provision of kindergarten services has just not kept up with this increased demand. In addition, successive interest rate rises have put more pressure on families with mortgages covering childcare costs.

Rather than dishing out $34b tax cuts during the election, I support federal subsidies for child care places and increased federal funding for more kindergarten places in Kooyong, and for the continued operation of the Manresa and other local kindergartens.

Links

• Kinder makes last attempt at funding
• Struggle over childcare costs

Australia's climate change response, Guy Pearce

Guy Pearce spoke on 24 October at the Melbourne Town Hall on why the Australian government has failed to take real action to reduce our greenhouse pollution. Find out the interesting details from someone who's been on the inside. I took a video and have put it on YouTube in the following segments (videos are restricted to 10 minutes length).

Guy is on a speaking tour around Australia that has been organised and promoted by Greenpeace. His talk covers information that is included in his recent book High and Dry

Guy's talk gives some very good reasons why we need a change of government in Australia and Greens in the Senate to take real action on climate change.

Part 1: Guy's journey and forgotten Liberal Party history

Part 2: I love a burnt country?

Part 3: Behind Australia's world leading spin

Part 4: Carbon capture and the greenhouse mafia

Part 5: Denial, delusion and the election campaign

Part 6: What can we do?

Part 7: Being climate clever, not climate conned

Walk against Warming on 11 November 2007

John Howard's and Kevin Rudd's policies on climate change both fall well short of what is required to take real action on climate change.

Howard has not committed to any targets, while Rudd says Labor will ratify the Kyoto Protocol and set emission reduction targets for 2050.

We don't need more reports, we need short term targets for 2010, 2015 and 2020. In particular, we need to set a firm target of 30% emissions reductions by 2020.

You have the opportunity to attend Australia's biggest day of community action on climate change.

Date: Sunday, November 11, 2007
Time: 1:00pm to 3:00pm
Location: State Library, Swanton Street, Melbourne

I encourage you to "walk against warming" to highlight the need for action on climate change. I will be there.

See http://www.walkagainstwarming.org for walk locations in your capital city.

This advertisement from Getup summarises the Howard Government's position well. Demand real action on climate change: I can do that!

Burning forests is not green power

Peter Campbell joined Senate Candidate Dr Richard Di Natale and Melbourne Candidate Adam Bandt to protest over the plans by Gunns to sell power back to Victoria as Greens power at the Origin Energy Shop in Richmond on Friday.

Greens lead Senate candidate in Victoria Dr Richard Di Natale said that now the giant Gunns pulp mill had been given the go-ahead, consumers needed to be warned about the insidious link between old-growth forests and their power supply.

"When the pulp mill goes into production we will see a massive increase in the level of native forest logging for wood chips in Tasmania," Dr Di Natale said."'This will lead to the extinction of threatened wildlife and will significantly increase global warming.

"Forestry Tasmania has initiated proposals to burn wood chips from native forests for electricity generation. This power source will grow after the Gunns mill comes on line. Victoria and other states that are part of the national electricity market will be able to import electricity from Tasmania via Basslink.

"At a time when we desperately need renewable energy, the logging industry proposes to burn native forests for power generation under the guise of renewable electricity or 'green' power.

"We call on Origin Energy and other power suppliers, including TXU and AGL, to state explicitly to their customers and their shareholders that they will not purchase electricity from Tasmania generated from the burning of wood chips from native forests."