Queanbeyan-Monaro Greens

Voters have just over one week to make sure they are enrolled to vote and have a say in the election of a new council for the Queanbeyan-Palerang community.

The Greens candidates for the Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council (QPRC) Peter Marshall and Katrina Willis encouraged new residents, young people and new citizens to enrol to vote before the electoral roll closes on Monday, 31 July.

“It’s five years since residents voted for a local council. In that time, our community has grown considerably, with new housing developments and new citizens,” Peter Marshall said.

“Many young people, too, will be eligible to vote for their local council for the first time.
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Members of the Greens, at both state and local level, have vowed to fight the return of greyhound racing to Queanbeyan.

While visiting Queanbeyan on Thursday, Greens MLC David Shoebridge hit out at a proposal to reintroduce the sport to the city if it was successfully banned in the ACT.

Read the full report in the Queanbeyan Age online.

MEDIA RELEASE

29 June 2017

Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council confirmed earlier this month that a contract for the $86 million Ellerton Drive Extension (EDE) is expected to be awarded in August, with construction to start a month later, just as people commence voting for a new council.

The council has appointed Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) to manage the assessment of tenders, award a contract and construction for this road proposed to be built through woodland and forest on the Queanbeyan Eastern Escarpment.

Greens MP and Local Government spokesperson David Shoebridge said:

“Pushing through such a substantial contract just months before an election breaches the spirit of the caretaker regulations, and the local community rightly feels the council is acting in bad faith.

“Council is currently preparing a broader transport strategy, pushing for a decision on this contract before that is finalised is putting the cart before the horse.

“It would be extremely irresponsible for council to make such a costly and damaging decision less than 2 months before voting starts for a new council. Read the rest of this entry »

12 May 2017

The Greens in Queanbeyan-Palerang today announced Peter Marshall and Katrina Willis as their lead candidates for the council election to be held on 9 September 2017.

On the anniversary of the sacking of the Palerang and Queanbeyan councils, the Greens pledged to work for a more accountable, democratic and transparent local council committed to genuine consultation with the community. Greens NSW are committed to reviewing forced amalgamations and the boundaries of the new councils through plebiscites

“The NSW Government’s sacking of our councils was unwarranted and indefensible, based on false premises and financial assessments kept from the public,” Peter Marshall said. “It has not lead to any apparent cost savings or efficiencies. In fact there is already evidence to the contrary.

“What it has done is allow a single unelected individual – a NSW Government-appointed Administrator – to make critical decisions on transport infrastructure and inappropriate housing developments, along with the in-principle agreement to sell public land for redevelopment without a tender process.”

“The checks and balances of a group of elected representatives are missing, community concerns are ignored, and people are rightly troubled,” Katrina Willis said. Read the rest of this entry »

Ku-ring-gai Council won its appeal against the NSW Government’s forced amalgamations.

The Greens spokesperson on local government, David Shoebridge said: “This is a real win for communities and an embarrassing blow for the Berejiklian Government’s forced amalgamation plans.

“Today the Court of Appeal has said the obvious, that it is blatantly unfair to forcibly amalgamate a local council on the basis of a secret report.

“This decision doesn’t just affect Ku-ring-gai Council, it could dismantle every single outstanding amalgamation proposal.

“We now have a clear statement from the Court of Appeal that the Coalition’s forced amalgamations are unfair and unlawful. It is now time the Premier listened and terminated all outstanding forced amalgamations.

Read more.

As Victoria’s Hazelwood power station starts to close down this week and the old parties struggle to articulate an ethical vision for Australia’s energy future, The Greens have mapped a way forward.

The Greens plan is for:

90% renewable energy generation by the year 2030.

Establish RenewAustralia, a $500 million public authority to plan and drive the transition.

Create a $250 million Clean Energy Transition Fund to support workers and communities.

Implement pollution intensity standards to retire coal-fired power stations.

Read more about the Greens plan to Renew Australia’s energy system.

Greens NSW Local Government spokesperson David Shoebridge has released details of proposals the party will take to the NSW Parliament to overturn undemocratic forced mergers of local councils.

David released details of the proposed laws in in Queanbeyan on 23 March 2017, outside the office of Deputy Premier and Member for Monaro John Barilaro.

The proposed legislative package is simple, democratic and will fix forced amalgamations by:

1. Immediately terminating all outstanding forced amalgamations proposals,

2. Immediately de-amalgamating all forcibly merged councils,

3. Introducing a legislative requirement that any future amalgamation proposals are subject to a binding plebiscite of local residents.

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Australian Greens Leader Richard Di Natalie has laid out fresh ideas for how to meet the challenges our society faces.

“I have great faith in our shared humanity, in our fellow citizens to choose the path of decency and civility. It is a faith informed by evidence, by our origins as a cooperative species. Cooperation gave us our evolutionary advantage and it is woven into our very being. The principle of caring for others is, after all, a fundamental tenet weaved through all our world’s religions.

“And it is a central theme in all our human stories. It is our economic and political system that is the problem, not our fellow human beings.”

Read Richard’s full address to the National Press Club.

GREENS REVEAL $5.46 BILLION TOLL OF POKER MACHINE LOSSES ON LOCAL NSW COMMUNITIES

New data purchased by NSW Greens MP Justin Field has today revealed the NSW community lost $5.46 billion on poker machine gambling in clubs alone in the year ending August 2016.

The data reveals some of the biggest profits to clubs – the losses to the individual – from poker machines come from the most financially disadvantaged areas across the state, with Fairfield topping the state.

The analysis shows average income lost on poker machines in Fairfield in Sydney’s West was 10.4% of average income based on the regulated average 90% return to players. In stark contrast, average income lost on pokies in Waverley/Woollahra in the city’s East was just 0.65% of income.

“This new poker machine data purchased by the Greens reveals a massive impact where families and communities across NSW are losing billions to addictive poker machines,” Mr Field said today.
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People came from dozens of towns and cities to protest in Queanbeyan on Friday, 10 February 2017 about the NSW government policy of forced council amalgamations.

Around 250 people marched on the office of Deputy Premier, Nationals Leader and Member for Monaro John Barilaro, demanding the government reverse unpopular council mergers.

Greens NSW local government spokesperson David Shoebridge addressed the rally,

Read about the rally in the District Bulletin online.

http://districtbulletin.com.au/forcible-local-government-amalgamations-bush-bites-back/