The Greens candidate for Noosa, Dr Jim McDonald, said that the most important issue inthe de-amalgamation debate was that the State Government should give Noosa residentsthe Council they really want.
He said, “No-one should assume that the Noosa community as a whole still has the views that were evident in 2007 – 8. There is significant churn in this electorate as residents come and go. “At the moment, the activists and the other candidates hitching a ride on the de-amalgamation campaign only think they know. People I talk to are not of a single voice on the issue.
“We need to get away from the hysteria evident in the public debate. The State Government owes it to the people of Noosa and those communities willing to join in a new Noosa Council to conduct a referendum in the Noosa region when the State election is held.”
Dr McDonald said that a referendum in Noosa and communities wishing to join in on the establishment of a new Council would be a smart move for the Queensland Government. It would establish once and for all what Noosa people really want for their area.
He said that although the Independent Alliance had taken some of the party political spin out of the issue, the old party politics had hobbled the Noosa Council issue. “I’ve been listening for years now to Bob Ansett rail against Anna Bligh. When Friends of Noosa threw their lot behind Glen Elmes and the LNP, and claimed to speak for the residents, they cut off any opportunity for the Noosa community to negotiate separation with the Queensland Government before the Coast councils were amalgamated. They made it an Opposition campaign
issue.
“The Greens campaigned for de-amalgamation during the last State election. It is still Greens policy for Noosa. However, establishing the actual wishes of Noosa residents today is the fundamental priority in considering Noosa’s future.
“The Greens believe in strong Local Government,” he said, “but the most important point is that a separate council should not be imposed on Noosa any more than amalgamation was. If the majority want the Regional Council to work better, then the new Government should respond to that.
“Earlier this year, Greens Leader, Bob Brown, sought to strengthen local government by calling for a federal referendum to include provisions in the Constitution to protect Councils in areas like Noosa. “Meanwhile the local branches of the Labor Party remain silent. I am sure that Glen Elmes himself is sincere about de-amalgamation but the LNP makes promises that have so many back-out provisions their commitment cannot be believed.
“Considering the affordability question is critical, but the debate is off the rails. On the one side the Alliance costings would support the argument for a new council. On the other side, Cr Brennan has aligned himself with the technocrats in the Regional Council and some opposition is based almost solely on the costs.
“The Noosa Greens believe the State Government, which inflicted amalgamation on Noosa, should cover the costs of separation if the residents of Noosa and surrounding communities wishing to join with Noosa are given an opportunity to vote on it and they actually support the creation of a new Noosa Council.”
Jim McDonald Noosa Greens Candidate 13 December 2011
Greens’ spokesperson for gambling, Senator Richard Di Natale, claimed that the government should not use a trial to delay pokies reform, which is another reason to embrace $1 bets.
“There is an opportunity to do something to curb the scourge of problem gambling right now – we don’t know if that opportunity will exist in the next term or under a future government,” said Senator Di Natale.
“Clubs Australia are pushing for a trial of mandatory pre-commitment that would delay meaningful nation-wide pokies reform in the hope that the government changes and the status quo continues.
“$1 bet limits could be legislated this year and implemented immediately, according to the Greens’ 5 year timetable. There would be no need for a trial of implementation because it would not require any new technology.
“$1 bets is the most effective policy to curb problem gambling and it has support in the community and across the Parliament. This should be a no brainer.
“Clubs Australia understands this, which is why they are grasping at straws to stop it.
“They continue to make outrageous claims about the cost and now they claim that the Government should read the fine print of their agreement with Andrew Wilkie, which doesn’t mention $1 bets.
“Clubs Australia need to read the large print of the government’s agreement with Andrew Wilkie. The government has agreed to poker machine reform, the community supports it and action, not a trial, is what’s needed.”
Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown has welcomed the release of the report by the Expert Panel on Constitutional Recognition of Local Government.
“The Gillard government and the Opposition should get behind this important and needed constitutional reform,” Senator Brown said.
“The panel’s outcome is the result of the process that stemmed from the agreement the Greens signed with Labor on 1 September 2010.”
The agreement stated that the parties would work together and with other parliamentarians to:
Hold referenda during the 43rd Parliament or at the next election on Indigenous constitutional recognition and recognition of local government in the Constitution.
The Australian Greens have announced today they will reintroduce their marriage equality bill into both houses of parliament when sittings resume in early 2012.
Seizing on the momentum of the ALP’s decision on marriage equality, Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young invited both Labor and Liberal members to co-sign her bill.
“Marriage equality and fairness for all is about love and should be above politics,” the Greens’ marriage equality spokesperson said. “With support from members from all sides, I believe these bills can pass in time for the spring wedding season.”
The Greens senator has called on Tony Abbott to allow members of the coalition to have a conscience vote. “Individual members of the Liberal party have a proud history of crossing the floor on important pieces of legislation. I call on members of the Liberal party to exercise the freedom their party gives them on issues they believe in.
“The Australian Greens have been leading the way on marriage equality for more than a decade.
We welcome the change in the ALP’s platform as agreed at their national conference but we are disappointed some Labor members will be able to opt out of removing discrimination. True equality does not have an opt-out clause. “Cupid doesn’t discriminate and neither should the law.”
The federal government has at last let schools decide who they want to counsel their students, and ensure they have appropriate training, according to the Australian Greens.
“We welcome this announcement after taking this much-needed expansion to the 2010 election,” Sen. Sarah Hanson-Young, Greens’ spokesperson for youth affairs, said.
“The Greens have been saying for years a major problem with the programme was it forced schools into getting only a chaplain, rather than someone with basic qualifications.
“Now, schools will get to choose, and also know that whoever they decide to appoint will have minimum qualifications set by the Federal government – a glaring omission that needed fixing.
“Students will also benefit because while they are grappling with the complexities of being young, they will, at last, be talking with an adult who has qualifications, rather than just belonging to a religious group.
“The Greens will be monitoring the changes to the chaplaincy programme to ensure the government keeps its promises to amend the faults in a scheme which costs taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars a year.
“This expansion is welcome in that it now gives schools the choice, including the retention of a chaplain, if the school body determines they best suit their needs. The problem has all along been a lack of qualified staff to support students, but now this will finally happen.”
Evidence is continuing to mount against the Government’s flawed approach to legislation which alters disability support pension eligibility rules.
Australian Greens disabilities spokesperson Senator Rachel Siewert today described the Government’s consultation process around the legislation had been woefully inadequate.
“The evidence presented to today’s Senate Committee hearing into the changes to the Disability Support Pension Impairment Tables makes it clear that the Government’s consultation and trial process was fundamentally flawed,” Senator Siewert said.
“I was astounded to hear that some of these impairment tables have been tested on just two people – despite the fact the Government plans to introduce the changes nationally at the beginning of next year.
“This is a piece of legislation which will see as many as many as 40% of new disability support payment (DSP) applicants placed on the lower Newstart Allowance payment, compounding existing financial hardship without taking any meaningful steps towards improving employment outcomes.
“While the Government continues with plans to move people off the DSP and on to Newstart, not enough is being done to remove the existing barriers to securing long term employment opportunities.
“It emerged during today’s hearing that only 16% of disability support pension recipients find sustainable employment through job service providers. This is a clear sign of the challenges faced by jobseekers and employers.
“These changes are being made under the guise of helping people transition to the workforce, but in reality people are being moved to a lower payment as a cost saving measure and 84% of them will stay there for the foreseeable future.
“I have no doubt that as a result of this legislation many people moved to Newstart will experiencing financial hardship.
“In November last year, the Organisation for Economic Co‐operation and Development stated that the rate of Newstart Allowance had fallen below the poverty line.
“This is effectively punishing people for being disabled, rather than offering them assistance to find an appropriate job and improve their personal circumstances.
“We must examine effective mechanisms to adequately support people in finding secure, long term employment. Not simply penalising them, as this legislation does,” Senator Siewert concluded.
The Australian Greens say they hope a High Court challenge to the National School Chaplaincy Programme, which began today, will succeed and lead to an overhaul of the scheme.
“This is of course a programme where Australian taxpayers spend hundreds of millions of dollars on staff to support students who can do so without appropriate qualifications,” Sen. Sarah Hanson-Young, Greens’ spokesperson for youth affairs, said.
“I look forward to hearing the results as they unfold in the court and hope that the High Court will uphold the need for students to have qualified staff there to support them, and ensure that it is quality over anything else that we hold up as important for our young people and children.
“Whether it’s bullying at school, issues to do with sexuality and other questions about the world, let’s make sure people have access to qualified support, not simply people who are there because they happen to have some connection to a religious group.”
The Australian Greens have welcomed the announcement of the Government’s first steps to establish a National Disability Insurance Scheme but plans must be backed up by a sustainable funding commitment.
“We agree with the Productivity Commission that funding for disability should be a core function of Government, and we are pleased that the Government has announced it will start work on the foundations of a NDIS. The foundation work is essential however the community needs to be assured that funding for the Scheme will be available” said Senator Rachel Siewert, spokesperson on disability services.
“So far the Government has been silent on how it will fund the scheme. There must be a commitment from Government that funding will be provided, to ensure the valuable work they will be doing on the foundations of the Scheme is not all in vain.
“We also with the Productivity Commission that current disability funding and support is underfinanced, unfair, fragmented, and inefficient, and gives people with a disability little choice and no certainty of access to appropriate supports. This new scheme must put an end to this ineffectiveness.
“The Australian Greens urge State and Territory Governments to get behind the NDIS. This needs urgent attention and shouldn’t be delayed by any bickering with States.
“Implementation should start as soon as possible as it will take some years for the full Scheme to be operational. The Greens will be carefully assessing the fine detail to make sure it as effective as possible and provides life-long support for those living with a disability,” said Senator Siewert.
The Australian Greens have condemned the Malaysian Solution reached today which will involve sending up to 800 people, including unaccompanied children, to an unknown fate.
“Under this deal, the Australian government is shirking its international obligations to offer protection to those seeking our assistance,” Greens’ immigration spokesperson, Sen. Sarah Hanson-Young, said.
“The Greens are doubtful that in reality the rights and protections of 800 vulnerable people sent by Australia will be any different to the 94,000 asylum seekers already in Malaysia.
“Ultimately these 800 people will be subject to domestic Malaysian law, and we know these laws do not meet appropriate human rights standards.
“We do not support any policy to expel unaccompanied children and families to a country which has not signed the UN Refugee Convention.
“This four-year deal is a waste of Australian taxpayers’ money that would be better spent increasing our humanitarian intake so 800 people do not have to board boats before 4,000 refugees are taken from Malaysia.
“Both houses of parliament have already condemned this deal, but it can be enacted because the Immigration Minister does not need parliament’s approval.
“Nearly 10 years ago the Greens condemned the Pacific Solution. We condemn its newest version, the Malaysian solution.”
“The documents clearly show terms such as ‘asylum seeker’ has been replaced by ‘illegal immigrant’ and there’s no mention of human rights,” Greens’ immigration spokesperson, Sen. Sarah Hanson-Young said.
“While the Prime Minister claims the 800 people to be sent to Malaysia will be treated in accordance with our human rights standards, these documents, and e-mails from the UNHCR, ridicule her remarks.
“In this race to the bottom between Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott to see how tough they can be on asylum seekers, where is the Prime Minister’s bottom line on walking away from the human rights she says would underpin the agreement?
“We also have confirmation that unaccompanied children already on Christmas Island will be expelled to Malaysia – something the Greens have long feared would happen.
“The Immigration Minister has a clear conflict of interest, because he is by law the guardian of these children and must ensure they are not endangered.
“By emphasising the government is trying to send messages to people smugglers, Mr Bowen is ignoring the nine unaccompanied children already on Christmas Island.
“Australia has domestic and international obligations to ensure the safety of these children.
“Australian tax payers’ money should not be spent on this deal which means Australia pays the cost for expelling 800 people and having no say in how those asylum seekers will be treated.
“The Australian government should walk away from this deal if it cannot guarantee that Australian human rights standards will be used in the final agreement, which must be made public whenever the two governments sign it.”
The Greens’ policy on asylum seekers can be found here
Please download the Queensland Greens Membership Form here or contact the Convenor of the Noosa Greens directly
here.
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We would love to hear from you, what you consider our priorities should be to ensure our community remains special and sustainable. Please feel welcome to contact our Convenor Steve Haines directly at steve@noosagreens.org or mobile 0421 00 1956.
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