Issues

About the Drummoyne Electorate

Metropolitan, residential suburban. Located Sydney, inner western. Principal suburbs: Abbotsford, Concord, Concord West, Drummoyne, Five Dock, Flemington, Homebush, North Strathfield, Rhodes. Area: 33.57 sq km. Enrolment: 45,455.

The next NSW State Election will be held in March 2007. The Greens, by running a candidate for the State seat of Drummoyne (currently held by Ms. Angela D’Amore, Labor) and a strong campaign have the opportunity to press a number of issues upon the media, the public and the major candidates (including Mr Greg Long, Liberal candidate) and thereby achieve something for the local community, the environment and the State.

The Greens, of course, also hope to achieve an increase in our vote and increased representation in the State parliament. We have a realistic chance of winning at least two seats in the Upper House, and gaining our first win in the Lower House at a general election.

Preferential voting – Voters are reminded that with preferential voting in NSW a vote or preference can be given to the Greens, and if not elected, the full value of that vote can then be transferred to the next candidate of their choice, eg the Labor or Liberal candidate. If supporters of either Labor or Liberal are unhappy with their policy or positions, preferencing the Greens can send a strong message. Greens supporters themselves are free to preference Labor ahead of Liberal, or vice versa if they prefer.

Some of the issues with a local and/or state significance are as follows:

Parking at Concord Hospital - The Greens are campaigning for the State Government to erect a multi-story carpark within the Concord Repatriation General Hospital Precinct, to serve the needs of staff and visitors of the Hospital, and also to ease the parking difficulties which local residents have increasingly faced in recent years. We are also campaigning for improved public transport, particularly an extension of the 460 bus service to the Hospital and ultimately light rail to service the area.

Cleanup of Homebush Bay – dioxin and other contamination is worse and more widespread than first realised, and so a correspondingly greater cleanup of the Homebush Bay area is needed.

Return of Local Government planning powers – radical changes to the EPAA act under the Labor government have greatly strengthened the powers of the planning minister at the expense of local elected government. In practice we have seen this mean that the Minister will overrule local communities in favour of devlopment interests. These powers need to be returned to Council, as part of a general trend towards devolution, decentralisation and grassroots democracy; while the State Government needs to focus more on its proper role as the provider of essential infrastructure instead of pandering to developer interests.

Docs needs to streamline the Childcare Centre approval process - another issue which should be effectively delegated to Local Government. This is a matter of good governance.

Public Transport – led by my colleague Councillor Jeanette O’Hara, Council has repeatedly written to the Minister for Transport and the local Member for Drummoyne requesting the expansion of the 460 bus service, the only service which links the City area east to west.

We would like the service, which currently terminates at Five Dock, to be extended all the way to Drummoyne; to run every half hour instead of every hour; and to run into the evening instead of terminating at 4pm.

An extended service would link Drummoyne to Concord, and Drummoyne to Concord Hospital (currently no direct public transport link exists) and would also link the whole area to the new library, child care centre and customer service centre which is being built on the site of the old council chambers in Concord.

Heavy and light rail investment and extension

Preservation of Basix

Recycling and Reuse of Water – no desalination plant

Energy – the Energy policy of the NSW Greens can be found here. Recommended reading.

Nuclear power is toxic, costly, dangerous, non-renewable and not the answer. The answer is renewable energy, and we need a 100% commitment to research, development and deployment of multiple forms of renewable energy, as well as a carbon tax to make alternatives to fossil fuels more competitive, begin the phasing out of coal stations, and provide funds for research and other essential purposes. A carbon tax should be introduced immediately at a low rate with no exemptions, the rate rising gradually over time in order to be more effective in achieving its goals.

Specifically on the Nuclear question in the seat of Drummoyne and across NSW: The Greens are opposed to the whole nuclear cycle from the mining, transport, enrichment and storage to the weaponisation and detonation of nuclear material. The Greens will oppose siting Howard’s proposed nuclear reactor in the seat of Drummoyne or anywhere in NSW, and will likewise oppose in Drummoyne and throughout NSW the mining, enrichment, transport or development of any nuclear reactors, fuel or weapons. No ifs or buts – no nukes. Solar not nuklar.

If you are opposed to the nuclear industry and equally strongly supportive of the growing renewable energy industry, please give a vote or a preference to the Greens. As the Greens policy points out: “Jobs growth in Australia’s coal based electricity industry stalled in 1984 and has been in steep decline ever since – falling 60% to 1998. Meanwhile, jobs and investment in the hi-tech sustainable energy sector grew in double digit figures during each year of 1990s.”

Greenhouse gas emissions – global warming.

Civil liberties