March 29th, 2007
Congratulations to Clover Moore on her convincing win in Sydney. While the win was expected, Ms Moore increased her vote compared to the previous figures for Bligh by 2.5% with 12,785 votes.
Edward Mandla for the Liberals came second with 6,395 votes followed by Labor’s Linda Scott with 6,187 and The Greens with 4,740. Absentee and postal votes have yet to be counted and this will alter these numbers slightly.
This pattern is atypical of the result statewide and for nearby inner Sydney seats. The difference can be attributed to Clover Moore drawing more votes from Greens and Labor than from the Liberals.
The Upper House vote in Sydney, however, was a different story. The Greens won nine out of 24 booths and came second in another seven. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in NSW Government
March 23rd, 2007
The NSW Opposition cannot hope to win any credibility on the environment as long as the National Party continues to call for windbacks of land management practices, said Greens MLC Ian Cohen.
“The Labor government has let down the conservation movement in key areas of land management, leading to massive amounts of land clearing and destruction of threatened species. The Greens are the only viable opposition on this issue, as the Liberal/National Coalition would make the situation far worse.” Mr Cohen said.
“While the Greens work towards improving the government’s land management, the National Party threatens to take us back 50 years.
The Nationals have promised to:
- Reverse National parks in western NSW
- End sanctuaries zones in Marine Parks
- Send coastal rivers westwards with no consideration of environmental impacts
- Allow cattle to graze in National parks
- Allow commercial logging to be considered a routine agricultural management activity and not be subject to environmental regulation Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Environment, NSW Government
March 22nd, 2007
Following the filing of legal action against Fosters and the NSW Government over environmentally unsustainable plans for their old brewery site in Chippendale, Fosters has responded by refusing to meet the litigants and by airing claims about their own ‘commitment’ to sustainable development.
The Concept Plan approved by Planning Minister Frank Sartor allows up to 2,800 residents on the site plus 4,800 workers served by 2,320 parking spots, the equivalent of several small towns.
Yet this massive addition to Sydney will essentially be plugged in to the coal-fired power grid and connected to existing sewage and stormwater systems that overflow straight into Blackwattle Bay. It will generate up to 144,000 tonnes of greenhouse pollution and spew out 120 million litres of sewage per year. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Environment, Development
March 21st, 2007
Chris Harris has called on Clover Moore to return all the political donations she has received from developers.
The Australian newspaper today substantiated a previous story claiming that Ms Moore’s Lord Mayoral election campaign was largely funded by developers.
Ms Moore has been making political capital from a recent Lower House Bill proposing a ban on developer donations to political parties, triggering accusations of hypocrisy.
“In the light of this report, the only honourable course now open to Ms Moore is to identify and return all developer donations she has received either directly or indirectly,” said Cr Harris.
“Accepting large donations from developers is the principal failing of the major parties in NSW, and the state is not going to move ahead until this unethical era of politics is relegated to history. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Political Donations, NSW Government
March 21st, 2007
Dr Alex Wodak, Director of Drug and Alcohol Services at St Vincent’s Hospital, on ABC 702:
VIRGINIA TRIOLI (ABC 702 presenter): Do you think the Greens are on the right track here with their [drug] policy?
DR WODAK: Yes, I do. Yes I do… the plain fact is that, whether we like it or not, the war on drugs has failed, and failed miserably… [ABC 702 Mornings 15 March 2007]
Dr Fares Samara, MD, FAChAM (Fellow of the Australasian Chapter of Addictions Medicine): “As a specialist in this field, I wholeheartedly support the Green Party’s policy on drugs and congratulate them for their courage and honesty… And also urge the other parties to have the same courage and adopt harm minimisation policies without hesitation.” Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Health, NSW Government
