Five Green Senators and party status.

On July 1st, Sarah Hanson-Young (SA) [2nd from left, and below] and Scott Ludlam (WA) [2nd from right] joined Bob Brown (Tas), Rachel Siewert (WA) and Christine Milne (Tas) as the Greens senators in the Australian Parliament, and said good bye to outgoing NSW Senator Kerry Nettle [far left]. Five senators in Parliament means party status with entitlements to more support services and staff.

Scott Ludlam [below] took up his post as Western Australia's second active Greens senator on the fortieth birthday of the nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT). In a press release today, Scott wrote:

"The greenest chapter in our Senate's history begins today with five Greens representing Australians who voted for climate justice, clean energy, human rights and a sustainable economy," he said.  

"I am delighted to start this journey forty years to the day since the signing of the treaty that promised a nuclear weapon free world, and I look forward to adding my efforts to the new global push to eliminate these weapons.

"This is an exciting time to represent Green voters. We are polling 16% in Western Australia right now (Newspoll, 27 June 2008). This is occurring because the issues Greens have been campaigning on for decades are now at the forefront of public concern.   

With the climate sceptics out of the way, we have a real opportunity to focus on solutions.  I am convinced that we have the know-how and technology to provide long term clean energy in our cities and regions.

"Dealing with climate change and oil depletion is absolutely affordable when compared to military spending, which is currently consuming ten times more funding than Australia's climate adaptation budget.

"If we make changes now, climate change will have provided an opportunity for realising human security in a more just and peaceful world.

"I am honoured to represent Western Australia at this time.  Our state has provided some great policy makers that have advanced peace, environmental sustainability and social justice, and I look forward to playing a part in that proud history."

"Read this", says Christine Milne.

Science magazine has just released an entire issue on carbon and forests

Special Online Collection June 2008: Forests in Flux: http://www.sciencemag.org/forests/

In the 13 June 2008 issue, Science examines the future of the world's forests against a backdrop of climate change and intensifying human activity.

In Science (http://www.sciencemag.org/forests/#section_in-science), News reports take a look at how humans have reshaped wooded landscapes across the globe; a Review explains how forests influence climate through physical, chemical, and biological processes; and a series of Perspectives discuss studies of past forest change, predictive models of forest dynamics, and aspects of sustainable forest management.

In addition, Science Careers (http://www.sciencemag.org/forests/#section_in-science-careers) highlights careers in forest ecology, a special podcast (http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/320/5882/1513b) includes interviews about seed dispersal and tree resilience, growth of an ancient date seed, and rainforest diversity; and an online video presentation (http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/320/5882/1435b) discusses some of the challenges of global forest governance. (Text taken from the Science website).

Kenmore Bypass Community Forum

At a meeting on 12 June at Kenmore State High School, a large enthusiastic crowd, estimated at 400 people, considered alternatives ... to the proposed bypass road through a residential area of Kenmore.

West Brisbane Greens invited Ronan Lee MP and local comexternal-linkmunity groups to join joined in a new conversation on alternatives to redirecting cars as a means of relieving traffic congestion. Liberal member for Moggill, Dr Bruce Flegg MP and Councillor Margaret de Wit were invited but did not attend.

The audience strongly supported proposals to make public transport more viable, endorsing the view of one speaker that it is unacceptable that bus trips to popular destinations like the University of Queensland can take an hour.

Presentations were made by West Brisbane Greens member, Anne Gardiner (branch spokesperson) and Dr Philip Machanick, along with Ronan Lee MP, ALP state member for Indooroopilly, Save Our Suburbs Kenmore's Grant Muller and Bellbowrie Bridge campaigner Margaret Gross.

more

 If you weren't able to get to the meeting, you can view the YouTube video below

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Healthy Solar Electricity or Dirty Coal Business-as-usual?

We wish you strength, Premier Bligh, to invest in a sustainable energy future

With a blaze of publicity, Anna Bligh announced the Solar Bonus Scheme, which was widely applauded, to encourage private households to install solar photovoltaic cells.  The scheme involves a Feed-in Tariff of $0.44/kWh being paid for the excess electricity produced by the solar panels at any instant during which the household consumes less electricity than is being produced, with the excess being fed into the power grid. The cost of electricity from the grid is $0.15/kWh.

This model provides a low financial incentive for households to go solar because for a typical household, there will be very few times when solar electricity generation exceeds use, so the $0.44/kWh will not be paid.

A much better system is to pay the household $0.44/kWh for EVERY kWh generated; so-called "gross generation". The household then purchases all needed power from the grid. A gross generation Feed-in Tariff is a much stronger financial incentive for people to install solar power and to be energy efficient in their home. It encourages investment and has been used successfully in Germany, leading to wide-scale installation of private photovoltaic solar panels.

The Clean Energy Bill will probably be debated in Queensland Parliament this week. The Queensland Greens urge the government to adopt a gross generation tariff system.

The Greens support a sustainable renewable energy future, and encouraging householders to contribute to their own electricity production is a significant step forward. 

On the other hand, continuing to support the coal industry is very short-sighted.  Australia's 24 coal fired power stations pump out 170 million tonnes of carbon dioxide every year.  The greenhouse pollution produced by these power stations is the equivalent to the annual emissions from about 40 million cars and represents one third of Australia's greenhouse gas production.

This is a time to remind all Queensland Government MPs that they represent all of Queensland as well as future generations.  Before this becomes a 'done deal', send an email to your local representative.  Their contact details can be found here.

 to learn more

Local Council Election Result

Local councils across Queensland went to the polls on Saturday 15 March, 2008. The Queensland Greens stood candidates in 22 of the 26 Brisbane wards as well as a Lord Mayoral candidate, and mayoral candidates and two councillor candidates each in Ipswch and Townsville. Unfortunately, no Greens were elected despite the ardent efforts of the candidates and their campaign volunteers. If proportional representation had been in place, Brisbane would now have at least one Greens councillor.
Some results (all links are to district pages in the ECQ virtual tally room)

• Jo Bragg - Lord Mayor -  8.11% (40,542 votes, 9 candidates)

• Anne Boccabella - Central - 16.31%

• Angela Dean - Holland Park - 13.65%

• Sean McConnell - Tennyson - 14.20%

• Drew Hutton - The Gabba - 26.08

• Robert Hogg - The Gap - 16.21%

• Stuart Skabo - Toowong - 21.24%

• Daniel Crute - Walter Taylor - 14.58%

In Townsville, Jenny Stirling came third out of five with 7.50% of the Townsville Mayoral vote, while votes for the undivided Townsville council including Greens candidates Lindy Collins and Gail Hamilton, are still being counted.

In Ipswich, Peter Luxton came second out of three in the Ipswich Mayoral election with 11.21% of the vote. Ric Nattrass achieved over 25% of the vote in Division 3 against one other, while Paul Christison did well coming second out of three with 13.73% of the vote in Division 4.

On these figures, Queensland electors are asking for Greens representation. Our current single-member system in electorates, wards and divisions works against minor parties and minority representation. Let's continue the campaign for proportional representation in local councils and be ready to win in the next council elections on 24 March 2012.

Many thanks to candidates and our members and supporters who assisted during the campaign, and thank you to all voted 1 Greens!