High profile environmental lawyer to take on Beattie

Larissa Waters, Brisbane Central Greens candidate and public interest environmental lawyer, said neither Labor nor the Coalition were seriously addressing the basic environment issues confronting Queenslanders and Brisbane Central voters.

Top of her list of concerns for the area were urban water, public transport, climate change and sustainable economic and urban development.

"All of the major parties are committed to building huge dams which simply will not be ready in time - let alone full - by the time the people of Brisbane Central are in level four and level five water restrictions,'' Ms Waters said.

"Unless it rains in the next month this electorate will be in level four, just three weeks after polling day.

The only way to stop that is for the people of Brisbane Central to "Vote One'' Queensland Greens.

The Queensland Greens and Larissa Waters have pledged to scrap the $490 million the government is wasting on the Mary River and Wyaralong Dams.

Instead that they will pressure the government after September 9 - whether it is a Labor or Coalition government - to spend all that money on more rebates for better demand management, backyard greywater recycling systems and rainwater tanks.

Ms Waters said traffic had become a nightmare for Brisbane Central voters in recent years and neither Labor nor the Coalition had the answers. "Building more roads and tunnels will just make this mess even worse,'' she said.

"The Queensland Greens will work to ensure real money is put into making public transport more frequent and safer, including in Brisbane Central.'' With predictions of a winter heatwave to hit southeast Queensland next week, Ms Waters said climate change was now affecting everyone, including the people of Brisbane Central.

"This government and the Coalition are committed to more coal-fired power stations, more roads and more development which emits greenhouse gases,'' she said.

"Not only is this devastating our planet, it affects everyone - they are using more petrol running car air conditioners, and seeing their home electricity bills skyrocket because of fans and air conditioners.

"The Queensland Greens is the only party serious about tackling climate change - we will support renewable energy industries and energy efficiency. Queensland should be taking advantage of our enviable sunshine to power our homes and hot water heaters."

Larissa Waters, 29, is a solicitor with degrees in environmental science and law from Griffith University.

She is currently a public interest environmental lawyer with five years experience in the community sector. In that time she has helped draft tougher tree clearing laws, worked on the landmark court case to protect the Great Barrier Reef from the proposed Nathan Dam in central Queensland, advocated for better protection of the state's remaining pristine rivers and has written a proposal to protect the state's most important wetlands from damaging developments.

Larissa understands the needs of Brisbane Central voters, having grown up and lived in the inner-north Brisbane area for almost all of her life, and attended Kelvin Grove State High School graduating in 1993.

Contact Larissa Waters

Larissa Waters

larissa.waters@qld.greens.org.au