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From Friday, the Do you support the Greens' push for a dramatic rethink on drug policy? poll in The Age finished up at 67% yes, 33% no.
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Join the Facebook Group: Include Greens Leader Bob Brown in Federal Election Leaders Debates
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Major news today is the ALP attack on The Greens for the failure of the ETS. See specifically 2 stories below which are online. This story is in print and online but doesn't appear to be being discussed on talkback so far. You may wish to write to a Letter to Editors on this issue.
Key points to include:* The Greens have long campaigned for an emissions trading scheme or carbon tax to put a price on pollution and help transform Australia into a flourishing, clean, healthy, zero carbon economy.
* But when taking on the climate crisis, The Greens policy is not just to do something, but to do the right thing. Bad policy design can make the problem worse.
* That is why the Greens could not support the Rudd government's CPRS when the government refused to accept any of The Greens sensible amendments that would have turned the bill from a barrier to action into at least a
small step in the right direction.
* The government refused to negotiate with The Greens on this policy despite The Greens years of commitment to introducing an ETS.
* Even after the government has dropped climate action, we have still been working hard to implement our compromise proposal of a carbon levy to start as soon as possible.
For more information visit The Greens ETS and carbon levy info hub:
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Labor ministers launch Kevin Rudd defence
"The Australian Greens are polling at record highs and are a chance to take some Lower House seats from Labor, including Mr Tanner's. With that in mind, Labor has attacked the Greens over climate change, blaming them for the ETS delay. The Greens helped vote down the ETS last last year, saying it was not green enough. It was a version of the ETS which had been negotiated between Labor and the Liberals, although the Liberals voted "no". The Greens were not involved in the negotiations. Mr Albanese criticised the Greens for their "purity". "I will certainly be pointing out that, with the (ETS), the actions of the Greens highlighted their weakness ... Purity in politics sometimes leads to very bad outcomes." But Greens leader Bob Brown said Labor had only itself to blame for the ETS' failure. He said Mr Rudd had refused to negotiate with the Greens, turning instead to the Liberals, which he described as a serious misjudgment."
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Parties point fingers over shelved climate scheme
The Federal Government and the Greens are arguing over who is to blame for the failure of the emissions trading scheme (ETS) legislation. The decision to shelve the ETS has coincided with a dip in the polls for Labor and a lift for the Greens. But Labor MPs say they will use the election campaign to remind voters that Australia could have had an ETS in place if the Greens had supported the Government late last year. Government frontbencher Anthony Albanese says the Greens need to be held to account for their role in blocking the legislation late last year. Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young says the Government could have negotiated a deal with the Greens, but chose not to. "If Kevin Rudd was serious about tackling climate change, why has he not met with Bob Brown?" she said. "Why has he refused to negotiate with the Greens? This is a Government that has made mistake after mistake, backflip after backflip, and they don't want to wear the consequences or take any responsibility." In his Deakin Lecture on Saturday night, the former opposition leader Malcolm Turnbull said Prime Minister Kevin Rudd had shown a lack of courage by shelving his emissions trading scheme. "Right now we have every resource available to us to meet the challenge of climate change except for one, and that is leadership," Mr Turnbull said. "Our efforts to deal with climate change have been betrayed by a lack of leadership - a political cowardice - the likes of which I have never seen in my lifetime."
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Get political, Greens founder urges party fundamentalists
"The Greens must act more like a political party than the ''conscience of government'' if they want to make the most of the swing against the major parties,..."
You may like to comment on this story at the Brisbane Times by following the above link. Some thoughts for you to consider in your comment:
* The time has come for the Australian Greens to be included in leaders’ debates, to give all Australians the opportunity to hear the Greens alternative vision for Australia for themselves.
* Voters are coming to the Greens because of the policies and solutions put forward and the proven record of the five Greens Senators in the federal Parliament.
* The Greens offer a constructive and responsible alternative to the old parties and a commitment to outcomes to the community, not opposition for opposition’s sake.
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Bare-bones Greens growing from grassroots
"People are very interested in politics - but politics isn't often interested in them. So the more you can do to create ways for people to feel engaged in the political process, the better it is for everybody. Our approach reflects that.'' ".. if you look at places such as the ACT or Tasmania [where the Greens have entered into shared governance arrangements], we've shown we can handle it. We just need the voters to give us the power to prove that.''
You may wish to post a link to this article on your website or blog. Or you could Tweet it!
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A wider, Greener land, as party support base broadens
"As the party transforms from the fringe dweller of Australian politics into a genuine third political force, taking up space once occupied by the Australian Democrats, its support base has also broadened. It's not just their green credentials that are attracting voters: stances on asylum seekers and foreign policy are also resonating."
Another article well worth spreading. You may wish to post a link to this article on your website or blog. Or you could Tweet it! You may also like to write to the editors of the Courier Mail suggesting that as Greens support is clearly growing across the country, wouldn't it be good for the Courier Mail to write about how this could affect Queensland.
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Letters to the Editor: Remember to personalise your email as much as possible. Start by referring to the issue you are highlighting and explain how it affects you personally.
Courier Mail
Letters to Editor: crutcherm@qnp.newsltd.com.au
Deputy Ed: gibbonss@qnp.newsltd.com.au
P: 1300 30 40 20
F: 07 3666 6690
The Australian QLD
Letters to Editor: letters@theaustralian.com.au
P: 07 3666 7465
F: 07 3666 7499
2 comments:
This piece was in the Courier-Mail today (slightly longer in the paper version I think)
http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/greens-begin-poll-blitz-to-save-forests/story-e6freon6-1225879175967
Dear Editor
I am surprised at the venom in some of the commentary on the Greens. The feeling seems to be that the Greens can afford to be "pure" and "sanctimonious" because they don't have anything politically to lose. However surely that is the point. Unless Greens policies on real issues are heard and debated will they ever really have anything to lose? Current polls show up to one in six Australians are keen to hear more, so shouldn't the national media listen to those voices? There is more to real democracy than the (largely similar) views of the two major parties. The Prime Minister may refuse to hear from Green senators but it doesn't give you an excuse. Go on, step up.
Yours sincerely
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