Gold Coast Greens

Larissa Waters - Qld Greens' lead senate candidate - met members and Greens' supporters on 22 May at Main Beach and Mudgeeraba, to answer their questions on Greens' policies, talk about the election campaign and introduce herself.

Branch members set up "Vote 1 Greens" signs prominently around Southport Surf Life Saving Club and in the hub of Mudgeeraba, where Larissa was speaking.

Issues raised included a stronger population policy, jobs, the mining super tax, asylum seekers, whether the Greens were open to negotiation with the major parties or simply opposed to all the major parties' policies, sustainable economy and small business concerns and climate change.

Larissa assured the relaxed and informal gatherings, that climate change was going to be highlighted in the Greens' campaign as the Greens believe that climate change poses the greatest threat to our world in human history. She said that such a pending disaster requires urgent local, national and global action and the cost of addressing it now is far less than the cost of failing to do so. Furthermore Larissa pointed out that green jobs' opportunities were out there just waiting to be created, that protecting the climate is a job for everyone and that, under the Greens, greens jobs will be prioritised through training and the transfer of subsidies and government support, including funding for research and development, into energy efficiency and renewable energy.

The Gold Coast Greens claim that their campaign to not hand out How To Vote cards in Burleigh was a great success in saving paper as well as educating voters about how the optional preferential voting system actually works.

Greens candidate, Anja Light, says she spent election day moving between booths in the Burleigh area helping voters who were unsure about the optional preferential voting system.

“Booth workers from the other parties reported that up to 50% of people refused to accept How To Vote cards from any party in Burleigh this year, a significant decrease from previous elections. We are all sick and tired of the waste and the intimidation on election day, that the old parties in Australia have allowed to continue for so many years.”

“Everyone seemed to be in full agreement that it was ridiculous that we are still throwing away out tonnes of paper on election day when we could just simply have preference suggestions mounted on board inside the booths.”

“Labor winner for Burleigh, Christine Smith, has promised to lobby strongly for an end of the paper waste on election day. Lets hope that the old parties across the State and on a Federal level can be bi-partisan on this issue and finally deliver what the majority wants.”

Ms. Light says that not handing out HTV cards did not adversely impact her election result. “My result was pretty consistent with other results for the Greens on the Gold Coast. I would say the biggest adverse affect for the Greens this election was people not understanding the preferential voting system – that they do not waste their vote if they vote one Greens and that their second preference is counted again as a full value vote.”

Stephen Dalton, convener of the GC Greens and Candidate for Southport, says that this initiative will mean that more Greens candidates will lobby on this issue and use other methods to communicate any preference suggestions in future election campaigns across the state.

Dear Friends,

The major parties want you to think that the Greens are a Labor preference machine. They want you to believe that if you vote one the Greens, your preference will automatically go to Labor.

This is not true – YOU decide – not the Greens.

Check out these video and audio links to see how the system actually works:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULN_lSLVtL4&feature=channel_page
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nlz5PFEZ4II&feature=channel_page
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVBKwBhtQ_k&feature=channel_page

http://goldcoastgreens.org.au/

Please pass this information on as widely as you can.

Remember:

1. A political party DOES NOT direct preferences - YOU decide who you want to preference IF you wish to preference anyone else at all. Preferencing is merely a suggestion. All a political party or anyone can do is stand outside the polling booths on election day handing How To Vote cards (HTVs) to voters with information about the preferences they would like you to follow. In the past, the major parties have actually gone as far as pretending to be Greens and handed out their own HTVs trying to swing more preferences their way – they will probably do this again tomorrow.

2. A Greens vote is NOT a wasted vote. If the Greens do not achieve more than 50% of the count, your next preference will be counted – allowing you, in effect, to DOUBLE your vote. In fact, you could put all the minor parties and independents ahead of your major party of choice and the flow would still probably go on to that party. This sends a strong message to the old parties. Voting the Greens number 2 does nothing to influence ‘politics as usual’.

The Greens are trying to change this system and lobbying for proportional representation system in politics. Until then – know that it is your right to just say NO to any HTV card you are handed on Saturday and make your own mind up in the polling booth.

Anja answers questions for Sea FM crew whilst on the Big Drop at Dream World.

Hit the play button on the audio player above to listen. If you can't see the player - the audio is also available for mp3 download here

Greens candidate takes stand on election waste

Anja Light, Greens candidate for Burleigh, says she refuses to hand out How to Vote (HTV) cards in her electorate on Saturday, calling it a waste of paper, a waste of tax payers money and a waste of time. She claims that people are sick of battling the scrum at polling booths on election day and its time that someone take a stand on this issue.

“Labor and the LNP could have changed this years ago, but they seem happy to let the waste continue. I am calling on all candidates from the major parties to pledge that they will take action on this issue if elected.”

“I have listened to people complain of feeling intimidated on election day and feeling disgusted at the waste. There is a very simple solution to this issue - HTV information displayed on a single board inside the polling booth - like it is in many European countries. Instead of handing out paper I plan to display preference information for the Burleigh electorate on a board outside the booth. The Greens are a democratically run party and support their candidates in taking action like this. ”

Said Ms. Light.

The Greens will be handing out HTV’s in some other electorates on the Gold Coast but caution voters to be wary of bogus HTV cards produced by major parties to try to swing more preferences their way.

Segment on Inge on Nine NBN News on Wednesday