Gold Coast Greens

Thank you for getting in touch with me as the Greens Candidate for Forde. I am happy to respond to your enquiry regarding Greens policies for the area in relation to the Logan City Council sphere. All our detailed and insightful poilicies are available at www.greens.org.au for your further reference.

In acknowledgement of your references to the need for economic growth, along with the Greens in various positions of political representation, I would look forward to moving Forde towards a truly sustainable approach to managing the economy. Major economic change is inevitable within the next twenty years, whether it be a switch to a carbon-price base or to a steady state approach. With either approach, there is no doubt among progressive and informed economists that the only growth possible over the coming decades is ‘green growth’. At the very least, ‘green growth’ implies massive wealth creation potential through replacement industries alone.  It is imperative that Forde recognize this change as early as possible for us to take advantage of the opportunities around us right now, which poor government policy and quality of leadership have allowed to lie untouched for years.

I also acknowledge that the LCC will continue to experience high population growth and that much development is already in place for the coming decade and beyond. It is essential for human wellbeing, socially, physiologically, psychologically and economically that this physical growth and development is managed within the twin priorities of our era: protection of the natural environment and abating human induced climate change.

Unlike the major parties who have squandered the past three decades denying and then stalling on climate change and the natural environment, the Greens, who have always been ahead on these priority issues, are still way in front with positive solutions. Greens solutions will future-proof Forde and ensure not only that this region plays its part in the worldwide imperative of reducing carbon emissions, but that our residents and businesses thrive in the process.

As a Green, I would do my utmost at legislative level to strengthen biodiversity legislation to protect the valuable habitat, waterways and carbon sinks of Forde and ensure that further development would proceed according to genuine principles of sustainability. In parallel, I would implement a wide education program to promote domestic and commercial understanding that Forde is interconnectedly dependent on ecosystems both within and beyond its arbitrary boundaries, and of the urgency of protecting and regenerating these ecosystems to ensure the survival of our economy and way of life.

The Greens have always heeded the warnings and innovations of science; we take the threat of imminent total environmental collapse very seriously and are willing to lead our communities into the changes that must be made to preserve the future of our present generations.

In practical terms, I would promote and work to subsidise the creation of clean-energy related commerce, whether in small innovations such as bio-fuelled mini-van owners who supplement public transport linkages, to larger enterprises such as renewable energy production, sustainable construction material manufacture, or a vast range of zero-waste related businesses from bottle and can collection to roadwaste rare metals retrieval. Indeed, the raft of innovative measures being implemented  and researched around the world as every aspect of modern life is under revision to address the demands of a carbon-free future, will be brought before the people of Forde as opportunities for our area to stay ahead or at the very least abreast of change.

Domestically, I would work for state and federal recognition of the many approaches to reducing household expenditure on basics such as food, transport and energy, while actually improving lifestyle. These approaches include broad-based initiatives such as a carbon tax levy which would reduce pollution, and which would be used to subsidise public infrastructure and assist households with costs of living, or on a closer level, by promoting initiatives such as a gross feed-in tariff for clean energy supplied to the grid to provide both businesses and households with a supplementary income stream. I would also promote sustainable localized agricultural practices and community gardens to alleviate some fresh food costs from Forde suppliers and reduce food footprints to fulfill Forde’s global role in emissions reductions.

As a resident of the Forde locale of more than twenty years, I empathise with the frustration experienced over traffic congestion. While I fully agree that the Pacific Motorway has long been inadequate for handling the massive increase in traffic brought about by untrammeled population explosion, I can equally foresee far larger changes that must be made to deal with the overarching issues of people numbers and climate change mitigation. Like Forde’s tragic loss of native species, in particular the iconic koala that not very long ago was a common joy for our people, the stultifying of our waterways, the loss of so much green space, and the isolationism of our communities, the Motorway congestion is one of many symptoms of overpopulation which must be addressed in many areas of planning and with unequivocal focus on addressing climate change. There is little point in encumbering our present youth for decades with debt for infrastructure that will only alleviate congestion temporarily. Thus, as suggested in the SEQ Mayors’ Magnificent 7 initiative, in addition to widening the Pacific Motorway, which would be a five year solution at best, I would work to extend the Busway from Eight Mile Plains, but all the way to Beenleigh; all construction would be carried out according to world class sustainability codes, including recycled materials and pre-committed offsetting to reduce embodied energy issues, and a substantial fleet of responsibly bio-fuelled buses would be made available. In addition, I would promote light rail solutions, increased railway transport, electric vehicle support, footpaths and bikeways, community-connective overpasses, car-pooling support mechanisms and heavily subsidized public transport travel to address a range of community needs. A variety of long range, sustainable public transport connections would be put in place with corridors accessed by commuters throughout and adjacent to Forde. I would further investigate and set in place support initiatives among Forde businesses for work from home solutions, such as tele-commuting options and flexible working hours, the latter also going some way to addressing family care issues in our community. Such far-thinking, imaginative and inter-connected initiatives ensure that Forde can be future-proofed from radical changes in economic practices rendered by the worldwide move to pricing carbon, as well as reducing emissions, reducing the further destruction of vital natural habitat to make way for increasingly more roads, reducing road carnage, and reducing household and commercial dependence on extremely costly, dangerous vehicles in the era of peak oil.

In regard to the LCC Community Services and Infrastructure concerns, as a Green HoR Member and in accordance with Greens Education Policy, I would promote free tertiary education, and increased study assistance, as well as other subsidies which would remove some of the financial barriers to further education in Forde. I find the identification by the Council of specific gap areas of employment within local government a particularly impressive demonstration of LCC initiative and am happy to further commit to advocacy of the subsidized employment support and Traineeship/Cadetship Programs suggested. The Crawford Report recommendations as well as specific upgrades and construction of facilities such as aquatic and sports centres, and youth activity hubs referred to are also compatible with Greens Health policy which promotes preventive health care measures, and with Greens’ philosophy of fostering active, harmonious communities with safety a vital component of this vision; Greens also support mental health care and I would see Social Infrastructure Capital Funding as a necessary factor in addressing this issue. Programs such as BizConnect also dovetail efficiently with Greens’ promotion of clean energy jobs creation through new commerce.

It is clear from your requests for pre-election commitments from Forde candidates that the LCC is highly attuned to the physical and social infrastructure needs of its community. As a Green, and as a member of this community, however, I would welcome the opportunity to encourage and assist the Council to bring that same level of efficiency and awareness to the more global challenges of climate change and the natural environment which are already affecting LCC communities.

For example, in addition to the sustainability approaches I have already outlined, as an elected Federal representative, I would encourage LCC to future-proof Forde in relation to areas across the board of governance, such as public health climate change disease vector preparation, diverse water-yield issues, reviewing sustainability of local population numbers, increasing carbon sinks, and actively protecting waterways, implementing truly sustainable design construction, and establishing transition towns, to name a few vital actions.

Socially, I would nurture tolerance and inclusion within the community of Forde, whose diversity is its strength. I would ensure all sectors of Forde receive the direct and unbiased attention their elected representatives are employed to give, regardless of a constituent’s scale of power and influence, age, gender, culture, faith, special interest or any of the differences that so often divide us. I would work for a Forde community that understands the value of all to all.

Once again, thank you for giving me this opportunity to present some of my philosophies and policies to the Logan City Council and allow me to wish you all the best in your own vital service to the community.

Kind regards,

Petrina Maizey

Greens Candidate for Forde