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| Meetings of the St George Greens |
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All Greens members in the St George and adjacent areas are most welcome to attend our local group meetings.
Place: Shopfront Theatre, 88 Carlton Parade, Carlton (between High and Mill Streets)
Time: 7:30 pm on the first Tuesday of the month.
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| Greenhouse Effect / Global Warming / Climate Change |
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Greens members are invited to join the Climate Action Working Group, convened by Dr John Kaye, who also organises forums which give the latest on greenhouse effect, climate change, and what individuals, councils, state and federal governments can do to preserve our climate. For example we need to cut back on burning fossil fuels and develop alternative energy sources. This will eventually stem the trend to extreme climate events such as droughts and cyclones, which are becoming more frequent due to human pollution of the atmosphere. Development of alternative energy sources will improve the employment situation. Such developments are much more labour intensive than sourcing energy from coal and oil. For background technical information on greenhouse effect / global warming/ climate change see John Kaye's Averting Climate Chaos webpage. For a slide show of John’s talk see www.bronte.org.au/docs/jkghg.ppt. |
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Rockdale Coucillor Lesa de Leau has lodged a notice of motion to be voted on at a meeting on Wednesday evening concerning the future of St George Youth Services.
Cr de Leau has called on the council to withdraw a development application lodged on June 2 for demolition of 17-19 Bay St, Rockdale, which houses St George Youth Services, until alternative premises are available and programs are relocated.
Cr de Leau also recommended assistance be sought from state and federal ministers including Rockdale MP Frank Sartor to ensure services continue.
Rockdale Coucil signed the lease with St George Youth Services in 2000 for use of the first floor of the premises until "a new library was installed on that site".
St George Youth Services, a non-profit community organisation which provides free services to young people and families, received a notice from the council to vacate the premises by July 18.
Details: Rockdale Council meeting at 6.30pm, 2 Bryant Street (upstairs at Rockdale Library).
Meetings are open to the public.
This article appeared in St George and Sutherland Leader, Tuesday June 17, 2008
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This page gives a more detailed background to the issues surrounding electricity privatisation.
Read on or follow the links below to find out more about a specific topic:
* What is the NSW Government planning?
* Electricity privatisation is a greenhouse disaster
* Electricity privatisation is an economic and social disaster
* The baseload power myth
* The Greens' Solution
* How we got here: The Owen Inquiry Report
* More information
* Explanation of electricity industry terms
What is the NSW Government planning?
The NSW government has announced plans to sell power retailers Energy Australia, Integral Energy and Country Energy, and lease the state's power generators to the private sector.
The Iemma government claims that that the sell-off will provide up to $15 billion to the Government over 10 years. This figure does not take into account the loss of dividend payment (as part of the money from electricity bills is currently passed on to the government), because the new private owners would take all of the profits.
Premier Iemma has committed the funding from the power sale for a new metro rail system, road extensions and rural water initiatives, as well as $200 million for a Clean Energy Fund to fund renewable energy industries. To see the copies of media releases by the NSW Government promoting the sale visit the Owen Inquiry information page.
While The Greens support the development of public transport infrastructure and clean energy investment, the sell off of important public assets will see private companies, rather than the taxpayers, profiting in the long term. There are also dangerous environmental risks from allowing a private company to encourage people to use more energy, in order to make more money. In the end rising prices push the cost back onto the consumer. For more information about the problems with privatisation, scroll below.
Responding to some of the concerns raised by the union movement about job losses the government has committed to cash payouts for electricity workers and to security for worker's jobs over the first few years. These have been rejected by the union movement, as concerns remain particularly about the jobs in the energy retailers, where there is the threat that 30,000 Australian call centre jobs will be pushed offshore. For more information about the union campaign visit LaborNet or the United Services Union campaign page.
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NSW Premier Morris Iemma has announced his government's intention to sell NSW's electricity retailers and to lease the publicly-owned power stations. Electricity privatisation and the construction of a new baseload power station would be bad news for the community, the workforce, the economy and the environment.
Power lines at sunset 200x150The union movement, environmental groups and the community groups are strongly opposed to electricity privatisation.
The Greens areMt Piper power station committed to keeping the electricity industry in public hands and to exposing the myth that NSW needs a new baseload power station, and have been working with these groups on the campaign to stop the sale.
**STOP PRESS - Greens No Mandate No Privatisation Bill**
Before the election the Premier promised that he would not sell off the state's electricity industry.
After the election the Premier announced that he was going to privatise - and that he does even need legislation or a vote from the NSW Parliament to do it.
The Greens No Mandate No Privatisation Bill would require the government to bring forward legislation for a vote in Parliament before it could start selling off billions in electricity assets. To read more about the bill go to the No Mandate No Privatisation Campaign page.
Latest news:
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On 3rd May 2008 the ALP's own State Conference voted overwhelmingly to reject the sell-off plan - 702 votes to 107. This comes on top of a recent survey that show that 85% of people in NSW are opposed to electricity privatisation.
Despite this, Premier Iemma and his Treasurer Michael Costa have said they will ignore their own party and move ahead with the sale. Help keep the pressure on ALP Parliamentarians to do the right thing by sending a pre-written email message to members of the NSW Legislative Council ('Upper House') pointing out that the Premier has no mandate for this action and demanding they represent the people of NSW.
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April 2008 Greens release environmental economic analysis of privatisation by Professor Frank Stilwell. Click HERE for a copy of Prof Stilwell's paper.
* For all media about the campaign, see the Privatisation News page
* See photos of the Feb 26 rally outside Parliament, and a video clip of John at the rally
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Monday, 26 May 2008
Media release
Premier Morris Iemma's reputation as the leader who can deliver political funding reform is in tatters following the launch of possibly Labor's most extravagant fundraising program, Greens MP and donation spokesperson Lee Rhiannon said today.
"Labor's latest fundraising venture with some wealthy corporate donors paying up to $100,000 to access government ministers reveals that Premier Iemma lacks the conviction to introduce real donation reform," Ms Rhiannon said.
"If the Premier is sincere about political donation reform he should instruct the NSW Labor Party to cancel these events and to stop banking cheques from corporations and other organisations. "Much of the money raised at these lavish fundraising events will be used for Labor's 2008 local government elections.
"Weak disclosure laws mean we will not know who has donated until February 2009, long after the elections.
"Each Labor event in this latest fund raising program could bankroll a Labor local government campaign in a marginal council area.
"After all the bad news stories out of Wollongong these fund raising events send a clear message to developers that it is business as usual for Labor and their developer mates.
"With urban and coastal planning booming developers will be falling over themselves to buy a seat at the table of Planning Minister Frank Sartor.
"It is a betrayal of the expectations that Labor created following the Wollongong scandal when the Premier promised to introduce donation reform in time for this year's council elections.
"Mr Iemma has shown blatant contempt for the community by allowing this Labor fundraising spree to take place at this time.
"The Premier is so arrogant that he cannot perceive the hypocrisy of his actions and the community backlash his actions generate, " Ms Rhiannon said.
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Council meetings are held at 6pm on the first and third Wednesday of each month in the Council Chambers upstairs from the Library in the Rockdale Town Hall. Meetings are open to the public (except when confidential and/or sensitive legal or commercial matters are to be discussed). For more information see council info or contact Greens Councillor Lesa de Leau 0413581603.
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Rockdale Council has reduced the number of hours builders can work on weekends following the adoption of a notice of motion proposed by Greens Cr Lesa de Leau.
Builders in the Rockdale Council area will now have to finish working by 3pm on Saturdays, rather than 6.30pm as previously allowed.
The demolition or building of any building will continue to be restricted to the hours of 7am to 6.30pm from Monday to Friday and prohibited on Sundays and all public holidays.
Cr de Leau said she proposed the motion as a follow up to a Unions NSW and construction unions campaign.
"They are working with local communities to reduce the adverse impact of construction on neighbours and the public" Ms de Leau said.
Rockdale Council decided at its August 17 meeting that residents would be notified of the change by newsletter and in the mayoral column.
article from The St George and Sutherland Leader 25/08/05
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Greens Cr Leas de Leau, put forward a motion to ban donations from property developers to fund Rockdale concillors' election campaigns.
The motion was over-ruled by opposing councillors.
The article following was written by Amanda Carlin and appeared in St. George and Sutherland Shire Leader, Tuesday March 29 2005.
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In August 2004, Greens councillor, Lesa de Leau opposed the expenses policy for councillors, put forward and adopted by Rockdale Council.
On December 22nd 2004, The Department of Local Government issued a circular to all NSW councils, stating that during a review of some council’s expenses policies some issues were brought to the department’s attention. See the following story by Sarah Allely, St. George and Sutherland Leader 13th Jan 2005.
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So it’s official now! We have a draft plan for the Sydney Harbour Catchment. The significance of the harbour has apparently justified rules aimed at ensuring that it is “a public resource, owned by the public, to be protected for the public good”, with any development to be considered in the context the cumulative environmental impact.
An interesting irony, as the Legislative Council pauses in its consideration of the fate of Port Botany and our own Bay – suffering the cumulative impact of poisonous industries, the airport runways, and the Port -and as the NSW Government announces its plan to sacrifice more public land to satisfy its real estate plans for Cooks Cove.
Note: Letter to The Leader by local Greens member Soraya Kassim
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A poll this weekend told us that what most already knew:
Rather than small individual tax cuts, we want to see our money spent on ailing public services such as schools, hospitals and serious environmental programs.
That way everyone benefits. We could look forward to receiving quality health care based on medical need, not our capacity to pay. We would build better communities through adequately resourced public schools.
We would hand over a sustainable, healthy environment to future generations.
Note: Letter to The Leader by local Greens member and Rockdale councillor Lesa de Leau.
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Welcome to the St George Greens homepage!
| | Feel free to browse our website and look at what your local Greens are up to or have to say on issues regarding the St George area.
If you are a local member and would like an account for this site, please contact the St George Greens membership officer at webmaster@stgg.nsw.greens.org.au |
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· Greenhouse Effect / Global Warming / Climate Change
(Jul 06, 2007)
· Work Choices on Trial - Public Forum
(Jul 05, 2007)
· Green Candidates for NSW State Election
(Jan 06, 2007)
· Residents Against Rocky Point Rd Development
(Jan 06, 2007)
· Solution needs all our energy
(Oct 28, 2006)
· Greens try and limit Airport planning exemptions
(Aug 31, 2006)
· Oatley Supermarket Project on Unpopular Hit List
(Aug 24, 2006)
· $1BN PROJECT OPPOSED
(Aug 24, 2006)
· F6 Rumblings
(Aug 24, 2006)
· PORT BOTANY EXPANSION
(Aug 24, 2006)
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· Youth Service Threat
(Jun 17, 2008)
· Background to Electricity Privatisation
(Jun 13, 2008)
· Public Power not Private Profit
(Jun 13, 2008)
· Premier Iemma's reputation on political donation reform in tatters
(Jun 13, 2008)
· Greenhouse Effect / Global Warming / Climate Change
(Jul 06, 2007)
· Work Choices on Trial - Public Forum
(Jul 05, 2007)
· Green Candidates for NSW State Election
(Jan 06, 2007)
· Residents Against Rocky Point Rd Development
(Jan 06, 2007)
· Solution needs all our energy
(Oct 28, 2006)
· Rockdale Council Meeting Dates
(Oct 16, 2006)
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