• Affordable housing

• Education and schools

• Climate change and environment

        - Climate change and policy response

        - Public transport

        - Water and other environmental issues

        - Proposed power station in Tuggeranong

        - Plastic Bag Challenge

        - Container Deposit Legislation

• Ethical investment

• Airport Expansion

• Civil Unions

• Molonglo development

Affordable housing

• More than 5,000 Canberra residents experience homelessness each year

• The ACT is one of the of the most expensive rental jurisdictions in the country

• The ACT Government's strategy focuses too heavily on deferring stamp duty and land availability, as opposed to low-income earners in the private market

• Links

3 June       ABC News - Caravan residents need greater protection: Foskey

• Media releases:

11 Aug        Where is the public housing?

7 Aug          Land tax could ease affordable housing woes

Education and schools

• The ACT Government's Towards 2020 plan has seen schools across the ACT face closure

• As a result, the ACT has fewer teachers, and teachers have heavier workloads

• Dr Foskey and the ACT Greens regard education as an important part of responding to the skills shortage, investing in productivity and bettering our communities

• Media releases:

24 June        Consultations again

2 April          Towards 2020 no solution

1 April          Lyons School - where's the plan?

25 March       Teaching languages still a long way off

13 February   Languages

4 February     Education policy fails kids

16 November Skills shortages need smart growth

2 November   Teachers deserve full marks

18 May         Greens give schools sites consultation plan a B-

Climate change and environment

Climate change and policy response

• The ACT Greens and Australian Greens believe government should aim to restrict global warming to 2degrees

• Dr Foskey has called on the government to develop a more comprehensive response to climate change for the ACT, encompassing energy efficiency measures, industry regulation, feed-in laws, government rebates on green energy, renewable energy investment and a robust public transport system for Canberra

• Dr Foskey welcomed initiatives in the government's climate strategy, describing them as a step in the right direction.

• However, Dr Foskey and the ACT Greens believe that the government's targets are inadequate

• Deb and Indra, on behalf of the ACT Greens have made a submission to the Feed-In Tariff discussion. The following is an excerpt from this submission:

  "...The Greens want to ensure that the feed-in tariff does not impact negatively on low-income earners. The main concern is that ACTEW will raise the base rate of electricity costs equally, across the board to cover the additional costs. We suggest that to solve this problem, as well as providing an incentive for householders and businesses to lower their energy use, varying rates should be introduced – a lower rate for low consumption, and higher rates for higher consumption. This is already done for water to some extent, whereby when people use more than a certain amount, “excess water” is charged at a higher rate.

  If the varying rate system is not introduced, then low-income households should be exempt from price increases. We are aware that the concessions are in the process of being reviewed, and should be extended to include more types of low-income households..."

  The full submission can be accessed here: ACT Greens Feed In Tariff Submission

  Editorial in the Canberra Times - Monday 26th May "Politicians put climate change through greenwash spin cycle"

  Canberra Times: Assembly puts solar power incentive on slow burner

   

• Media releases:

20 Aug          Time to act on waste

19 Aug          Low emission slow admission

8 Aug            GGAS a lot of hot air

16 July          Green paper - not green

3 July            ACT to lead Australia.. or not

5 June           Canberra can have an energy plan

3 June           It wouldn't happen to the coal industry

23 May          Energy policy missing

7 May            Feed-in made fairer

9 April           Feed-in laws welcome

28 February    Earth Hour - a wake up call

15 February    Molonglo lights will dim Earth Hour

15 February    Invest windfall in sustainable Canberra 

21 November  Energy Efficiency - Tenants need to know too

14 November  Feed in tariff laws a positive step

13 November  No reductions from the Government’s Greenhouse Bill

2 November   The government will get the energy savings back anyway!

30 October    Today’s five star homes will be tomorrow’s energy intensive houses

19 September It’s not an abatement scheme if it won’t reduce emissions!

6 August        Generous rebates one side of the energy equation

Public Transport

• The ACT Greens want to see the ACT develop a robust public transport system as part of a climate change strategy and to service ACT residents

• Dr Foskey and the ACT would the like the ACT Government to work planning authorities and the Federal Government to establish a light weight rail system in the ACT

• Media releases:

7 Aug          Greens leadership pays dividends

24 July         Me too, says Chief Minister

17 July         "The Way Forward" on transport

9 July           Stanhope on board light rail

26 June        New approach to transport needed

29 May         Transport too slow

18 March       Fast enough train the better option

5 November   The answer to traffic problems is buses and trains not cars!

18 October    Public Transport is a key part of anti poverty strategy!

27 August     Walkable city needed

Water and other environmental issues

• The ACT Greens believe that the government should focus on water efficiency and take water scarcity into account in planning and policy issues

• Dr Foskey has called on Chief Minister Jon Stanhope to introduce sustainability legislation

• Dr Foskey is moving amendments to the Domestic Animals Bill 2007 to strengthen the requirements for desexing pets

• Dr Foskey has called for an inquiry into the ACT's native grasslands to preserve endangered species

• The ACT Greens have campaigned strongly for animal welfare, particularly in relation to battery egg production

• Media releases:

7 August        No comment on No Waste

5 August        Water inquiry stagnates

3 July            Big picture needed for the Murray Darling

20 June         Water management: not bound by borders

13 May          Murray Darling Basin: Water forum

7 May            Container deposit scheme for the ACT

1 April           Politics costing endangered species

17 December  Lawns today Stage 4 tomorrow

30 November  Grasslands enquiry a positive step forward

26 November  Election sends Greens message to ACT Government

8 November    Walking and cycling to school cheaper than PE teachers

24 October     Greens push for inquiry into native grasslands in the ACT

23 October     Demand and supply – it’s a two sided equation

22 October     Surviving the long dry

28 September Sustainability success – community concern

26 September We want the best outcome for layer hens

25 September Government to allow Battery Cages

20 September Banning Battery Cages

Proposed Power Station in Tuggeranong

• Dr Foskey has been calling on the ACT Government to respond to community concern by releasing all information about the health and environmental impacts of the proposal.

• On 7th May Deb raised a motion in the Assembly to discuss the impact of the proposal on the community and the environment.

• Deb's speech on the Motion of No Confidence in the Chief Minister

• The Public Accounts Committee called for Auditor General inquiry into “The proposal to locate a gas-fired power station and data centre at Block 1610, District of Tuggeranong”

       28 July         Public Accounts Committee media release

       1 Aug          Auditor General to inquire into power station & data centre

• Media releases:

       20 Aug          Poor directions

       6 Aug            Kicking and Screaming

       17 July          Regaining trust

       17 June         ACTEW shareholders on the ball?

       17 June         Labor learning slowly

       27 May          ActewAGL's unfortunate sequence of events

       27 May          Power stations elsewhere have to work harder

       23 May          EIS for power station

       19 May          Government missing in action

       17 May          Power station - time for a plan

       15 May          Power station - time to put all options on the table

       7 May            Power plant in spotlight

• Media comment:

       16 May 08 ABC News - Power station consultation flawed: Foskey

• Links:

       www.canberrapowerstation.info

       www.canberratechnologycity.com.au

       www.actpla.act.gov.au

Plastic Bag Challenge

As a contribution to Clean Up Australia Day Deb has issued an invitation to join the plastic bag challenge. The challenge is a way to monitor how long you can last without accepting a plastic bag. Once you register to the website you are counted as accepting the challenge, and you are then able to access a forum to let others know how long you've lasted and to discuss how successful you are at saying "no thanks" to shop assistants and reducing that pile in your cupboards.

• Site: www.act.greens.org.au/plasticbags/

The image below depicts 60,000 plastic bags, the number used in the US every five seconds.

This image, and others, can be found at www.chrisjordan.com

Container Deposit Legislation

• Deb has introduced a bill to the Assembly to introduce a container deposit scheme to the ACT

• Links & Info

       Deb's Tabling Speech

       The Bill

       Boomerang Alliance Common Sense Approach CDL Briefing Paper

       Boomerang Alliance National CDS Model and Analysis May 08

• Media Releases

       7 May        Container deposit scheme for the ACT

Ethical investment

• Dr Foskey has led a push in the assembly for the ACT government to adopt ethical investment

• Media links:

27 June      ABC News: ACT Government adopts UN investment ethics

• Media releases:

18 March     Time for action

24 January   Egg Procurement

18 October   Govt sees Green light on ethical investment