Category: Sustainable Settlement and Agriculture

“I guess every party’s doing everything that they can at the moment to try and put themselves in a better position.”

The Labor Party campaign has made no secret it is pouring resources into the group of newly enfranchised Australians.

The ALP warns its candidates in the marginal seats are hunting down every last vote before Saturday.

Targeting marginal seats

Newspoll’s Martin O’Shannessy is not surprised.

“I think the parties would be very interested in these voters, especially if they happen to be in marginal seats,” he said.

“Urban Melbourne would be a very important area for voters who are essentially mostly virgins; that is they have not voted before.

“If you think that 100,000 of them spread over 150 electorates there’s about 750 per electorate; it doesn’t sound like a lot but there’ll be electorates that move on one and two-point swings and we’re talking very fine margins out there in the marginals.”

Mr O’Shannessy says in this election an even greater percentage of voters will leave their decision right up to the last moment.

“By this time in 2007 about 70 per cent of people felt that this was the only party that they were going to vote for,” he said.

“The balance, not many of them were thinking that another option was possible.

“At the moment, we’re 10 points below that; the concern for the Government will be that a lot of that is within Labor voters, so concern that people haven’t locked in.

“Now that does mean that things can change late and it’s certainly making it devilishly difficult for us pollsters to have a nice clear-cut answer before the election.”

Tags: community-and-society, youth-issues, government-and-politics, elections, electoral-system, political-parties, labor-party, federal-elections, australia

First posted 3 hours 25 minutes ago

Why vote Green this election?

Here’s why.  And if you like the answers, pass them on – because you’re far more influential among your friends, family and colleagues than any amount of political advertising.  Please post this email to your Facebook page, share it, forward it and feel free to add a few reasons of your own.

Top 10 Reasons to Vote Green this Saturday

1.     The Greens stand up for what’s right, not just what’s easy. Whether it’s protecting the environment, introducing universal dental care, opposing the war in Iraq or advocating for refugees to be treated humanely, the Greens are driven by values, not polls.

2.     It’s the Party everyone’s heading to. The Greens are the third largest political party in Australia, with five national Senators, 22 State MPs and more than 100 local Greens councillors already playing a positive and constructive role across Australia. More than a million Australians voted Green in 2007, and we’re the fastest-growing party in the country.

3.     Break the deadlock in the Senate between the Government and the Opposition. Last time the Government of the day also got control of the Senate, we got WorkChoices. Or, Tony Abbott’s Coalition could easily win control of the Senate, which would deliver Australians nothing but three years of deadlock. We deserve a Senate that will work for us and deliver strong, sensible action – not just spin.

4.     Provide future generations with clean air, clean water and a stable climate. The Greens will tackle climate change by putting a price on carbon for big polluters in the next term of government. It’s time we created new clean energy jobs and started investing in the economy of the future.

5.     Make legislation better. When the Coalition tried to block the stimulus package that kept Australia out of recession, the Greens passed it with added environmental and small business benefits. The Greens will do the same thing to improve the mining super profits tax.

6.     The Greens have vision. When Bob Brown first spoke to the Senate about climate change 14 years ago, his Labor and Liberal colleagues actually laughed at him. Now the Greens are the only party working to end all forms of legal discrimination against Australians based on sexuality. The Greens focus on what’s right for the next generation, not just the next election cycle.

7.     An environmental party. The Greens have always worked to protect Australia’s magnificent natural environment for future generations – whether that’s protecting our native forests and their wildlife, or our pristine beaches and marine ecosystems. 

8.     An environmental party and much, much more. The Greens stand for much more than just cutting carbon pollution, securing our water supplies and protecting our environment. Think better public schools, more funding for hospitals and fixing our broken mental health system. The Greens also drive great new ideas, like building high-speed rail between Australia’s major cities, which is now gaining momentum but would never have gotten up otherwise.   

9.     For a more powerful vote. Another Labor or Liberal candidate will just vote the way they’re told. With the Greens, every vote is a conscience vote. If you’re disappointed with Labor but don’t want Tony Abbott, you can send a powerful message to Julia Gillard. And if your Greens candidate doesn’t win, your vote will simply go to the next candidate of your choice at full value.

10.  Bob Brown. A genuinely decent politician and the most experienced party leader in Parliament.  

Together, we can let everyone know that this Saturday, the voters of Australia do have a choice, and who we vote for matters.

Thank you for spreading the word by forwarding this to friends, posting it to your Facebook page or Twitter account,

Ebony Bennett
National Campaign Coordinator
Australian Greens

PS. In the final week of the campaign, Tony Abbott is busy telling voters that “our whole standard of living is under challenge” if the Greens are elected and now even the fishing industry has joined the attacks. They’ve announced they’ll spend $180,000 on ads attacking the Greens’ sustainable fisheries policy. Please spread this email and donate to the campaign here to help fight back and power the Greens’ positive message. 

PPS. You can read Bob’s Address to the National Press Club here or see a short video of Bob Brown outlining key Greens policies here.

If the agreement is approved by the commission, the it will then be put to the prime minister of the day before it faces a vote of EL and APS staff.

A source familiar with the negotiations described senior management’s approach as effectively a “declaration of war” on mid-level and junior staff.

The source said they had written to Julia Gillard’s chief of staff Amanda Lampe nine days ago, calling for her to intervene in the dispute, but to no avail.

Documents obtained by Capital Circle highlight staff concerns about pay and conditions, which include:

That the 3 per cent pay rise on the table is being delivered by an “erosion in conditions”;

Senior executive staff (SES) numbers have been increased since July 2008 at the expense of APS and EL staff;

Management has ignored guidelines on time off in lieu, refused to turn departmental guidelines into policy and refused to bring lieu entitlements into line with Department of Treasury and Finance practice;

That management commenced pay negotiations late and has tried to force through a deal, allowing only seven weeks for negotiations and;

That new pay structures were proposed halfway through negotiations that would see existing staff paid less than staff hired after October 1, when the new agreement would come into effect.

The departmental source told Capital Circle that “PM&C staff have toiled relentlessly for the Rudd/Gillard government, often with little thanks; the EL staff bearing the brunt of the long and arduous hours of policy coordination and development”.

“Management have treated the hardest-working non-SES staff with the utmost contempt; their bargaining tactics are neither fair nor honest.”

The source suggested that departmental staff are particularly concerned about the proposed new pay grades, which could foreshadow new service-wide pay grades being introduced from July 1 next year.

However, other sources familiar with the negotiations have hosed down this this speculation.

Somewhere between 80 and 90 per cent of all public service employment agreements expire mid-2011.

The blueprint for reform of the public service, led by Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet boss Terry Moran and released in March this year, is also due to come into effect in the middle of next year.

Comment has been sought from the department. Ms Lampe declined to comment.