Queensland local government

Media release by Tristan Peach, Greens Candidate for Hamilton Ward

22 February 2008

Labor and Liberal plans to bulldoze a beautiful stand of mature hoop pines and gums at the eastern end of Kalinga Park are unacceptable and unnecessary, says Green Candidate for Hamilton Ward, Tristan Peach.

The trees are a stunning feature of the area, provide shade for park users, habitat for wildlife and are an excellent carbon sink for North Brisbane. The trees are in the section of park next to the intersection of Sandgate Road and the East-West Arterial.

They are to be cleared to make way for a road tunnel that will destroy communities, increase carbon emissions and add to congestion.

Mr Peach has previously organised a petition to save the park and helped write a submission on the Airport Link impact statement, both of which were ignored by Council and the State.

“These trees are part of the area’s heritage and are highly valued by the community. I am the only candidate who is working to save them, while the other two candidates support their destruction” said Mr Peach.

“I am promoting a solution for North Brisbane that will address transport issues as well as preserve our valuable natural environment,” said Mr Peach.

The Greens’ transport plan for North Brisbane includes light rail along Lutwyche/Gympie Road, improved cross-city bus services and better cycling and walking options. It was released in September 2007.

“People in Hamilton Ward have a clear choice: they can vote Green for a cost-effective transport solution that won’t destroy the park, or they can vote Liberal/Labor for a transport project that will destroy the park and increase congestion on the East-West Arterial, Stafford Road, Gympie Road, Newmarket Road and various local streets,” said Mr Peach.

Kalinga Park is not the only natural area that will suffer – trees and green space along Kedron Brook (behind Kedron State High School) will also be bulldozed to make way for Airport Link.

Contact: Tristan Peach 0416 478 615 hamilton |AT| qld greens org au www.greenupbrisbane.net

Townsville City Council Elections: Presenting ‘Community Voices’

Media Release, Tuesday 29 January 08

Today Greens Mayoral candidate, Jenny Stirling unveils her team ‘Community Voices’ at the Palmetum at 12.50pm Tuesday 29th January in a bid to win office in the local government elections in Townsville.

"This is an historic day for Townsville. For the first time, a group composed of Independents and Greens have come together to form a team to contest the Council elections. We are striving to grow a safer, more inclusive and sustainable city" Jenny Stirling said.

The team is comprised of:

Jenny Stirling	Social Justice Worker, Tutor JCU, NQ Greens Spokesperson, PhD Student JCU
Gail Hamilton	Environmental Manager; Breastfeeding Community educator
Peter Hanley	Engineer, Teacher, Tutor (JCU), QLD President Amnesty; community activist
Sam Reuben	Manager Indigenous Community Development organisation; Football Coach
Lindy Collins	Teacher, Artist, Community Spokesperson (BURP)
Dave Robinson	President Wulguru Soccer Club; Human Service Worker
Garth Brimelow	Disability and Aged Care Advocate
Peter Newey	Electrician and Small Business owner
John Waszkiewicz	Sports coach, PE teacher and Small Business Operator
Dr. Dianne Rogers	Community Educator & Professional Supervisor, Researcher, Tutor & Teacher JCU & TAFE
Nigel Sim	Electrical engineer, PhD Student JCU

"We are standing in this election because we think that bad things happen when good people stand by and do nothing. So we are very hopeful that the good people of Townsville will take this opportunity to make the changes needed in Council to secure a better future for themselves and their children" said Ms Stirling.

Contact: Jenny Stirling 04 170 123 11 or 47290226

Visit the Community Voices web-site at www.townsvillecommunityvoices.org. Media releases to be found here.

Queensland Greens Media Release - 13 September 2007

Australian Greens lead Senate candidate for Queensland Larissa Waters will today meet Douglas Shire Council Mayor Mike Berwick to discuss how the Greens can help to overturn the decision to amalgamate local Councils.

"The Greens strongly oppose the forced amalgamations of Queensland Councils and the hubris of Peter Beattie in gagging local Councils from conducting polls of their residents on amalgamations," Ms Waters said.

"Political pressure from determined Queenslanders forced Peter Beattie to back down on prohibiting polls, and soon the Australian Electoral Commission will be empowered to conduct polls on the amalgamations, on a date to be determined.

"I call on Premier Anna Bligh to listen to the results of all polls held on amalgamations, and to reverse the decision to amalgamate if the majority of the area?s residents do not want it.

"This is democracy at its most basic level and will be a real test of the style of leadership we can expect from Anna Bligh.

"Queenslanders were outraged by the gradual erosion of their participation rights under Peter Beattie ? from restrictions on accessing information under FOI, to special legislation to fast track projects without community consultation, to the final straw of not having a say on amalgamations.

"It's time for people to regain confidence in our system of government by knowing that their rights to speak out are protected, and that their voice will be heard. Voters don?t elect people to silence and ignore them, but to represent them," concluded Ms Waters.

Like Noosa Mayor Bob Abbott, Douglas Shire Mayor Mike Berwick has strongly opposed the opposed the amalgamation of Douglas Shire with Cairns City Council, which does not share Douglas Shire?s strong environmental protections.

Queensland Parliament passed legislation on 9 August 2007 to adopt the amalgamations recommended by the Local Government Reform Commission. Legislative amendments in Queensland Parliament would be required to overturn the Council amalgamations.

Premier Bligh has Labor's numbers in the Queensland Parliament to pass any such amendment and could easily do so before the new boundaries come into effect after the 15 March 2008 local government elections.

Media Release

Thursday 16 August 2007

The Coalition Government has exposed its hypocrisy on council amalgamations with its current attack on the Queensland Government according to Independent Member for Calare, Peter Andren.

"When I took a delegation of local mayors to Canberra several years ago to see then Local Government Minister Wilson Tuckey, he was enthusiastic about the need for mergers of councils," Mr Andren said.

"Evans, Oberon and Bathurst Councils were then facing amalgamation and he voiced strong support for amalgamations in the interests of better council management.

"Both Liberal and Labor Governments have never backed away from such policy.

"The Prime Minister talks of giving people a say in the process. How come the limited public input into the recent federal electorate boundary changes was largely ignored, especially from people strongly opposed to the ridiculous boundaries for the new Calare?

"There are no referendums for state or federal boundary changes, why the concern over local government boundaries determined by the same commission process?

"This is pure unadulterated election year populism from a government that is philosophically at one with any state labor Government in wanting to wind down local government to a more politically controllable entity.

"I personally oppose council amalgamations unless there are overwhelming financial reasons that will benefit ratepayers. But the major parties are as one in their desire to reduce local people power.

"Wilson Tuckey proved that when he was federal Minister for Regional Services, Territories and Local Government," Mr Andren said.

Queensland Premier Peter Beattie and his Local Government Minister Andrew Fraser have forgotten the meaning of the word 'democracy'. Mayors who consult with their own constituents over the question of the abolition of their local governments face instant dismissal. These provisions were added to the legislation, which forces many Queensland local councils to amalgamate with neighbouring councils, at the last minute when the legislation was rushed through in the early hours of Friday 10 August.

At least two councillors intend to defy these laws and proceed with these ballots nonetheless. These include Mayor Donna Stewart of Warroo shire and Mayor John Brent of Boonah Shire. Both Boonah and Warroo shires are to be abolished under the Queensland local government 'reforms'.

According to Brisbane's (pro-amalgamation) Courier Mail newspaper of 11 August:

A DEFIANT southwest Queensland council is poised to become the first sacked for organising a vote under tough new amalgamation laws.

Warroo Shire Council, which will merge with four other councils around Roma under the reforms, has indicated it will count votes already received from a survey at a meeting on Tuesday.

"It's a survey, but I'm willing to take the consequences regardless," Mayor Donna Stewart said.

"This is an attack on the democratic right of the people to have a say."

Housing minister Andrew Fraser has taken his extraordinary threats against the people of Queensland one step further by threatening to dismiss councillors who count votes for ballots that have already been sent out. The Courier Mail reported:

But the State Government warned councils not to proceed with any counting, even if survey ballots had been sent out. A dozen councils, including Tambo and Ilfracombe, are pressing ahead with the referendums.

Local Government Minister Andrew Fraser was not impressed, warning any counting or collating would attract instant dismissal.

"Obviously, they can't stop the mail arriving but they need to take no further action that proceeds with the poll in any way," Mr Fraser said.

Please send messages of support for Boonah Shire Mayor John Brent to mayor|AT|boonah qld gov au and for Warroo Shire Mayor Donna Stewart to donna_s1|AT|bigpond com and let Andrew Fraser and Peter Beattie know of your objections to their dicatatorial behaviour. Their e-mail addresses are respectively ThePremier|AT|premiers qld gov au and lgps|AT|ministerial qld gov au.

Update, 16 August 07

Queensland Local Government Minister Andrew Fraser has since backed away from his previous threat to dismiss Councils who counted votes about shire amalgamations. ABC news on 16 August reported that Warroo Shire residents had unanimously opposed the amalgamation,

Media Release Tue, 26 June 2007* Residents of Mudgeeraba and Reedy Creek still don't know how their suburbs will grow following a public meeting on the Gold Coast's Local Growth Management Strategy held in Mudgeeraba last week. The meeting, attended by representatives of Queensland's Office of Urban Management and the Member for Mudgeeraba, State MP Ms Dianne Reilly, was to coincide with the release of the Gold Coast Strategy for public comment; however, due to the number of changes required to the draft following the State Interest check, the Growth Management Strategy has been deferred until later this year. Sheila Davis, spokesperson for the Mudgeeraba Community Association, which hosted the meeting, said that the level of development planned for these suburbs, the Gold Coast and the whole of the South East Queensland region over the next 20 years must be reconsidered in light of recent studies. "Warnings in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Report, released earlier this year, that continued development in South East Queensland puts more people at risk from flooding and storms as well as studies that show the Gold Coast has the highest nature conservation values of any city in Australia are being ignored," said Ms Davis. "If we are to protect what remains of the region's dwindling biodiversity, our subtropical lifestyle, the tourism potential of our region, and also adapt to climate change," Ms Davis said, "we must not overdevelop beyond our carrying capacity." Attendees at the meeting expressed concerns about destruction of wildlife habitats, degraded creeks, potential flooding, the social impacts of high density housing and the loss of natural resources through dam building and quarrying for infrastructure projects. "Residents want to know whether an additional 4000 homes are going in our forests or on our floodplains," said Ms Davis. "State government representatives said that the details are up to the local government, but confirmed that the growth target for the Gold Coast in the South East Queensland Regional Plan is an additional 135,500 new dwellings, and that under State laws the local government has no ability to prohibit development anywhere." The Mudgeeraba Community Association will be hosting another public meeting when the Gold Coast's Local Growth Management Strategy, which implements the Plan into the planning scheme, is put on display later this year. "We are urging all members of the community to have their say about the level of development we want for our city," said Ms Davis. "We should not be tied to the figures decided nearly 20 years ago before we had the knowledge that we have today." "These planning targets must be reconsidered in light of predictions of lower rainfall, increased storm activity, considerations of protection of nature conservation values and ecological services, and provision of open space and other needs of residents," said Ms Davis. "While the SEQ Plan is a step in the right direction," said Ms Davis, "these targets are clearly unsustainable given the need to provide resources and to protect the high biodiversity and steep landscape of our City." For more information: Sheila Davis, MCA Secretary 07 55306600 or 0423-305478 Dino Crestani, MCA President 07 5559 0250 Russell White, MCA Treasurer 0408-981-242 Mudgeeraba Community Association Inc, PO Box 552, Mudgeeraba Qld 4213