Michael Osborne is your Greens representative on Newcastle City Council. Michael’s blogspot will give you a Greens’ perspective on issues addressed by Newcastle City Council and other important agendas perhaps not being covered by the Council which impact on our lives. Go to Michael’s blogspot now for press releases, motions put to Council, etc.

THE NSW GREENS WILL MEET IN NEWCASTLE (Hamilton) THIS WEEKEND (13/14 March).

This is the first time that the state body has met in Newcastle (or
the Hunter) since 2007.

Delegates from Greens groups from all over NSW, and NSW Greens state
parliamentarians, will be attending the two day meeting.

Discussions will include:

- the forthcoming Federal election
- next year’s state election
- a number of policy matters (including animal welfare, police and
justice, population policy)
- The Greens response to Labor’s proposed ETS

It is also expected that the meeting will issue public statements
about a number of major issues in the Hunter, including the future of
the Newcastle rail line.

For more information, please contact Carrie Jacobi (Convenor of
Newcastle Greens) on 0418 231 257.

BREAKING THE CPRS DEADLOCK
The Greens have moved to break the political deadlock on climate action, writing to all the key politicians proposing that we adopt Professor Garnaut’s suggestion of a two year interim scheme with a fixed price, no trading and no offsets. For more info visit: http://greensmps.org.au/content/breaking-cprs-deadlock

STOP RAIL SELL OFF & SAVE OUR RAIL
The NSW government has new legislation that will pave the way for the closure and sell off of rail lines and associated land to developers, without scrutiny.

The Transport Administration Amendment (Rail Trails) Bill 2009 removes the need to consult parliament. If passed it would allow the removal of the lines with the stroke of a pen.

The Newcastle Greens have campaigned for many years to save the rail line from Sydney to Newcastle & for improved bicycle infrastructure including rail trails. The Government’s new laws will allow viable public rail corridors across the state to be sold off, such as the Newcastle rail line and the Casino to Murwillumbah line.

See Greens MLC Lee Rhiannon’s website for further details
Save Our Rail website

NO TILLEGRA DAM
The Tillegra Dam is ill-conceived – its construction was not on the radar of Hunter Water for the next 20 years or more yet it has been thrust forward as a ‘quick-fix’ political decision.

The Williams River valley already has one dam – the Chichester Dam – plus further regulation to natural flows at the Seaham Weir. A second dam at Tillegra would put an end to the natural floods and freshes that keep the river healthy and top up the fertility of farmland. No Tillegra Dam website

Newcastle Herald (16 Nov 2009)
A STUTTERING barred frog has been discovered on the proposed Tillegra Dam site, bringing new hope to the fight against the project.

The discovery called into question the integrity of Hunter Water’s environmental assessment report and was another blow to its “flawed” ecological assessment of the dam site, Greens MP John Kaye said.

Newcastle Herald Article
For further info see Greens MLC John Kaye’s website