Penelope Ann, Greens candidate for Hobart in the coming Legislative Council elections:
“I’ve been very busy speaking with people about Greens policy, including our national push for dental treatment to be included under Medicare.
I’m yet to meet one person who doesn’t agree that dental work should be included under the Medicare scheme.”
Meanwhile here’s my response to David Penberthy “Green loss Labor’s gain.” (Sunday Tasmanian15 Apr).
David Pemberthy’s article in the Sunday Tasmanian, Sunday 15, is a confused rant.
In his assessment of the future of the Australian Greens without Senator Bob Brown – “Greens’ loss Labor’s gain” – Pemberthy veers between praising Bob Brown as a sort of unique, Greens messiah without whom the Greens party will collapse, and, Bob Brown the “nutty tree hugger” who is “out of step with mainstream opinion”.
Pemberthy then misunderstands the democratic process when he calls the Green’s balance of power “defacto power”. It is not. Voters elected the Greens to the balance of power! The 2010 election outcome was not a “non-result”. Both major parties tried to scare electors about the evils/instability that a shared government would bring, but the voters were not fooled. The electoral outcome that brought the Greens the balance of power was clearly an intended outcome, a conscious decision made by a huge number of voters.
The refusal of both the Labor and Liberal parties to take action on Climate Change or to treat refugees humanely has been delivering more votes to the Greens in recent years.. In 2007 Kevin Rudd was elected Prime Minister largely for his commitment to address climate change. When he went back on his word his popularity fell. At the following election, his replacement, Prime Minister Julia Gillard said she would not price carbon. Those Australians who most understood the urgent need to reduce carbon emissions therefore voted Green…. they elected a shared government and they gave the Greens the power to bring in a carbon tax.
Pemberthy suggests that, like the Democrats, the Greens will collapse without their charismatic founder. Certainly all Greens are sad to see Bob resign, however, supporting the Greens is a values-based political decision, not a fan club. Greens policies are based on convictions, on the need to protect the environment, to treat refugees humanely, to build a low carbon, sustainable economy and to build a nation that values equal opportunity for all. These needs are growing and so Greens support will grow.
Senator Christine Milne will be a feisty and formidable leader. Respected throughout Australia and internationally for her work on Climate Change, she will build on Senator Bob Brown’s outstanding legacy and, in her own way, work to progress Greens’ policies.
Penelope Ann
