Merlin Baker for Murrumbidgee | Political candidate

Merlin Baker for Murrumbidgee

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25.01.2022 This week, Caroline Le Couteur took her place in the ACT Legislative Assembly for the last time, after a total of eight years representing the electorates of Murrumbidgee and Molonglo. Her retirement will be a huge loss, but her incredible legacy as a Greens warrior will live on. Caroline has spent her life working to create a better world. She understands the realities of the climate crisis and ecological destruction and they are above all what brought her to serve in the As...Continue reading

24.01.2022 Caroline Le Couteur MLA, ACT Greens Democracy Spokesperson Rebecca Vassarotti, ACT Greens Campaign Spokesperson for Gaming Harm Ban pokie donations to help restore faith in our democracy: ACT Greens ...Continue reading

23.01.2022 Shane Rattenbury MLA, ACT Greens leader Rebecca Vassarotti, ACT Greens Gambling Reform spokesperson Greens plan to put community back at the heart of the Canberra’s community clubs...Continue reading

21.01.2022 Shane Rattenbury, ACT Greens leader Emma Davidson, ACT Greens candidate for Murrumbidgee World-class climate action as Greens pledge to deliver Australia’s first zero emissions commercial centre at Molonglo ...Continue reading

20.01.2022 Jo Clay, ACT Greens Arts spokesperson Greens launch major plan to properly value the arts 20th September 2020... With the arts sector struggling to stay afloat in the ongoing COVID crisis, the ACT Greens have today released a comprehensive plan to support artists through the COVID pandemic and beyond. The Greens will act now to help support our local artists, with a series of immediate and longer-term commitments that include: Trialing a three year Canberra Creative Industries funding certainty program for 100 local, professional artists to produce original works and engage the community with art, in long term residencies and commissioned community-led art projects Paying the artist first and fairly, not last and under the poverty line. We will ensure all government funding that incorporates an arts element pays professional practising artists first Requiring a minimum local content at government-funded festivals, events and arts programs to build our local arts industry. Comments attributable to Jo Clay, ACT Greens Arts Spokesperson: Art makes life worth living but it is very hard to make a living as an artist. COVID has devastated a sector that was already under siege. Most artists in Canberra lost the majority of their arts income. Many lost their secondary income in the hospitality and entertainment sector too. Many were locked out of Jobkeeper and Federal support because these weren’t set up for gig workers and freelancers. And yet it is art that is getting us through 2020. We will make sure our artists get through this too. We will support our artists to make sure they get paid fairly and get paid first. We will fund our arts organisations so they can properly look after their artists. And we will make space for art in our city and our lives. Media contact Clancy Barnard M 0438 869 332 E [email protected]

17.01.2022 Rebecca Vassarotti, ACT Greens Housing Spokesperson ACT Greens announce comprehensive plan to give renters a better deal 28 September 2020... The ACT Greens today have announced a comprehensive package to support Canberra renters, including building more affordable rental homes, ending no cause evictions, banning rent bidding, and more funding for housing advocacy services. The Greens’ plan includes: Ending ‘no cause’ evictions, allowing people to stay in their houses and make their house a home Increasing the number of affordable rental properties in Canberra Making rentals more sustainable and affordable to live in Making renting easier, by streamlining the rental application process, banning rent bidding, properly funding tenant advocacy services and supporting people who face discrimination into secure rental homes. The Greens last week announced plans for a $50 million targeted fund to improve the efficiency and sustainability of Canberra houses. In June the Greens also committed to a $450 million ‘Home for All’ package, including a $200m investment into new community housing over four years that will help ease pressure on Canberra’s tight rental market. The Greens have long fought for Canberra renters. In the 9th Assembly, the ACT Greens secured a number of major improvements for Canberran renters, including: Changes to the Residential Tenancies act to allow renters to have pets in their homes Ensuring that landlords need approval from ACAT to refuse consent for minor and reversible home modifications, like picture hangings Requiring landlords to provide non-standard lease terms to renters up front, well before they go to sign a lease Closing loopholes for landlords to end tenancies early. Comments attributable to Rebecca Vassarotti, ACT Greens Housing spokesperson: Everyone deserves a safe and secure place to live. Almost a third of Australians rent, and many are renting for longer periods of time. But for too long, rental properties have been treated as investments, with the rights of landlords put well ahead of the rights and needs of renters. In Canberra, this means sky-high rents to live in often unsustainable and even substandard homes that are freezing in winter, and boiling in summer. The COVID pandemic has only made lift tougher for Canberra renters who are already struggling to make ends meet. Now, more than ever, we need a housing system that works for the many, not the few. The Greens plan will end ‘no cause’ evictions so landlords won't be able to kick someone out of their home just because they think they can get a higher rent from the next tenant. Requiring a ‘just cause’ will give renters the right to stay in their houses for years unless the landlord has a genuine reason to terminate a tenancy. The Greens plan will ensure that renters get a better deal." Media contact Clancy Barnard (ACT Greens) M 0438 869 332 E [email protected]

16.01.2022 Shane Rattenbury, ACT Greens leader Rebecca Vassarotti, ACT Greens Housing Spokesperson Greens to create a $50m ‘Just Transition Fund’ to deliver a climate-ready Canberra: for all of us... Thursday 24 September 2020 The ACT Greens will today commit $50 million to create and leverage a ‘Just Transition Fund’ that will cut energy bills and make homes and businesses more energy-efficient, focused on low-income households, renters and other vulnerable groups. Properties will receive funding for sustainability and energy-efficiency measures such as solar panels and batteries, draft sealing, insulation, glazing, efficient electric appliances, and water-saving measures. A no-interest loan scheme will also be established to support landlords to upgrade their rental properties to meet improved energy efficiency standards, creating more affordable and comfortable rental properties across the city. Funding for these upgrades will save Canberrans money on their energy bills, make homes warmer in winter and cooler in summer, all while creating jobs in Canberra’s rapidly developing green industries. The $50 million fund will seek to leverage capital from the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) and the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), and will utilise reverse auctions for the most cost-effective solutions. The Greens expect the extensive retrofitting program to create some 840 new jobs in the ACT and protect existing jobs in the trades sector, supporting more workers to upskill, while delivering numerous additional flow-on economic benefits. Comments attributable to ACT Greens leader Shane Rattenbury: Climate change is the biggest threat our society and our planet collectively face, yet some groups will be more impacted than others. People on low incomes often can’t afford to heat or cool their houses - an issue compounded by the poor energy efficiency of Canberra's older and cheaper housing. As we look to create a climate-ready Canberra for all of us, the Greens won’t leave anyone behind. Our $50 million Just Transition Fund will ensure that renewable electricity is affordable for everyone, buildings and homes are retrofitted to be sustainable and climate change ready, and more people are employed in the green economy. The more Greens there are in Government, the more we can deliver on climate change, reduce the gap between the rich and the poor, and protect our precious natural environment. Media contact Lisa Wills M 0481 035 764 E [email protected] Clancy Barnard M 0438 869 332 E [email protected]

13.01.2022 Emma Davidson, candidate for Murrumbidgee and Transport Spokesperson 14 September 2020 ACT Greens plan for City to Woden Light Rail Express... To ensure that the Woden-City service is convenient and used by as many Canberrans as possible, the ACT Greens will commit to every second service in peak times being an express service. The Greens proposed City to Woden Express would make light rail the fastest transport option along this route, almost halving transit time. The express service would cut around 10 minutes off the estimated 25-30 minutes of the current proposal, allowing people to either travel directly from Woden to the City, or use the all-stops service. We would hope that the express service could achieve around a 16-17 minute journey, said Emma Davidson, ACT Greens Spokesperson for Transport. The ACT Greens believe that light rail is critical to Canberra's sustainable future. This proposal would therefore ensure that Light Rail Stage Two: Ensure Light Rail Stage 2 is the fastest transit option to get from Woden to the City, by introducing light rail express services Integrate light rail networks into existing bus service networks to ensure that when light rail is introduced to Woden, the frequency of connecting suburban bus services is also improved Build footpaths and lighting to light rail stops, to enable people to feel safe when going home after dark Integrate light rail with an ACT-wide, off-road cycling network and other active transport options. Comments attributable to Emma Davidson, ACT Greens candidate for Murrumbidgee and Transport Spokesperson We know Light Rail Stage 1 - Gungahlin to City has been incredibly popular, reaching the patronage targets years ahead of schedule. This proposal is about making sure people in the south also get the best possible outcome from Light Rail. The ACT Greens understand that big infrastructure investments like light rail give us a chance to transform Canberra into a sustainable, 21st-century city. That’s why we have to make sure that stage 2 is as fast, integrated and future proof as possible It’s critical that all proposals integrate bus, cycling and other transport options, giving people an integrated approach to getting around their city. This forms part of the Greens vision for a sustainable Canberra that includes a Cycling Revolution and Electric Vehicle rEVolution Media alert: ACT Greens candidate for Murrumbidgee and Transport Spokesperson Emma Davidson will be made available for interview on request. Media contact: Clancy Barnard (ACT Greens Campaign Manager) Mobile: 0438 869 332 Email: [email protected]

10.01.2022 Shane Rattenbury, ACT Greens leader ‘All electric Canberra’ plan as Greens put our climate first...Continue reading

09.01.2022 Shane Rattenbury, ACT Greens spokesperson for Mental Health Greens pledge over $11.6m plan to improve youth mental health Under strict embargo until Thursday 1 October 2020...Continue reading

08.01.2022 Emma Davidson, ACT Greens Campaign Spokesperson for Social Inclusion Greens launch major plan to tackle Canberra’s growing inequality crisis Thursday 2 September 2020... The ACT Greens will today launch their ‘Supporting the Community Sector’ package - a comprehensive action plan to tackle Canberra’s growing inequality crisis. There are 37,000 people and 6000 children in low-income households and 26,000 living below the poverty line in the ACT. The Greens’ ‘Supporting the Community Sector Package’ will provide increased, guaranteed, long term funding to the many groups that provide assistance and support to those in our community who are doing it tough. The Greens Plan includes: Providing frontline groups with more funding, and funding certainty Improving community sector and government coordination, to ensure that frontline community sector needs are made a priority across Government Providing support for the community sector to access up to date technology Growing and better supporting the community sector workers in housing Driving a gender led COVID recovery Increasing support for the community drug and alcohol services sector. Comments attributable to ACT Greens Campaign Spokesperson for Social Inclusion, Emma Davidson: We’ve had review after review telling us the same thing over decades now. We need a strong, well-funded community sector here in Canberra, and we need the Government to listen and respond to the sector’s needs, if we’re to make serious inroads into tackling Canberra’s growing inequality crisis. Poverty should not be a reality anywhere - let alone in a place as prosperous as ours. Right now, we’re leaving people behind. We can build a better normal out of this crisis by listening to our community sector - and ensuring that the Government meets these needs. The other parties have started to make all the right noises when it comes to tackling our inequality crisis - and as the Greens, we’re thrilled that they are sitting up and taking notice. At a time when the COVID pandemic has hit hard, and the more vulnerable in our community are doing it especially tough, the Greens have a real plan to tackle inequality in our city, and to build a better normal - for all of us. The ACT Greens recognise that the community sector consistently provides high-quality support to a diverse range of people in our community. The sector makes a significant contribution to the ACT economy, brings in new expertise and knowledge, and plays a central role in developing the well-being and the healthy functioning of our community. Ms Davidson will attend the ACTCOSS Forum, and will be made available for interview on request. Statement ends Media contact: Clancy Barnard M 0438 869 332 E [email protected]

07.01.2022 Jo Clay, ACT Greens Environment Spokesperson Greens plan to create homes for local threatened species in new neighbourhood forest network Monday 21st September 2020...Continue reading

06.01.2022 Caroline Le Couteur MLA, ACT Greens Planning Spokesperson Climate action in Canberra’s planning system to go to a vote: ACT Greens Under embargo until Thursday 20 August 2020... The ACT Greens will bring climate action efforts to a vote (Thursday), as a sweeping planning Bill from Greens MLA Caroline Le Couteur in the Legislative Assembly looks to (at last!) make climate impacts a consideration in Canberra’s planning decisions. Our planning laws do not currently take account of planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions from building projects. My legislation, if passed, will for the first time mean that the planning system examines the greenhouse gas emissions of at least the largest emitters, ACT Greens Planning spokesperson Caroline Le Couteur said today. The ACT Greens want a Canberra that works for everyone. Yet there are too many unsustainable, poorly-built developments popping up across the ACT - and the consequences for our climate are an afterthought in our planning system. Canberra’s planning system is outdated, tough to navigate, and not delivering the sustainable, climate-ready city that Canberrans expect and deserve. That’s why today, I’m pleased to bring this major planning reform legislation to a vote in the Legislative Assembly. If supported, it will deliver real and lasting improvement to Canberra’s outdated planning system. Canberrans want climate action, and they want it now. If supported, this Bill will at last make climate change a key feature of our planning system. Ms Le Couteur’s Bill will require the ACT Government to: Consider, for the first time in ACT history, climate-changing greenhouse gas emissions when Development Applications (DAs) are being assessed in the merit and impact tracks Ensure high greenhouse gas-emitting development proponents undertake an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), giving the community a chance to fight for them to be cleaner and greener, and better for our community. The community expects that the decisions made for our city’s future are sustainable prepare us for a more extreme climate reality - and give our community a say. When it comes to urban planning, progress has been far too slow. To keep Canberra a great place to live, as well as the ‘bush capital’, we really should be leaders in sustainable urban development. The changes I’m proposing will help make this a reality. Statement ends Media contact: Lisa Wills M 0481 035 764 [email protected]

05.01.2022 Emma Davidson, ACT Greens Democracy spokesperson Greens call again for roadside corflute ban Monday 7 September 2020 As election corflutes begin littering Canberra streets, the ACT Greens have again called for a ban on roadside electoral signs during local election campaigns. Under current laws, there is no limit to the number of roadside electoral corflutes that can be used in the ACT which see thousands of plastic roadside corflutes flood the streets of Canberra six weeks... out from each ACT election. It’s well past time to get rid of these annoying electoral signs they’re a huge turn off for the community and are a huge waste of plastic, ACT Greens campaign spokesperson for Democracy Emma Davidson said today. Overnight, they’ve popped up everywhere - and no surprise, given there is currently no limit on how many signs can be displayed in any one area. We know most Canberrans don’t like seeing these roadsign signs polluting our streets, so I don’t know who the other parties think they’re winning over by littering the streets." The Greens encourage strong public discourse, where individuals and households and businesses can participate in the election by putting a sign in their own front yard." Roadsign corflutes, on the other hand, indicate nothing about the level of public support for a candidate, just how much money a party has." Once the election is over, we can only assume that most of these end up going straight into landfill. What an utter waste." The ACT Electoral Commission's report on the Legislative Assembly Election in 2016 noted that social media "indicated a relatively widespread degree of dissatisfaction with the proliferation of campaign signs (principally the signs on stakes known as corflutes) across Canberra's main roads and suburban streets" but stopped short of recommending that the roadside electoral signs be banned entirely. At the last federal election in May 2019, the Greens did not use roadside electoral signage instead, corflutes were displayed in private yards or held by volunteers for limited times. This avoided the waste of thousands of plastic corflutes being destroyed often within hours of being erected. Of the yard signs the Greens do use, these end up being recycled in a range of different ways including as house insulation, building chook sheds, as habitat for local wombats or painted over for protest signs. The ACT Greens are currently displaying front yard signs displayed - by choice - by individual households, which are made from 100% recycled material, and can be recycled in a person’s yellow bin. Statement ends Media contact Clancy Barnard M 0438 869 332 E [email protected] See more

04.01.2022 Rebecca Vassarotti, ACT Greens Planning Spokesperson Greens plan to put people before property developers, deliver world-class climate-ready Canberra Under embargo until Thursday 17 September 2020... The ACT Greens have today released a major plan to overhaul Canberra’s planning system to ensure it delivers world-class buildings that are climate ready, sustainable, well-designed and constructed, and serve our city’s needs over coming decades. Among the plan’s highlights, the Greens will - Set a 10 year pathway to shift Canberra’s planning decisions to align with international best practice on climate-ready and environmentally-sustainable buildings - Change land sales legislation so that major sites are sold for high-quality proposals, not just to the highest bidder - Provide a new Skills, Apprenticeships and Research-Industry Partnerships Fund to build the skills and innovation needed to deliver a 10 year pathway to shift to world’s best practice on climate-ready and environmentally-sustainable buildings - Returning building certification of multi-unit residential developments to Government hands - Change the Tree Protection Act and planning system to protect our mature trees and make room for trees during development - Reform the planning system to insist on better quality development - Better funding the heritage system to shift from reactive to proactive, so it can protect the things we love about Canberra. The Greens are keen to drive a new standard of development, and want land release to include at least one ‘showcase’ development per year that pilots a big step forward on development quality. One proposal is for a taller development with a 150% green plot ratio, so that green walls, roof gardens and ground level plantings have to be bigger than the size of the block. Full details of the package available at https://greens.org.au/act/planning Comments attributable to Rebecca Vassarotti, ACT Greens Planning Spokesperson: The decisions we make today will have consequences for generations to come. Right now, in the face of a climate crisis, we’re seeing too many poorly designed, poorly constructed, unsustainable, low-quality new buildings going up around town - and Canberrans have had enough. The Greens have a plan to put people and the climate before property developers, and to design a new planning system for our city, that delivers well-designed, affordable and sustainable housing, and gives the community a real say in how their neighbourhood develops - now and into the future. Media contact Clancy Barnard M 0438 869 332 E [email protected]

03.01.2022 Shane Rattenbury, ACT Greens leader Johnathan Davis, ACT Greens Youth Spokesperson ACT Greens pledge support for student strikers... Thursday 24 September 2020 Ahead of tomorrow’s School Strike 4 Climate Action, the ACT Greens have today pledged to establish stronger regulations that support the participation of children and young people in our democracy. It comes as thousands of young people are expected to take part in the latest ‘School Strike 4 Climate’, as part of a worldwide effort to tell politicians to take our future seriously and to treat climate change for what it is: a crisis. The ACT Greens will ensure an ongoing policy that the Minister for Education endorses each student-led School Strike 4 Climate event. This means students of ACT Government schools will not be penalised or stopped from attending rallies and events, but will still need approval from their parents or carers, with parental supervision encouraged. This policy will also enable teachers to support students to attend such events. The ACT Education Directorate has had this policy in place for individual events, but it is not ongoing, and approval could be revoked with a change in government. The ACT Greens have also committed to encouraging greater participation of children and young people in our democracy as a general principle in the ACT’s Education Act. With Greens in Government, the ACT Government was the first territory or state jurisdiction to lend its support to the School Strike 4 Climate Action, and the first to declare a climate emergency. Comments attributable to ACT Greens Shane Rattenbury: Climate change is the challenge of a generation. Our future depends on the decisions before us today cutting emissions, leaving coal in the ground, embracing the renewables revolution. The message from these students to politicians and decision-makers across the country is clear: they want to see action, and they want to see it now. In this, they have our full support. These students may be missing a day of school - but they’re already smarter than many of our supposed adult leaders. Maybe it’s the climate change denying and apathetic politicians that need to go back to school. Comments attributable to ACT Greens Youth Spokesperson Johnathan Davis: Today’s young people are growing up in a world where the effects of a changing climate are obvious all around them. Young people understand the threat and more importantly, it’s young people trusting the global scientific consensus and demanding the politicians catch up and take immediate action. While some talk about action, young people just want to get on with it and act now. The ACT Greens stand with young people and applaud and celebrate every young person who takes their responsibility as active and engaged citizens so seriously. Media contact Lisa Wills M 0481 035 764 E [email protected] Clancy Barnard M 0438 869 332 E [email protected]

03.01.2022 Shane Rattenbury, ACT Greens leader Rebecca Vassarotti, ACT Greens Planning Spokesperson Greens accelerate climate commitments with pledge to deliver world-leading ‘green’ buildings for Canberra...Continue reading

02.01.2022 Emma Davidson, ACT Greens Democracy Spokesperson Canberra’s first Neighbourhood Democracy package The ACT Greens will today announce a commitment to deliver Canberra’s first Neighbourhood Democracy package, giving the Canberra community, not just the government, a say in how investments in their neighbourhood are made.... The program will see Canberra residents come together in a series of neighbourhood workshops to collaborate on prioritising local expenditure, with an average annual budget of $100,000 in their suburb. This could be small-scale park upgrades, new playground equipment, tree planting, employing people to work on a particular project or community-building activities and events. The Greens plan will build upon the ACT Government’s recent ‘Better Suburbs’ program, initiated as a result of a Greens crossbench motion from Caroline Le Couteur. This saw the first trial of participatory budgeting, where participants decided how a portion of the city services budget should be allocated. Comments attributable to Emma Davidson, ACT Greens Spokesperson for Democracy: The Greens believe that the people who know best about what their neighbourhood needs are the people who live there. What makes this program so effective is not just the individual projects each neighbourhood decides upon, but the way in which they come to a community consensus. Communities will be supported to build skills in understanding the diversity of views in their own neighbourhood, and resolving a range of viewpoints/ opinions constructively. This program will build stronger, more resilient communities. The ACT Greens share the community’s desire to have more of a say in their neighbourhoods. We want to support a deeper, more participatory democracy. We know that when people come together to discuss their vision for the place they call home, great things emerge. We want to create a government that listens, respects and trusts the community voice, and has the skills and desire to turn this voice into tangible changes that people see in their neighbourhoods. Too often, it’s property developers or those with the loudest voices that have the biggest say in how a neighbourhood develops. This leads to decisions that benefit a handful of people, not the whole community. Media contact: Clancy Barnard (ACT Greens Campaign Manager) Mobile: 0438 869 332 --

02.01.2022 Jo Clay, ACT Greens Environment Spokesperson As lead and asbestos found in more schools, Greens commit to a ‘Right to a Healthy Environment’ for all Canberrans... Friday 18 September 2020 With four Canberra schools having now been discovered to have high levels of lead contamination since the July school holidays, the ACT Greens have today committed to enshrining the right to a healthy environment into the ACT’s Human Rights Act. ACT Labor, the Canberra Liberals and the ACT Greens have committed $15 million to accelerate the removal of hazardous materials from public schools. However, the ACT Greens have gone further today with a commitment to improve the legal right of Canberrans to enjoy a clean, healthy environment - in schools and across our community. We need to ensure that our students, our teachers, and everyone in our Canberra community can enjoy access to a healthy, clean and safe environment, ACT Greens Environment Spokesperson Jo Clay said today. Children as well as teaching staff in schools and early childhood education centres have the right to work and play without damaging hazardous and toxic materials and chemicals in their immediate environments. That’s why the Greens will enshrine the ‘right to a healthy environment’ into our Human Rights Act - to protect both Canberrans and our natural environment from unnecessary harm. Like the current right to education, an overarching legal right to a healthy environment simply places a responsibility on government services to consider these rights at every decision point. This would help prevent this type of contamination in the first place, require prioritised rectification, and potentially offer legal remedies to people affected. In practice it also would require the ACT Government to give the environment special consideration in all decision making, particularly in relation to potential impacts on human health. It would also require better environmental standards, prevent rollback of environmental standards, and allow citizens to take legal action against potential breaches. The Greens also recently called for reports on lead contamination in schools to be made publicly available and accessible, so that parents and the wider community can have confidence that this situation is being rectified appropriately. Media contact Clancy Barnard M 0438 869 332 E [email protected]

02.01.2022 Emma Davidson, ACT Greens Transport Spokesperson Canberra Liberals Light Rail backflip undermines voter trust: ACT Greens Thursday 17 September 2020...Continue reading

02.01.2022 The ACT government will force major projects to account for their prospective greenhouse gas emissions during the planning process, bucking a trend that has seen governments seek to protect developers from responsibility. The amendments were proposed by ACT Greens crossbencher Caroline Le Couteur, who is set to retire from ACT politics following the forthcoming territory election, and will require ACT planning authorities to consider the compatibility of new developments with...Continue reading