Samantha Ratnam | Politician
Samantha Ratnam
Phone: 03 9348 2622
Reviews
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24.01.2022 Happy new year everyone I know it’s the turning of the year unlike any other and many of us are nervous about what could come next as we move through the pandemic, especially after what we’ve all been through in Victoria. But take heart that we have learned and grown stronger in how we can respond and there is every reason to believe we will get through this soon. ... In the meantime, please stay safe, follow the health advice and look out for each other. If 2020 taught us anything, it’s that we are more resilient together than we may have thought. There are some big challenges ahead and we will need to pull together in the same way if we are to protect both our own health and that of the earth in the time to come. For now, take some time to replenish and recharge. I look forward to working with you all in 2021.
23.01.2022 Fossil fuel workers across Australia, including in Victoria, are asking for help in transitioning to a renewable future, so they can save their communities before it’s too late. Coal's time is up. The Victorian Government needs a proper plan to support coal workers and communities as we transition to clean energy.
21.01.2022 This week's state budget was a once-in-a-generation opportunity to rebuild Victoria for the better, and it's positive to see that the Victorian Government has used this budget to make long overdue investments such as affordable housing, renewable energy, and jobs in the caring economy. These unprecedented investments resemble policies the Greens took to the 2018 state election and follow the months of campaigning we’ve done together for a Green New Deal.
19.01.2022 Join us tomorrow at 1pm for a webinar where we break down the Victorian state budget: greens.org.au/vic/budgetbriefing With your support, we've successfully put issue like affordable housing and renewable energy on the political agenda, leading the way for some of the most significant steps towards climate and social justice in Victoria’s history. We'll go through the budget in detail, and you'll have the opportunity to ask questions and join the discussion. Hope you can join us!
19.01.2022 Meet Anab Mohamud for Langridge Ward! Anab is one of our newly elected Greens councillors in Yarra, and such a wonderful representative for her community. Looking forward to seeing everything Anab is able to achieve together with our other Greens councillors in Yarra, in what is Austraila's first ever Greens majority council.
19.01.2022 The best way to end homelessness is to build homes for people in need. The Greens have been calling for a big build of public housing to help end homelessness, cut the public housing waiting list and create jobs. Really pleased to see the Victorian Government making this a priority in its upcoming state budget.... We’ll keep fighting for more public housing until every Victorian has a safe and secure place to call home.
18.01.2022 COVID-19 UPDATE: New rules in place from 5pm tonight. - the limit of people gathering in the home will be reduced to 15 from 30. - masks will be mandatory indoors.... Any symptoms? Get tested. Visit the DHHS page for information on public exposure sites. It is updated when new sites are identified. If you have visited any of the locations during the date indicated you must get tested and isolate until you get a negative result. https://www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/case-locations-and-outbreaks
15.01.2022 Everyone deserves to live in safety, and with access to medical care when we are sick. Right now, there are about 60 people languishing in the Carlton Park Hotel who were brought from offshore detention on Nauru and PNG to Australia to receive vital medical care. They are still in detention without proper medical treatment, and recently were forcibly removed to the Park Hotel from the Mantra Hotel in Preston. There is no justification for their detention. I'll be speaking at... this Saturday's COVID-19 safe rally calling for their release. WHEN: Saturday 2pm WHERE: State Library of Victoria It's beyond time to let these refugees rebuild their lives in freedom and safety.
15.01.2022 There aren't many things more important than having a safe and secure place to call home. Which is why the Greens are happy to see the government finally turning its attention to affordable housing, after decades of neglect. That being said, it's really disappointing to see that their focus is on housing that is run by private non-profits rather than public housing run by the state. Public housing caps rent at 25% of income, is more secure for tenants and prioritises people ...who are most in need. It's also the best value for money. We have a homelessness crisis in Victoria, and 100,000 people on the public housing waiting list. The government's recent attention on housing is a good thing, but the Greens will never stop advocating for a big build of public housing, which is exactly what we need if we want to end homelessness and ensure all Victorians have a safe and secure place to call home.
14.01.2022 BREAKING: This is huge! The Greens put public housing on the agenda this year, and with the support of the community we’ve managed to push the government into taking action. If there is a big build of public housing in the upcoming state budget, it will be huge relief for those in dire need of housing and will be becauses of the tireless work of homelessness advocates and the Greens who have been campaigning for government action on this crisis for a decade. As many of you kn...ow, the Greens have been calling for a #GreenNewDeal that includes a big build of public housing in the upcoming budget. Victoria needs 100,000 more public housing homes to cut the waiting list, help end homelessness and create much needed jobs. But we don’t want to see a repeat of Labor’s ‘Public Housing Renewal Program' which was simply a massive privatisation of public housing land for only a small increase in public housing, and years later it still hasn’t delivered a single unit. Some estates like Bangs Street in Prahran are sitting vacant with no builder appointed or timeline for completion. A similar project on Markham Avenue in Ashburton, which saw public housing demolished in 2016, has been a vacant block of land for almost five years. We want to see a real plan for public housing with real action. Looking forward to seeing more details on this announcement in the coming days. I'll keep you all posted!
14.01.2022 Happy Diwali to you all! Thank you to everyone for your hard work and sacrifice this year, we have managed to overcome a huge challenge together and I'm so proud of what we've been able to achieve so far. I know this year's celebrations will be very different due to the pandemic, but I hope you're able to have a wonderful Diwali.... I'm looking forward to being able to meet up with the community again in the new year as restrictions ease.
11.01.2022 The votes are in, and I'm thrilled to announce that we’ve elected 36 local Greens councillors across Victoria! That's 36 passionate people who will work hard for their local communities, always put people ahead of profits, and take real action on climate change. You have voted in record numbers for this diverse, young and passionate bunch of leaders, with 9 Greens Councillors under 35, 10 Councillors identifying as LGBTIQ+, and the first Sub-Saharan African to ever be e...lected in Victorian local government history. I'm so happy to share this wonderful news with you.
09.01.2022 Last night the Victorian Parliament was asked to vote on whether many new areas of Victorian rivers should be opened up to camping. While the Victorian Greens support people having the opportunity to connect with nature, we’ve had our concerns about these proposed changes and the way the Andrews Labor Government is pushing them through the Parliament. Over the past weeks, our offices have been inundated with calls and emails from locals who have raised concerns about the pote...ntial impacts of widespread new camping. People have identified many valid issues, including uncertainty about where camping will occur, who will manage it, and how important issues like fire, rubbish, lack of toilets, biosecurity and impacts on the bush, rivers and wildlife will be managed. Yesterday, I spoke to represent the views of the many Victorians who have been in touch with us, and to put your views on the record. In recognition of people’s concerns, we asked that the bill be delayed until the Government has properly consulted with all those impacted, and has clear plans to manage the many issues that have been identified. Unfortunately, our amendment was voted down. But there is some good news. In response to pressure from all of you, the Greens, and others in Parliament, the Government has delayed the commencement of these new changes until September next year. This gives all of us some time to advocate for camping to occur in locations that are appropriate, and with proper regulation. The Victorian Greens will continue to advocate on your behalf on this issue. While we want Victorians to be able to get out and enjoy nature, we also want to ensure that activities like camping happen in a way that looks after our special places and wildlife for the future.
09.01.2022 James Conlan, Greens councillor for Moreland City Council, led a push in 2019 to stop about 100 trees from being cut down next to Moreland railway station. He says, "We questioned the necessity of removing 97 per cent of the trees ... They left three or four in the end." More than 10,000 trees have been cut down to make way for the Victorian Government's major transport projects, and a further 26,000 will be removed for the North East Link road project. We should be doing everything we can to protect our trees and green spaces, instead of cutting down mature trees and essential habitat.
08.01.2022 When it comes to the Bell Station car park, we need to protect local residential streets and ensure safety for local families, pedestrians and cyclists. That's why the Greens support the local community and Bell Residents Group in their calls for the car park access to be moved west. I spoke up about this issue in Parliament this week, and called on the Minister for Transport Infrastructure to revise the plans for the Bell Station car park so that the access point is moved t...o the western side. Here's what I had to say: My adjournment matter tonight is for the Minister for Transport Infrastructure, and the action I seek is that the plans for the Bell station redevelopment be revised so that the entry point to the car park is moved to the western side. Bell station is one of the many stations across Melbourne that is part of the Level Crossing Removal Project, and plans for the redevelopment of the station are underway. Under the current plans for the station redevelopment, the entry point to the car park is a narrow residential street. This will pump hundreds of cars into a residential neighbourhood frequented by pedestrians and by children who use these streets to play as the area already has limited open space. It is disappointing that the government is going ahead with these plans when there is a simple alternative. Putting the entrance to the car park on the west side would give drivers better access from Bell Street and make things safer for commuters, road users and pedestrians as well as protecting the amenity of the quiet residential streets to the east. The Bell Residents Group and the Preston and Thornbury community are calling for the entry to the car park to be moved to the west side, and their petition has more than 1600 signatures. But their work is falling on deaf ears, as the minister, their local memberthe member for Northcoteand the Level Crossing Removal Project are not listening. The community supports the Level Crossing Removal Project and is trying to engage with the process. They simply want the final design to be safe and to benefit the community rather than destroying local amenity and safety, yet the government is pushing ahead with these plans and community feedback has been ignored. This is not the first time that community concerns have been ignored by the Level Crossing Removal Project, as the Preston community knows well after the authority placed an electric substation within 6 metres of the nearest home, with no consultation. So it is extremely frustrating that this is happening once again, especially when the community has identified a simple and effective alternative. I ask the minister to revise the plans for the Bell station car park so that the access point is moved to the western side.
07.01.2022 After the border was closed on new year's eve, thousands of Victorians are stranded in NSW, unable to come home, and some finding themselves in heartbreaking situations like Rebecca, who lives in Footscray and could not return to Victoria to attend her mother's funeral. We must support a public health-led response to the pandemic, but the government should start safely bringing home the many Victorians stuck in NSW, rather than keeping them in limbo.
07.01.2022 Really glad to hear the news today that harmful sexuality and gender identity conversion practices will soon be outlawed in Victoria. No one should be made to feel broken because of their sexuality or gender identity! These new laws come after years of calls from the Greens and LGBTQA+ survivors to stamp out the bigoted practices, and we look forward to voting in support of this reform in Parliament next year. Today is a win for equality and a day to celebrate with t...he rainbow community right across our state. [Image description: A rainbow/LGBTQA+ pride flag and a trans pride flag (pink, blue and white stripes) overlap in the background. White text on a purple background reads: conversion practices to be banned in Vic. Smaller white text reads: A Bill to end cruel conversion practices has been introduced in VIC.]
05.01.2022 Here's something to make you smile look how Green Victoria is now! From Darebin to Dandenong, Stonnington to Shepparton, people across the state have elected a local Greens councillor to represent them for the next four years. You've even elected the country's first Greens-majority government in Yarra! The Greens have a plan to rebuild better for everyone. With 36 local councillors across Victoria, and a growing movement of Greens across the country, we have the team to make it happen.
