Portfolios
The four NSW Greens MPs share a wide range of portfolio areas. Lee Rhiannon holds the following portfolios:
Firearms
Lee Rhiannon has been a Greens spokesperson on firearms issues since her election in 1999. Prior to being elected as a Greens MP Lee was an active campaigner for tighter gun control laws. As a Greens MP Lee has called for a ban on all semi-automatic weapons, has been a strong opponent of the Game Council and has exposed the ties between the Shooters Party MPs and NSW Labor.
Donations
The Greens NSW Democracy4sale campaign to ban political donations and reform election funding and disclosure has helped educate the public that corporate donations can be dirty money.
Mineral Resources
Lee is the Greens NSW Mineral Resources spokesperson. Join the Greens campaign to stop the runaway expansion of the coal industry to halt dangerous climate change, and add your voice to our call for a government led transition away from coal and towards renewable energy industries and green jobs in NSW.
Roads
The Greens NSW have long been campaigning for a more enlightened and long term policy approach to road building in NSW. The long held NSW government prioritisation with roads and motorways has left public transport services and infrastructure across the state in disarray.
Transport
The Greens support increased affordable, efficient and safe public transport. We need fewer cars on the road and a more extensive public transport system, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve air quality, reduce congestion and provide fairer and more equitable transport access.
Health
The Greens NSW believe that the primary goal of health services should be to improve the standard of health, including physical, intellectual and social well being, across the whole population.
Sexuality and Gender Identity
As The Greens are founded on social and economic justice, we have always been strong advocates for the fundamental human right of freedom of sexuality and gender identity.
Electoral Issues
At the core of the NSW democratic process are electoral issues such as the conduct of MPs, ethics and voting rights. Lee has campaigned strongly for a more open and fairer electoral system in NSW.
Industrial relations
The Greens NSW advocate for a fair and just industrial relations system and strongly campaigned against Workchoices. Lee has actively campaigned for worker's rights, safety, the right to strike, wage claims, superannuation entitlements and tougher industrial manslaughter laws.
Attorney Generals
Lee holds the Attorney-General's portfolio which covers a diverse range of issues including FOI, privacy, gun laws, domestic violence, discrimination and the justice system. Lee also held the police justice portfolio for many years.
Parliamentary process
The Greens NSW are committed to working towards a fully democratic and transparent parliamentary process.
Ports & waterways
The Ports & Waterways portfolio covers NSW's significant transportation hubs such as the Sydney Ports, the Newcastle and Port Kembla Ports, as well as the work of agencies such as the Office of Transport Safety Investigations and NSW Maritime. It also covers marina development.
Gaming & Racing
Lee has used the gaming & racing portfolio to lobby for tougher gambling laws and more funding for gambling prevention services, tightening the licensing and regulation of alcohol, and the relationship between Star City Casino and NSW Labor.
Youth
Lee has advocated to advance social justice and to remove policing discrimination against young people. Lee scrutinised the government's handling of Catholic World Youth Day held in Sydney in 2008.
Southeast NSW
Lee's portfolio includes support for the Southeast NSW region. A key campaign in this region is to end logging in south east NSW forests to feed the Eden Chip Mill.
Women
Lee has campaigned on funding for the Office of Women, women's health, working rights of women and domestic violence. She also hosts the annual Juanita Nielsen memorial lecture.
Animal welfare
Lee holds the animal welfare portfolio due to her lifelong passion for furthering animal rights. She has campaigned against piggeries, kangaroo chillers, retiring circus elephants, banning duck hunting and hunting in state forests.
Rural Affairs
Lee Rhiannon holds the rural affairs portfolio. She regularly visits regional communities in NSW, supporting rural and regional Greens groups who are campaigning for better public services, social justice and environmental outcomes.
Science
Some scientific discoveries pose huge ethical questions that concern the Greens, from nuclear power to GM crops, as well as developments like nanotechnology that are widely used in consumer products despite our limited understanding of their impact on human health.
Hunter region
Lee is the Greens NSW spokesperson for the Hunter region of NSW. Much of the party's founding history originates from grassroots membership in Newcastle. We still enjoy strong representation in communities and local government from Lake Macquarie to Newcastle, Cessnock, Maitland and the Upper Hunter.
Help get Lee elected to the Senate in the 2010 federal election.
2010 Juanita Nielsen Memorial lecture
