Parliamentary Report Apr - Jun 2002

Lee Rhiannon, Greens MLC

Parliament House

Macquarie Street

SYDNEY NSW 2OOO

Ph: 9230 3551 Fax: 9230 3550

Email: lee.rhiannon@parliament.nsw.gov.au

If you would like to discuss any aspect of this report with me prior to the SDC please contact me - phone and email details above.

HIGHLIGHTS SINCE THE LAST SDC

Carr Labor Government pushes anti-environment bills

The Carr Labor government has two anti-environment pieces of legislation waiting to come through the Upper House. The Gene Technology Bill and the Game Bill were introduced into the parliament more than three months ago. The Greens and a range of community groups have been consistent critics of these proposed laws. From the rumours we are hearing we will not see these Bills in the Upper House until the spring session. If the Gene Technology Bill passes it will virtually annihilate the organic food industry in this state, and the Game Bill is a cave-in to the Shooters Party. This Bill will reintroduce shooting of native birds, jeopardise public safety, and legitimise recreational cruelty.

Greens welcome Vinson Public Education Inquiry

The Greens have warmly welcomed the release of the first report of the NSW Public Education Inquiry. The report from the three member Inquiry, headed by Professor Tony Vinson, sets a clear public education agenda that the major parties will have to address in the coming state election campaign.

A key recommendation of the report calls for class sizes in the first three years of school to be cut to fewer than 20 pupils. The price tag to achieve this is $47 million. Professor Vinson comments this amount "may seem high but it needs to be set against an annual budget of $7.5 billion for NSW schools and the enormous cost to the state of allowing the damage of social disadvantage in childhood to run its lifelong course unchallenged."

Law and order parties refuse ban on anti-semi automatic handguns

When it comes to the major parties we know that hypocrisy is not in short supply. But you would think that Labor and Liberals would agree to close a loophole on gun laws if they want to be true to their rhetoric of making our communities safer. After the Port Arthur massacre semi-automatic rifles were banned, but not semi-automatic handguns. The parliamentary office is strongly backing the work of the National Coalition for Gun Control, which is calling for the ban on semi-automatics to be consistent irrespective of the size of the weapon.

'No rainforest formply' campaign with Wilderness Society & CFMEU

After lengthy negotiations Glen Klatovsky, campaign coordinator with the Wilderness Society, Andrew Ferguson, Secretary of the CFMEU Construction Division and myself have launched the "No rainforest formply' campaign. We are campaigning to stop the use of millions of dollars worth of throwaway rainforest timbers being used on NSW construction sites. This timber is used in formply, which is only used once or twice to mould concrete.

Leaflets are available that set out the action people can take to help clean-up formply used in Australia. We are calling for all formply to use wood sourced from plantation timbers. Our first target is government projects, as the relevant Minister has the power to ensure that the purchasing policy stipulates no rainforest formply. The campaign has been initiated to help save the diminishing rainforests of south east Asia and also raise the standard of formply so worker safety is not jeopardised.

New allowance for MPs - $5.5 million cost to NSW taxpayers

With less than one year to go to the state election you would expect the major parties to be a little cautious about being seen to dip into the public purse. Caution however was thrown out the window with the announcement of a new allowance to each member of the Legislative Assembly of up to $70,000 per annum. This new allowance, at a total cost of $5.5 million a year, will allow MPs to advertise their achievements by printing glossy newsletters and mailing them to voters.

The Carr government worked hard to sneak this one through. At about 5 pm on a Friday evening, when journalists were frantic with their deadlines and the week was over, the government quietly issued a media release. Interestingly none of the Sydney media received it so when the Greens office was tipped off to this latest pollies' perk we went into overdrive and got the story out. It was extensively covered in the media.
This allowance will particularly benefit Labor, which holds the majority of marginal seats. The allowance will cover two or three direct mailings between now and the election, which could well be crucial to keeping the incumbents in power.

IN PARLIAMENT

Since the last SDC parliament has sat nine days. The government's legislative program has picked up momentum, with Labor preparing for the 2003 state election.

Labor goes for a police and prisons budget

Labor's 8th budget is all about winning the 2003 election by fanning community fears on crime and race. The working poor and the unemployed are now Labor's forgotten people. For most of them the only time they will see any of this year's budget expenditure is if they end up in one of their new gaols. The prison system gets an extra $83 million, the police service an extra $131 million, but the Department of Community of Services only picks up an extra $48 million. The budget has no significant new measures in the environment portfolio. While there are some useful programs in the areas of public transport and health the Carr Labor government has been grossly irresponsible in its budget allocations.

Forestry Minister caught lying over tree poisoning

The Westminster tradition of government ministers resigning when they lie to parliament is well and truly dead in NSW. At the end of October last year Minister for Forest Mr Yeadon in a reply to a question I had asked about tree poisoning in State Forests stated that the practice had been stopped. Leaked emails from the Treasurer's office a few weeks ago showed this not to be the case. One email stated "… we are still poisoning trees after the Minister … said the operation is suspended". The leaked emails from December last year also proved that the tree poisoning operations are linked with the proposed Mogo Charcoal Plant.

Carr Labor govt scams on public liability

A bullying Labor Government and a weak Opposition have delivered a new public liability regime in NSW that will result in many injury victims being forced to drop just claims. Community organisations already hard hit by spiralling insurance costs can take no comfort from this new legislation, as even the government was unable to offer any guarantee that their new public liability regime will reduce premiums.
Greens amendments to ensure that the Civil Liability Bill applies only to injuries that occur after the bill had passed parliament and to establish an inquiry into the effects of the bill on premiums and injured people were defeated. The Greens voted against the bill in its entirety.
During the debate in the Legislative Council the Greens MPs argued that the retrospectivity provision in the legislation will deliver yet more windfall profit to insurance companies without having any effect on premiums and that the Civil Liability Bill is a callous experiment on injured people.

Carr shamed by Tibet

Bob Carr's image took a battering when he refused to intervene to stop the censoring of some panels in a Tibetan exhibition held in the parliamentary foyer. We pushed hard for the government to reverse its shameful decision. When that failed we worked closely with the Australia Tibet Council to find a new venue. The power of the Chinese trade dollar also cowered Labor in Queensland where the Beattie government banned the exhibition in its entirety.

Cannabis law reform campaign

The week after the NSW parliament did the sensible thing and agreed to extend the trial of the Kings Cross safe injecting room, all the old stereotypes were wheeled out when I moved to disallow the regulation that allows sniffer dogs to be used on train lines without police having to obtain a search warrant. Despite repeated requests the Minister for Police did not release any data on the work of the police sniffer dog teams. The fact that they could not inform the House of how many people have been arrested, what drugs have been seized and in what quantities highlight that sniffer dogs are a publicity driven exercise to help boost Labor's law and order rhetoric. Not surprisingly the major parties combined to defeat our disallowance motion.

For details on any bills (including copies of amendments or transcripts of debate) ring The Greens parliamentary office or visit the Parliament's website at www.parliament.nsw.gov.au

MEDIA SUMMARY - April 12 to June 14 2002

This is not a complete listing and does not include the considerable coverage wire services such as AAP give to our work, or our coverage in local papers.

NEWS STORIES: Mogo Charcoal Plant - Sydney Morning Herald, Illawarra Mercury, 2SM news, ABC radio and online, Sniffer dogs and cannabis law reform - Age, Sydney Morning Herald, Daily Telegraph, 2SM, ABC radio and online Political party donations - Daily Telegraph, Illawarra Mercury, ABC, Australian Financial Review; MP's allowances - Sydney Morning Herald; Timbarra rehabilitation - ABC north west radio, Peace in Palestine rally - Daily Telegraph, Police Minister's allowance - Ch 10 news, 2 SM news, Newcastle Herald, Illawarra Mercury; Gay age of consent - ABC radio and online; Bus commuters still dissatisfied - Newcastle Herald; Upper House prospects -Sun Herald, Daily Telegraph; Ban on semi-automatic pistols - ABC radio and online, Adelaide commercial radio; Winnable seats and Labor women - Sydney Morning Herald, Australian; Toxic fertiliser - Sydney Morning Herald, 2SM Hugh Saddler show; Bail Act - ABC radio and online; MP advertising budget -Channel 2 news, Sydney Morning Herald (3 times), Australian, Daily Telegraph, ABC and most commercial radio news programs, Newcastle Herald; Public liability - Sydney Morning Herald, 2GB Alan Jones show, ABC news, 2SM news, Nova 96.9; Cabramatta policing - Sydney Morning Herald, Channel 2 news; Sandon Point development - ABC Illawarra, Prime TV news; Forestry Minister lies over poisoned trees - Canberra Times, Sydney Morning Herald, ABC radio and online, Lucas Height nuclear reactor - 2GB news, Sale of Maroubra High School - ABC radio, Timor Gap Treaty - 2SERFM,
FEATURES: Victory for people power - Daily Telegraph, Local council corruption - Sydney Morning Herald, Perspective on political party donations - 5 minutes on ABC Radio National; Globalisation - 40 mins with James O'Loghlin, 2BL ABC radio; Warringah local council - Sydney Morning Herald.

SPOKE AT THE FOLLOWING EVENTS

· Power Panel at the Enviro Fair, Taree
· After Dinner Speech at the NSW Teachers Federation Representatives & Women's Contact Training Session
· Greens Women Workshop on media skills and public speaking
· Greens on Sunday-speaker on my work as part of the International Peace Mission to the Philippines.
· Stanmore Public School-spoke on Parliamentary process to amazing year 5&6 students, who knew about optional preferential voting.
· Marrickville Greens meeting
· Charcoal Plant / Forest Rally - Martin Place
· Rally for Peace in Palestine, Sydney
· Hunter Regional Greens, Cessnock
· Sustainable Housing Forum at Ecological Homes Display Day, Marrickville.
· University of NSW History lecture on history of the environment movement and the Greens Party
· No to the war on terror meeting, Greek Club Lakemba

SOME EVENTS ATTENDED

· Public Education Dinner-Parliament House
· Briefing from The Wilderness Society on Gunns (woodchip company) campaign
· Public Education Day, Kegworth Public School- Leichhardt
· Tour of the Medically Supervised Injecting Centre with other Cross-Bench Members
· Cuban Delegation meeting in Parliament
· Dinner with Vietnamese Ambassador, Legislative Council President and other guests
· Show Mercy Concert, Town Hall
· South Coast May Day Committee Dinner, Wollongong
· Meet the Candidates Forum - Greens preselection, Sydney
· Parliamentary Theatrette opening of the Tibet Exhibition
· Lunch and seminar with Ambassadors from the Middle East

MEMBER OF FOLLOWING COMMITTEES, COUNCILS ETC

· Inquiry into Policing in Cabramatta (General Purpose Standing Comm - Legislative Council)
· General Purpose Standing Committee No 4 - reviewing police, industrial relations, attorney general and fair trading
· Inquiry into Senior Appointments in the Dept of Corrective Services
· Advisory Committee of the Global Concerns Research Centre (providing in-depth research on asylum seeker and refugee topics)
· Council of University of NSW
· President of the Vegan Society
· Board of the Australian Mekong Committee, Sydney University
· Steering Committee of UNSW Ecoliving Program

CONTACT WITH OUR OFFICE

Ph 9230-3551 Fax 9230-3550

John Kaye - policy adviser john.kaye@parliament.nsw.gov.au
Andrew Burke - legal adviser andrew.burke@parliament.nsw.gov.au
Dan Cass - outreach coordinator and media dan.cass@parliament.nsw.gov.au

If you have trouble reaching our office by phone we apologise. We endeavour to answer all phone calls within two days and all correspondence within two weeks. Our workload continues to increase so we very much appreciate the assistance we are receiving from a number of volunteers to manage the inquiries that we receive.

E-BRIEF

We produce a regular email bulletin providing information on our work in Parliament, a summary of Greens media, "what's on", and juicy bits of information. It's a great way to keep up to date on Greens events and views. To subscribe email to lee.rhiannon@parliament.nsw.gov.au with "E-Brief subscribe" as the subject.