Save our Solar

Protestors converged on State Parliament early on 8 May, calling for areal feed-in tariff, not more hot air after the Premier's Climate Summit. Green MLCs Colleen Hartland and Greg Barber were there. Photos: Peter Campbell.

Clearways protest

On 8 May, traders from Melbourne's inner city shopping strips gathered in Bridge Rd Richmond to protest against the Brumby government's proposed clearway extensions. Organiser Herschel Landes pointed out that the government should not be using shopping strips as traffic corridors, and that the longer clearways would damage amenity and community connectedness as well as business.

He said the solution to congestion was better public transport, not extended clearways, and that many small, independent traders would be forced out of business if the proposal went ahead. Further protests are planned in the coming weeks. Photo: Dani Peipert.

Greens candidate for Gippsland announced

_06-05-2008

Yarragon doctor Malcolm McKelvie is the Greens candidate for the Gippsland by-election on 28 June. As a local doctor he knows that the health services are stretched to the limit. But furthermore Mr McKelvie wants the country to be future-proofed in a range of areas - climate change, education, establishing renewable energy industries. More

"Coffee Break" for Fairtrade

_24-04-2008

During the Fairtrade Fortnight (3-17 May 2008) Oxfam Australia and the Fair Trade Association encourage you, your workplace, community, school or home to hold a "Coffee Break" by providing participating organisations with appropriate resources.

Fairtrade Coffee is an everyday opportunity to eradicate poverty and build up social justice. Join this event and be a part of Australia as the fastest growing Fairtrade market in the world.

More about Fairtrade Fortnight

Photo: OxfamAUS

State Council meeting in Bendigo

_21-04-2008

Colleen Hartland (MLC for Western Metropolitan), Michele Fountain (Australian delegate to the upcoming Global Greens Conference to be held in Sao Paulo, Brazil) and Sue Pennicuik (MLC for Southern Metropolitan) enjoy their lunch break at the recent State Council meeting, held at Bendigo Trades Hall.

Eddington report - what about Caroline Springs and the Melton Line?

Colleen Hartland MLC has made a preliminary assessment of the Eddington Report for the Caroline Springs area.

"The biggest missing item in the report is the electrification of the Melton/ Bacchus Marsh line, with a new station at Caroline Springs. It's either not in the report, or you need a backhoe to find it. This is a high priority, and so we'll need to crank up the community campaign." More

A better way

There’s a better way to cut traffic congestion and make Melbourne a Greener city.

Our city is choking on cars and trucks.

Expanded, frequent, fast, clean and safe public transport can shift large numbers of people to where they want to go. It will cut congestion and make travelling easier for those who still need to use their cars. The shift has already started. State Government needs to get on board.

You only need to travel to a city where public transport works, to see the possibilities. They’re not all in Europe. Many are in America, and even Perth is moving this way.

Many of Melbourne’s local councils, from the inner city, to the suburbs and the outer fringes, are backing this vision. There is a better way. More

A sustainable Grand Prix is an oxymoron

Nothing can save this event.

It was not socially sustainable to 'enhance' our people's playground - sacrificing five ovals and 1000 trees so that a foreign juggernaut of concrete, crassness and commercialism could smother much of the park for three months every year. More

$5 million stupid answer

^15-03-2008

Victorian Greens MLC Greg Barber has called the Eddington inquiry into Melbourne's transport links a "$5 million dollar farce" and said that a north-south road tunnel is a foregone conclusion. This is despite an earlier inquiry (the 2003 Northern Central City Corridor Study) concluding that a tunnel could not be justified on either environmental or economic grounds.

"I guess if you ask a stupid question, you get a stupid answer", he said. More

Greens announce candidate to take on John So

The Greens have today officially announced that Adam Bandt will be their candidate for Lord Mayor in this year's Melbourne City Council elections.

"Melbourne is currently choking on cars. We're in a climate change emergency, but John Brumby is planning to throw fuel onto the fire by funnelling more cars into the city. Local representatives John So, Bronwyn Pike and Lindsay Tanner are watching from the sidelines. We need someone to stand up for Melbourne and offer an alternative vision," Mr Bandt said. More

Channel deepening economics come under spotlight

Greens MLC Sue Pennicuik successfully moved to have the economics of the channel deepening project referred to the new upper house Standing Committee on Finance and Public Administration in Parliament.

The motion was supported by the Liberal and National Parties and the DLP and opposed by the government in parliament last night. More

Who will press the red button?

Greens MP Sue Pennicuik said in Parliament today that is unclear who will press the red button to stop dredging if the Port of Melbourne exceeds environmental limits in the Environmental Management Plan during channel deepening.

'Pushing the red button is a convoluted and time consuming process,' she said.

'The Environmental Monitor, Mick Bourke, has said he doesn’t have the power to stop the dredge or intervene,' she said. More

Photo, and pictured: David Ellis

Say YES to Doncaster rail Manningham Council has put PT4Me2 campaign billboards up at strategic locations around the city. Maribyrnong Greens Councillor and Metropolitan Transport Forum Chairperson Janet Rice recently joined Manningham Mayor in a local joint-Council promotion of the PT4Me2 campaign. This sign on Doncaster Road on the corner opposite Shoppingtown is seen by thousands of people daily. Find out more about the PT4Me2 campaign

More stories in the Archives.