Sunday, May 20, 2012
Posted by Jim on August 26, 2010
Keep up to date on issues in the Wide Bay electorate and the corresponding State electorates, especially Maryborough, Gympie and Noosa here.
We’ll be back shortly. I’m the spokesperson for the Greens in Wide Bay and will soon have posts up on
for starters.
Jim McDonald Greens spokesperson, Wide Bay electorate, 26 August 2010
Posted by admin on July 17, 2010
“I offer the electorate experienced and stable leadership, and the progressive policies and clear vision for Australia’s future which the big parties are ignoring,” Australian Greens Leader Senator Brown said in Canberra today.
“Moving forward will mean a carbon tax on polluters; bringing home safely Australia’s troops from Afghanistan; a universal dental care scheme; humane treatment of asylum seekers in Australia; protecting our forests and wildlife.”
“This election is also about the Senate and a strong cross-bench delivering better outcomes for Australians. The Greens are the responsible alternative to a deadlocked Abbott controlled Senate.”
“The Greens will campaign strongly on environmental issues including climate change action, the creation of marine national parks, protecting native forests and wildlife and saving the Darling Downs farmlands from 40,000 coal seam gas drill holes and open cut coal mines,” Senator Brown said.
Posted by admin on July 14, 2010
A two-to-one majority of Australians approve of the role the Australian Greens play in the Senate according to a Galaxy research poll.
The national poll of 1009 voters taken last weekend found 55% approved of the role the Greens played and only 28% disapproved.
Ahead of an address to the National Press Club in Canberra today, Australian Greens Leader Senator Bob Brown said the Greens had shown the judgement and ability to negotiate and compromise in the interests of the Australian community.
“Without the Greens there would be oppositional deadlock in Parliament.
“Unlike the Coalition, the Greens negotiated with the Government to pass the economic stimulus package last year which saved Australia from recession.
“Raising the pension, fortnightly childcare rebates and fixing the renewable energy target are all results delivered by the Greens.
“We will continue to represent Australians on issues we know are important to them – For example, a carbon prices, getting our troops safely out of Afghanistan, decent treatment for asylum seekers and an end to native forest logging.”
Posted by admin on June 18, 2010
The Australian Greens will move for an amendment to section 96 of the Constitution – the section which sets out that the Commonwealth may grant financial assistance to the states on such terms and conditions as it thinks fit – to add the words ‘and local government’.
Addressing the Australian Local Government Association National General Assembly today Senator Brown said that recognising local government in the Constitution is ALP policy and was a promise made by Mr. Rudd in the 2007 election campaign.
“But there’s been no action,” said Senator Brown.
“At the start of the next period of Government, the Greens will present a bill to the Senate for this referendum.
“Previous attempts, in 1974 and 1988, to have the status of local government recognised through a referendum failed because of the confusing nature of the questions put to the Australian voters.”
Posted by Jim on May 29, 2010
Coal survey maps suggest that large swathes of land from Bundaberg to the Mary Valley could end up as open-cut coal mines. This is adjacent to, and in some cases covers, tourist areas, sensitive environmental areas including watercourses and wetlands, State forests, national parks and viable farmland. It extends to the Mary Valley and the Mary River. Figure 1 is a map of the various coal basins in South-East Queensland.
Figure 1: Coal Basins in South-East Queensland
Source: http://www.dme.qld.gov.au/zone_files/coal_files_pdf/se_qld_coal_map_08.pdf,
accessed 24 May 2010
Figure 1 shows very clearly that the Maryborough Basin intrudes upon Bundaberg and Maryborough and extends as far south as Gympie and into the Mary Valley.
Posted by Jim on May 25, 2010
Young voters who will turn 18 before the end of the year should enrol with the Australian Electoral Commission as soon as possible to ensure they get a vote in the 2010 Federal Election. However, while 17 year olds can enrol, they are not eligible to vote until they turn 18.
The Greens candidate for Wide Bay, Dr Jim McDonald, said that he was afraid that many new voters would put off enrolling because no-one except the Prime Minister had a clue when he was going to call an election. And it would be easy to miss out.
“I would encourage all young people who are 17 years old and whose 18th birthday is before the end of the year to enrol early.”
Dr McDonald said the electoral rolls will close only three days after an election is called and a writ issued.
This limitation was introduced by the Howard Government and it has been left there by the Rudd Government.
“The provision makes it easy for the youngest voters to miss out,” he said.
Voters can find enrolment forms through the following outlets:
If you are a new young voter and you are both 17 years old and an Australian citizen, you may enrol before your 18th birthday, but you are not entitled to vote until you turn 18.
If your 18th birthday falls between the announcement of the election [that is, date of the writ] and polling day and you have not already applied for provisional enrolment, you have until the close of rolls 3 days after the election is called to apply for enrolment. After that, you will not be able to vote in the 2010 election.
So the window for enrolling is a small one.
You should check the information required on the enrolment form to ensure you have satisfied all the requirements and/or visit the Australian Electoral Commission web page for further information.
Posted by Jim on May 10, 2010
The Greens candidate for Wide Bay, Dr Jim McDonald, said that he didn’t expect the budget would bring much joy to the electorate.
He said the Government’s performance so far had left Wide Bay voters in the lurch.
“Where is the improvement of health services? Gympie and Maryborough hospitals need to be upgraded to service the region and take pressure off Nambour Hospital. Mr Rudd’s Health tour bypassed the electorate.
“Public patients in the west of the electorate have to travel to Toowoomba Hospital for some health services.
“This is a ludicrous arrangement that represents a failure of the Rudd and Howard Governments and the State Government.
“The region needs a decent rail system to connect it to the rest of South-east Queensland, but will Mr Swan deliver the necessary infrastructure funds?” he asked
“There is little evidence of planning for the Mary Valley. The ill-conceived Traveston Dam project ripped apart the the Mary Valley. The Federal Government needs to step in and ensure that the region becomes the food bowl for South-East Queensland. The lack of planning means no budget allocation.
“This is an immediate priority for managing food security in the face of climate change. But, the Rudd Government appears to have dropped its bundle on meaningful climate change measures.”
Dr McDonald said that a productive Mary Valley would also provide sorely needed jobs for the region.
“A responsible Budget would take a whole of region approach to sustainable job creation, infrastructure support, and improvement of services.
“There is little evidence of that,” he said.
Media Release 10 May 2009
Posted by Jim on April 22, 2010
Greens candidate, Dr Jim McDonald, said “There will be no preference deals in Wide Bay for the Federal election.”
He was responding on comments yesterday by the National Member for Wide Bay, Hon Warren Truss and National Senator Ron Boswell.
The National Party parliamentarians said that there might be a pre-election deal between Labor and the Greens.
“Senator Boswell and Mr Truss are guilty of misinformation,” he said. “At the last Federal election, the Greens made no preference deals with any party in Wide Bay and the Nationals have made no approach to the Branch for talks on any issues.
“Wide Bay Greens have already decided not to preference any party at the next Federal election. The Branch is adamant that there should be no preference deals because of Coalition lack of environmental policies and Labor’s policies on refugees. WAIT! There is more to read… read on »
Posted by Jim on April 13, 2010
Gross population figures by themselves are irrelevant. Whatever number Australia reaches by 2050 or 3000, the present growth trend will take Australia beyond the projected 35 million in Treasury’s forecasts.
The discussion about how big Australia’s population has to be, first, can we sustain the number? That means: do we have enough water? Do we degrade the environment by digging more coal pits and pumping more CO2 into the atmosphere? What efficient infrastructure do we need to reduce our reliance on oil to provide rapid and convenient transportation? What directions should education planning take to provide a skilled workforce that is not reliant on immigration? What technological developments that do not degrade air quality or add to toxic waste production can assist the necessary growth in productivity. To what extent can government encourage the necessary research? How do we go about protecting and utilising the most productive land for food cropping when so much has been alienated by urban spread? Should we expand the protection of forests and to what extent should we expand existing plantations?
The population question generates questions on a very wide range of policy issues and that is why Bob Brown’s call for a review is the most savvy response to the current discussion. However, if the discussion continues on in the vein of Gerard Henderson’s commentary, it will be nothing more than a fatuous focus on political spin. The future of the Australian population is not a one-dimensional question that political spin will resolve. The nation’s future requires a whole-of-picture approach and neither Mr Rudd nor Mr Abbott have demonstrated the vision for the future, which our politicians owe us all.
Letter to the Editor, Sydney Morning Herald, 13 April 2010 [unpublished]
Posted by Jim on April 10, 2010
The Queensland Greens candidate for Wide Bay, Dr Jim McDonald, said that patients in the Wide Bay electorate have missed out on improvements to regional cancer services announced on Friday by Prime Minister Rudd.
“Nothing in Mr Rudd’s announcements will help those patients in the Wide Bay electorate who still have to travel up to 250km each way for some major cancer services.”
He said it is outrageous that unwell public patients in the west of the electorate have to undertake an arduous four or five hour round trip to access the nuclear medicine facilities at Toowoomba.
“For the most part, Mr Rudd’s announcements will benefit public patients requiring cancer treatment in marginal or Labor electorates, but not in our electorate.
“Where are the improvements needed to service the region at the Maryborough and Gympie hospitals?
“People in the west of the Wide Bay electorate worry about losing their existing hospitals. The fact that Wide Bay missed out on Mr Rudd’s largesse will do nothing to lessen those fears.
“Labor’s announcements are coming hard up against an election this year so Wide Bay voters would understandably be cynical about being left out again.
“The Liberal-National Government failed regional Australians in health for twelve years and the Rudd Labor Government has merely picked at the bones of health policy where it sees the possibility of votes.
“People in the Wide Bay electorate aren’t holding their breath to see whether any of the Prime Minister’s argy bargy with State Premiers will actually bring any real benefits to the hospital system in our region.”
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