Green Eggs and Spam
by Cat Holloway /
Persistence, not resistance, is The Greens' real power.
I woke up this morning to a third unsolicited, but perfectly legal, Trumpet of Patriots text. Their toxic coal-dusted advertising money is wasted on me. It’s even easier to ignore texts than to bin the paper brochures stuffed in my mailbox.
Forget politicians and their spin. More dangerous are lying or lazy journalists.
A politician is an influencer, whose job during an election campaign is to persuade voters that their needs will be represented. We should treat them with healthy skepticism.
But a journalist’s job is to tell the truth. We should be able to trust them.
Truth is elusive and journalists are not perfect. But media that manipulates instead of at least attempting accuracy or completeness is a virus that infects us all.
Take, for example, two of this weekend's news articles that scrambled environmental facts and Greens policy.
Sky News’ “political commentator” Louise Roberts claimed “the hard-left Greens preferenced social engineering ahead of saving the planet" using “the language of class warfare” in their plan to pay for health, education and a fast shift to renewables by (shock-horror) taxing the uber-rich.
She then used her own militant descriptors to assert The Greens would “break a social contract” to “tear up negative gearing and detonate discounts on capital gains tax for investors.”
“What about the landlords who rely on negative gearing just to keep their heads above water?" Roberts cried.
Cue the laugh track. Where do they get these jokers?
Negative gearing doesn’t earn you money, it's a loss that helps you avoid taxes.
The Greens are used to shielding themselves from self-serving slime flung by Sky News and funded by millions from right-wing Liberal Party marketing machines like Advance.
Anyone with brains enough to question the source knows the information is bogus, to put it politely.
But when the Sydney Morning Herald’s National Environment and Climate Editor pens a feature article about Gilmore’s crucial climate change debate and doesn’t even once mention The Greens, you know something is off with our mainstream commercial media.
The print headline declared; “Third choice joins fight for climate change battleground”, and went on to say Kate Dezarnaulds’ “intrusion serves to highlight … the evanescent role of climate change and the environment in this election.”
Kate Dezarnaulds is indeed a compelling independent candidate campaigning hard for clean energy and ecological protection. That's why Greens have her at Number 2 on their How To Vote card. But if you relied on the Sydney Morning Herald (or the South Coast Register or local commercial radio for that matter) for information about the environment in politics, you might think The Greens were actually The Invisibles.
The fact is Greens preferences provided Fiona Phillips her last narrow victory and gifted the Labor Party the 77 seats needed to govern without deals with any Greens or independents.
If money talks then Dezarnaulds, who preferenced Greens second on her personal ballot, is working admirably with about ten times the amount of money that Gilmore's Green candidate, Debbie Killian has to spend. Both budgets are still vastly lower than local Liberal or Labor campaign funds.
But if history matters, Gilmore Greens first ran a federal candidate in 1993 and have persistently lobbied on climate change and renewable energy since the 1970s.
Time hasn't broken the Green's Cassandra Curse, something party pioneer, Bob Brown, acknowledged as its fate. In Greek mythology, Cassandra's jilted suitor, Apollo, gifted her the power to accurately predict the future, then doomed her to always be disbelieved.
Despite decades of dismissal and disdain, Green policies are gradually gaining ground.
Listen to the four main candidates: (Labor, Liberal, Independent and Greens) on last week’s Triple U Community Radio’s Chance and Bec Brekkie Show. It’s one of the most invigorating discussions I’ve heard during this campaign and shows just how the bar for debate has been raised by three articulate, knowledgeable and progressive Gilmore women.
Who’s Afraid of the Big Green Wolf
Thanks to Sky News and the Murdoch press terrifying their aging demographic about the Green “agenda”, there is local publicity for the party that has agitated and strategised for change in Australian politics for 50 years.
Given the regional information deserts and the success of far-right lobby groups on social media, it’s no surprise that so many independent media outlets (like Spark) openly lean green, albeit reluctantly.
It’s also no wonder that Local & Independent Media Association grants (like Spark’s) exist to balance the scales for covering existential environmental issues - even if that is a David vs Goliath battle.
So, amid the cacophony of commentary vilifying Greens and the deafening silence excluding them, consider, before you vote, these examples of respected, establishment experts engaging with Greens policy, and enthusiastically endorsing it.
Each is a worthy story untold by mainstream media. But with just six sleeps until voting day, I urge you to feel this groundswell of support for planet-first policy.
Mainstream media is slow to join the Greens dance party, but industry, academia, science and community leaders are already singing from the same songbook.
Bloody greenies. Not so extreme after all.
Greens: Healthy environment = Strong economy
“Young workers are being robbed by a tax system that relies increasingly upon fiscal drag. Fiscal drag forces them to pay higher and higher average tax rates, even if their real incomes are falling.”
“You simply can’t achieve something like that by accident. Reckless indifference, perhaps. Wilful acts of bastardry, more likely. Accident, no."
“We have political leaders who insist that mining and forestry underwrite Australian prosperity. I will state it plainly. Those who believe this nonsense cannot be trusted with the wellbeing of future generations.”
Rayna Fahey
Biodiversity Council Election Assessment
The Biodiversity Council is an independent expert group founded by 11 Australian universities to promote evidence-based solutions to Australia’s biodiversity crisis. It released this month a comparative assessment of political commitments.
Hugh Possingham, former Chief Scientist of the Queensland Government, Co-Chief Councillor of the Biodiversity Council, and Professor of Environmental Science and Mathematics at the University of Queensland.
“We found Labor’s nature-related policies to be minimal and the Coalition's a failure. The majority of Australians are likely to feel very disappointed by what Australia’s two major political parties are promising for nature."
“The Australian Greens policies ranked highly, and if enacted through a balance of power situation, could deliver meaningful improvements in the state of Australia’s environment.”
Sarah Bekessy, Biodiversity Council Lead Councillor and Professor of Sustainability from RMIT University.
“Our recent research found that 96% of Australians believe that more action is needed to look after the natural environment, with over half (58%) agreeing that ‘a lot more’ or ‘a great deal more’ action is necessary."
“Three quarters of Australians support support strengthening environmental laws to protect nature and almost everyone (95%) believes that more of the federal budget should be dedicated to nature protection.”
Jan McDonald, Biodiversity Council member and Professor of Environmental Law, University of Tasmania
“The Australian Government currently spends an embarrassing $0.06 in every $100 on caring for nature."
“Australia’s environmental laws are currently ineffective. They don’t protect nature, are open to political interference, and are poorly enforced."
“Avoiding harm to nature is cheaper than trying to fix it. Having and enforcing strong laws is a cost-effective step we can take now to reduce the bill for future generations.”
Net Zero by 2035
Greens: Stop new coal and gas. Expand publicly-owned renewable energy and create new jobs. End native forest logging. Subsidise solar batteries. End fossil fuel subsidies, except agriculture. Halt wildlife extinction.
"To achieve net zero, Australia must do more than invest in renewable energy and reduce emissions – it must reinvent its economy."
"Creating a nature-positive advantage found that repairing and restoring Australia’s precious natural capital could boost Australia’s national income by AU$47 billion by 2050."
"More than 80% of Australian emissions are covered by abatement incentives, and almost all our trading partners have committed to net zero by 2050. The transition is happening at full speed – but to successfully navigate the net zero journey, we need a step-change in how governments and businesses work together."
Declan McManus, Co-Leader, Ernst & Young Net Zero Centre and Partner, Infrastructure Advisory
"We must race towards net zero as the rest of the world decarbonises too."
Dr. Steve Hatfield-Dodds
Tax Reform
Greens: 40% tax on excess profits for big corporations with over $100m in turnover. 10% tax on net wealth Australia’s 150 billionaires. Raising $514 billion to fund public health and education and infrastructure.
Dr Richard Denniss, Executive Director of the Australia Institute
"Tax is an investment in our society and it is no accident that the highest taxed countries in the world are also the richest, most productive and happiest countries in the world.
"Australia is a low tax country. If we were to collect the average amount of tax collected by OECD countries, then this year we'd have collected an extra hundred billion in tax."
"Australia is one of the richest countries in the world we're the third biggest fossil fuel exporter in the world. In Saudi Arabia when the price of oil goes up they feel rich and in Qatar when the price of gas goes up they feel rich. But we've so cooked our tax system that in Australia...when the price of oil and gas and coal go up, we feel poor. We call it an energy crisis. We call it a cost of living crisis."
"In Norway, which is also a big fossil fuel exporter, they tax their fossil fuel industry and give their kids free university education. In Australia, we subsidise the fossil fuel industry - we give more than half of the gas we export away for free and we charge our kids a fortune to go to uni."
Housing
Greens: Wind back negative gearing and capital gains tax discounts for investors with more than one investment property.
Dr. Cassandra Goldie, CEO of the Australian Council of Social Service:
“Australia’s absurdly generous tax breaks are supercharging the housing crisis and rising inequality in our society."
“As long as our tax system encourages speculative investment in housing, the housing affordability crisis won’t be solved just by building more homes.”
“Politicians claim that “mum and dad” investors are the ones benefiting from these concessions – but our analysis shows that the wealthiest 10% own two thirds of investment property.
“Instead of tinkering with people’s tax returns, we need proper tax reform that includes curbing negative gearing and capital gains tax concessions that drive up home prices and inequality."
Greens: Government developer to build/sell/rent affordable housing.
"Given the abject failure of the private market to provide affordable housing, it is past time for governments to invest in the development of social housing."
"This is the only way that every Australian can have a safe and secure place to call home."
“The federal government must step up and change course based on the overwhelming evidence that the status quo will not solve the crisis."
“Without ambitious action and increased funding for social housing, we risk becoming a more divided country. In order to build a good society and a fair society, the federal government must act urgently..."
Solar for Renters
Greens: $500 million for Social Housing Energy Performance Initiative to lower power prices for tenants. Cap rent increases. Build public housing.
Chantelle Ogilvie-Ellis, Lead Organiser, Sydney Alliance:
"We are pleased to see the Greens commit to expanding the Social Housing Energy Performance Initiative. A policy like this complements Labor’s recent battery program and ensures more people benefit from long-term energy savings as we work toward net-zero emissions."
Heidi Douglas, Solar Citizens CEO:
“The Greens' Renters Rights to Solar proposal shows that the Commonwealth has options—if they are willing to take them. We need to see that leadership from whoever forms government in the next term.”
Leo Patterson-Ross, CEO, Tenants Union of NSW
“This policy is a clear and sensible attempt to address the financial barriers stopping renters from seeing lower energy bills and sustainable energy in their home. However it does depend on a tenant making the request."
SydAll Admin
Native Forests
Greens: End native forest logging
"Native forest logging is a broken industry. The reality is that the native forest industry has cost the state literally billions of dollars over the last 20 years, and it still makes a substantial loss."
"Stopping native forest logging is essential to decreasing fire risk. Forests are more flammable for up to 70 years after they are logged and regenerated, with the increased fire risk adding further to carbon emissions."
"The scientific and economic evidence overwhelmingly supports ending native forest logging—not only to protect biodiversity and water supplies but also to reduce bushfire risk and limit economic losses."
AUKUS
Greens: Withdraw from AUKUS and renegotiate Australia in ANZUS. Pursue Independent peace-based foreign policy agenda focused on relationships with regional neighbours. Save Australia $73 billion over the next ten years.
“AUKUS was a poor decision made in secret, bereft of parliamentary and public consultation.
“Our government must now review the AUKUS agreement and consider other and more cost-effective options.”
“AUKUS (denies) diplomatic options and the means to prioritise our self-defence measures.
“Instead, AUKUS embeds us further in the US war machine – a choice that is certainly not in Australia’s best interest. China’s and Australia’s vital interests and priorities coincide on trade and prosperity, and certainly not war or maintaining US primacy in the Indo-Pacific.”
Gaza
Greens: Condemn civilian killings in Gaza, West Bank, Lebanon, Israel.
For peace, Australian and global communities must work together to end the Israeli occupation of Palestine and the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.
Reverend Charissa Suli, President of the Uniting Church in Australia
"Gaza is in the grip of war, occupation and catastrophic humanitarian crisis. Its people endure unrelenting violence, the destruction of homes, hospitals and essential infrastructure, the injury and death of loved ones, and the trauma of forced displacement."
“Australia has a moral, spiritual and humanitarian responsibility to those fleeing war and violence. We must not close the door on those in need or unjustly target an already traumatised community."
Education
Greens: Free, universal early childhood education and care.
Maddy Butler The Parenthood Campaign Director:
“If we want to talk about bringing costs down for Australian families, this (policy) is how we do it.
“Early education and care is an essential service for families. It not only enables parents to return to work after the birth of a child, it is shown to benefit the long term health and wellbeing of children.
“Families need immediate relief from the high costs of early childhood education and care so that every child has the opportunity to access the benefits. Making it free would be a game-changer for parents.”
Greens: Eliminate public school fees and provide $800 annual back-to-school allowance for every child in a public school. Cost = $10 million
Dianne Giblin, CEO,Australian Council of State School Organisations (ACSSO)
"This initiative directly addresses the financial strain parents are experiencing, with average public-school cost averaging $500 annually.”
The Greens’ proposal offers a lifeline to parents already stretched thin by the cost-of-living crisis, making public education truly accessible for all."
"An average family with two children stands to be $2,500 better off annually under this proposal which could make a real difference for families deciding whether they can afford extracurricular opportunities or even basic resources."
Medicare
Greens: See the GP for free. Cover dental health under Medicare. Make mental healthcare free by removing the cap on subsidised sessions.
Dr Nicole Higgins, President, The Royal Australian College of GPs (RACGP):
“The Greens’ policy shows a clear understanding of the investment needed to increase access to affordable GP care for all Australians, after decades of underfunding and the Medicare freeze."
Lesley Russell, Associate Professor, Menzies Centre for Health Policy, USYD
"Such an expansive scheme is very expensive. This has been costed at A$77.6 billion over the next decade, funded with new taxes on big corporations and billionaires... that is very unlikely to fly, given both the Coalition and Labor view new taxes and tax reforms as political poison."
