The Greens candidate in Cowper throws down the gauntlet in front of Luke Hartsuyker

The Greens candidate in Cowper, Carol Vernon, has sent out this letter to the media.

Letter to Editor

Dear Mr Hartsuyker

It appears that you will not debate your fellow candidates in Cowper, anywhere or at any time.

Are you so sure of being elected that you can't even be bothered to defend your National Party policies, policies I presume you enthusiastically believe and therefore want your electorate to know?

For example do the Nationals have costed policies on schools, workers rights, affordable housing, job creation from a renewable energy industry and climate change? Perhaps you just completely follow the secretively costed and deliberately sketchy policies of your big brother Liberals?

We would like to hear what you think about the coal seam gas mining that threatens the farms and water in the north of Cowper.

We wait with baited breath to hear if you believe the short term 'jobs ' of minerals mining in our rivers' headwaters will justify the pollution of our rivers and the ensuing shock to our tourism, dairying, beef, fishing and food production industries, let alone the poisoning of our water supplies. And yes, we have seen too many broken promises about mining safeguards to believe your reassurances. Too many National Party politicians move on to safe jobs in the mining industry for us to swallow environmental platitudes.

Are you concerned that your children and grandchildren will be living in a much warmer climate in a land devastated by fires, droughts, flood and storms or do you believe climate change is 'crap' like your coalition leader?

If the candidate for Richmond can debate the Prime Minister surely you are not reluctant to debate a sixty-eight year old female retired educator?

Yours sincerely

Carol Vernon

Greens candidate for Cowper