Grafton Loop of the Knitting Nannas speaking plainly to the Minister for Climate Change & Energy and Labor MP for Prospect (NSW), Chris Bowen

 

Hon Chris Bowen

Minister for Climate Change and Energy

Parliament House

CANBERRA ACT

Email:

EnergyMinisters@industry.gov.au

Chris.Bowen.MP@aph.gov.au

Dear Minister Bowen

Federal Government Climate Policy

The Grafton Loop of the Knitting Nannas Against Gas and Greed is a community group which was formed in 2012 in response to plans by the NSW Government to foist a gas mining industry on our NSW Northern Rivers region. As you may be aware, the determined campaigning of grass roots community groups, including various regional loops of Knitting Nannas, forced the abandonment of these plans. Because of our ongoing concerns about climate change and the impact it will have on future generations, the Nannas have remained active since the removal of the immediate gas threat to our region.

The Nannas are delighted that our new Federal Government has responded to community concerns about the existential threat of climate change by committing to greater emission cuts than the former government.

While this is a good first step, we are concerned that what you are doing is far short of what is actually required. As we understand it, your proposed cuts are in line with a temperature rise of 2°C not the 1.5° which is in line with the Paris goal. Scientists keep advising that much more is needed – much faster. Indeed the bushfires and floods in Australia as well as the climate-induced disasters elsewhere are making this very plain.

In addition the Nannas are extremely concerned that your Government has adopted a “business as usual” approach to the fossil fuel industry – an approach that is completely inconsistent with your apparent commitment to do better on climate change.

We are concerned that you see no problem with the opening of new coal and gas mines.

We are concerned that your colleague, Minister King, recently announced 46,758 sq km of new petroleum acreage for exploration in Commonwealth waters to the north of the country.

We are appalled that Minister King also indicated your Government’s support of the pie-in-the-sky technology of carbon capture and storage (CCS) so beloved of the fossil fuel industry by approving two permits for off-shore greenhouse gas storage areas north of WA and the NT. And there are a further three to come. We are also very concerned that taxpayer funds continue to be wasted on subsidies to CCS which are another form of “green-washing” by polluters intent on pursuing their damaging businesses.

If the fossil fuel industry had been concerned about the election of a government committed to greater climate action, they must be collectively rubbing their hands in glee, because nothing has really changed from the policies of the previous government.

As you are undoubtedly aware, more Australians than ever before are concerned about climate change and they expect more consistent and effective action from their government.

We urge you, Minister Bowen, to improve your government’s action on climate change.

Yours sincerely

Leonie Blain

On behalf of the Grafton Nannas

Cc Hon Tanya Plibersek, Minister for Environment and Water

Australian Federal Election 2022: so who are NSW Northern Rivers voters and how do we compare with the other 16.98 million enrolled voters?

An est. 17,793,140 Australian citizens are eligible to vote at the federal election on 21 May 2022 and at least 96.8% (17.22 million) of these citizens are on the current Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) national electoral roll.

Est. 5.44 million of these enrolled voters live in New South Wales and 4.41% of the state's voters hail from the Northern Rivers region of the state.

NSW Northern River region

from Clarence Valley in the south to Tweed Heads on the NSW-Qld border

IMAGE: Google Earth snapshot 

In the two Northern Rivers federal electorates, Page has 122,915 enrolled voters and Richmond has 118,652. In both electorates there are more female than male voters – with est. 51.4% of all voters being female in Page and est. 51.1% being female in Richmond.

There are now 5,472,469 young voters between 18 to 24 years on the national electoral roll.

An est. 8,796 of these younger voters are in the Page electorate and another est. 7,627 younger voters are in the Richmond electorate. In this age group in both electorates there are also more females than males.

Based on AEC age groupings, nationally the largest voting bloc is people 70 years of age and older at 2,948,739 people.

The largest voting bloc in the Page electorate in 2022 is people 70 years of age and older at 27,834 individuals, with 51.1% being female. When it comes to the Richmond electorate in 2022, based on age groupings the largest voting bloc is also people aged 70 years of age and older at 28,396 individuals with 53.7% being female.

By 9 May 2022 there had been almost 2 million postal vote applications received and processed by the Australian Electoral Commission. That’s in addition to those already permanently registered as General Postal Voters.

As of 9 May a total of 1,648 of these new postal vote applications were made by people living in the Page electorate and 1,405 new applications were made by people residing in the Richmond electorate. By 10 May application numbers had risen to 2,117 and 2,359 respectively, but as yet no completed postal ballots have been listed by the AEC as "returned".

An AAP Bulletin Wire on 10 May 2022 reported that on 9 May “More than 300,000 people have already turned out for pre-polling on just the first day of early voting”.

The number of Northern Rivers enrolled voters who were recorded as having pre-polled on 9 May was 1,581 in the Page electorate and 3,305 in Richmond electorate.

At a federal general election all 151 of the House of Representatives seats and those Senate seats where the set term of a senator has finished (which is usually around half the Senate total of 74 seats) are contested.

A breakdown of the candidates standing for election on 21 May 2022 show that 1,203 candidates are vying for seats in the House of Representatives and 421 for seats in the Senate. These figures represent an increase of 147 House of Representatives candidates since the 2019 federal general election and a decrease of 37 Senate candidates since that same 2019 election.

A total of 10 candidates are listed on the House of Representatives ballot paper for the Page electorate and another 10 candidates on the House of Representatives ballot paper for the Richmond electorate. This represents an increase of 3 candidates on the Page ballot paper and an increase of two on the Richmond ballot paper since the 2019 federal election.

The New South Wales Senate ballot paper contains the names of 75 candidates across 24 political designations.

In 2022 can the Northern Rivers meet or pass its 2019 voter participation numbers?

At the 2019 federal general election 91.9% of all Australian enrolled voters cast a vote at that election. 

In 2019 in the Page electorate 113,548 people voted in the federal election, with 95.25% of these votes recorded as formal & 4.45% informal. Page voter participation was 92.5% of all enrolled voters.

In the same year in the Richmond electorate 108,381 people voted in the federal election, with 92.56% of all votes recorded as formal & 7.44% informal. Richmond voter participation was 90.8% of all enrolled voters.

PRINCIPAL SOURCES

https://aec.gov.au/Enrolling_to_vote/Enrolment_stats/

https://aec.gov.au/election/downloads.htm

https://www.aec.gov.au/election/candidates.htm

https://aec.gov.au/media/files/aec-federal-election-reporting-guide-digital.pdf

https://results.aec.gov.au/24310/Website/HouseDivisionPage-24310-138.htm

https://results.aec.gov.au/24310/Website/HouseDivisionPage-24310-145.htm

Candidates standing in Page Electorate at 21 May 2022 Federal General Election - Part 5. One major party & 5 minor parties reviewed

 

Liberal Democratic Party (LNP) – registered by the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) in September 2007.

This is a political party which for the purposes of progressing itself is blatantly chasing the “freedoms” vote, with its “Policy One” of eight policies listed being “FREEDOM FROM COVID ALARMISM”. A document not updated since 2021 and redolent with the echo of that motley collection of white supremacist, QAnon, anti-vaccination and other conspiracy theory nutters who rallied and protested during 2020 and 2021.

It is not considered a parliamentary party as it had no elected member as at March-April 2022.

It appears to be standing 16 candidates for Senate positions and 101 candidates for House of Representatives seats.

PAGE candidate: Thomas Searles

The Australian Federation Party (FED) – although this party was first registered by the AEC in 2011, by 2022 it was firmly in the ‘freedoms’ camp of anti-public health measures resistance spawned by that same motley collection of white supremacist, QAnon, anti-vaccination and other conspiracy theory nutters who gave us collective action such as this:

Video from today’s #freedomday protest. Anti-lockdown protesters with police hot on their tails at Elwood Beach. Melbourne. Victoria. #melbournelockdown #WWG1WWGA pic.twitter.com/glMj8YJRi4

— precursor (@occupy_now) September 19, 2020

The party has subsequently dressed up in smart suits and penned fine words, however it remains a largely untested entity.

It is not considered a parliamentary party as it had no elected member as at March-April 2022.

FED is standing 47 candidates at the 21 May federal election – 11 for Senate positions and 38 for House of Representatives seats.

PAGE candidate: Heather Smith

United Australia Party (UAP) – registered by the AEC in 2018. The brain child of rather notorious mining magnate Clive Palmer who as the leader of the Palmer United Party was a rather desultory member of the Australian House of Representatives for one term marked by his absences – retiring prior to the 2016 federal election.

Currently he is standing for a Senate position representing Queensland.

He is using what is alleged to be his personal wealth to run 22 Senate candidates and 151 House of Representative candidates in the 21 May federal election. Although rather oddly, the party’s official list of candidates seems to number 152.

This is a classic disruptor party, out to “Make Australia Great Again” because there is a need for “freedoms” - with at least one notable Trump-QAnon-Antivaxx supporter in its ranks, Craig Kelly.

It is considered a parliamentary party as it had one member as at March-April 2022 - Craig Kelly being elected in 2019 as the Liberal Party MP for Hume but resigning in February 2021 and, moving to the cross benches until joining the UAP in August 2021.

PAGE candidate: Ian Williamson

TNL – register by the AEC in March 2022. Has approximately 1,527 members. It coyly insists on reminding the general public that it was formerly “The New Liberals”, a party formally deregistered on 7 December 2021 in part based on the potential for name confusion with the Liberal Party. 

On 13 March 2021 it rather quixotically sought to have the Liberal Party of Australia deregistered. 

Presidency and leadership of the party appears to be a family affair.

It is not considered a parliamentary party as it had no elected member as at March-April 2022.

TNL is fielding 19 candidates at the 21 May federal election – 7 for Senate positions and 12 for House of Representatives seats.

PAGE candidate: Serge Killingbeck

Pauline Hanson’s One Nation (ONP) – registered by AEC in 2004. A political party with an unashamedly resentful, far right and racist worldview plucked straight from the ugly underbelly of 1950s Australia.

It is a parliamentary party as it had two elected members as at March-April 2022.

One Nation is standing 9 candidates for Senate positions and 69 candidates in the House of Representatives in the 21 May federal election.

PAGE candidate: Donna Pike

National Party of Australia (NSW) (NAT) – registered by the AEC in 1984. 

A party which has proudly followed a regressive policy path of cronyism, isolationism, environmental vandalism and what, in practice, has been crude climate change denialism which left Australia vulnerable to the worst climate change impacts.

It was also a party which during the 26 months to date of the global pandemic has been in favour of doing the bare minimum when it came to the public health response and which did not favour lockdowns - with some MPS quietly muttering about individual freedom.

The AEC lists it as a parliamentary party, having 7 NSW MPs out of the 9 National Party elected members in the House of Representatives (the remaining 2 are from Victoria) and 1 NSW Senator out of the 3 Nationals in the Senate (the remaining 2 are from Qld & Vic) as at March-April 2022.

It is fielding 11 NSW candidates - 1 for a Senate position and 8 in the House of Representatives, as Coalition partner to the Liberal Party of Australia.

PAGE candidate: Kevin Hogan

Full list candidates standing in Page and Richmond (NSW) electorates at the 21 May 2022 federal election & their positions on ballot papers

PAGE Electorate - Candidates Standing & Ballot Paper Position

https://www.aec.gov.au/election/candidates.htm

RICHMOND electorate - Candidates Standing & Ballot Paper Position 

Full list of NSW candidates standing for the Senate can be found at https://www.aec.gov.au/election/candidates.htm - click "all candidates" & follow prompts.

Candidates standing in Page Electorate at 21 May 2022 Federal General Election - Part 4. Brett Duroux, in his own words

 

Brett Duroux
IMAGE: Facebook

Brett Duroux, Indigenous-Aboriginal Party of Australia (IPA). Chairperson at Gugiyn Balun Aboriginal Corporation since November 2021 and works at Grafton Ngerrie Local Aboriginal Land Council.

Clarence Valley Independent, 19 January 2022:

A proud Yaegl, Bundjalung and Gumbaynggirr man, Mr Duroux said in representing the IPA at the federal election, he is campaigning for his local community to give them a strong voice and leadership, to promote respect for the land, encourage unity and equality and advocate the policies of his party in parliament….

While he had never previously considered entering politics, he is looking forward to a lot of legwork during the next few months and spending time meeting and speaking with members of the Clarence Valley community.

“What interests me is talking to people about their concerns and getting answers for them, and helping my community in any way I can,” he said.

“I believe in positive change for our community.

“I also want to focus on strengthening the relationships between Land Councils and traditional owners and encourage them to work together.”

Mr Duroux said he is looking forward to campaigning in the lead up to the federal election and is welcoming community consultation.

Coast Community News, 24 November 2021:

….last week Brett Duroux, the IPA’s candidate for the Page electorate on the mid north coast, visited the area to see the cultural site firsthand.

He said he wanted to learn more about NSW Forestry Corporation’s Harvest and Haul Plan which could potentially impact the site.

“Forestry’s plans are concerning as the cultural site is not identified as such on the harvest maps that they operate under, and instead are noted as being an ‘other significant area/non harvest area (OSF)’ with no buffer required for logging,” he said.

“The plans state that trails and roads can be used for haulage and snigging if they traverse through the exclusion area.

“This is extremely alarming considering a cultural site is at stake and the rock platform the site is located on has already been damaged in the past by heavy machinery tracks.”

He said Ourimbah State Forest provided habitat for many native species including the endangered Glossy Black Cockatoo, Large Owl and Forest Bats.

“The OSF is also a known koala habitat, despite Forestry’s plans stating otherwise….

The Forestry Corporation’s Harvesting and Haul plan covers an area of over 370ha of which 108.4ha is deemed “harvestable”.

The expected yield is 3,900 cubic metres, of which 1,000 will be sawlogs, 150 cubic metres will be poles, with the remaining 2,750 cubic metres being pulp, firewood and low-quality salvage…..

Duroux said more than three billion animals, more than one billion of them in NSW, were estimated to have been killed or displaced in recent bushfires, including some rare or threatened animal, plant and insect species, with the complete loss of some species believed to be permanent.

“In NSW alone, more than half of the native forests were burned in the 2019/20 bushfires, with one billion native animals killed or displaced… and yet, the NSW Government continues to desecrate our native forest and cultural sites, to harvest pulp and firewood for an industry that runs at significant financial loss.

“In 2019/20 the profit from native forest logging was $28 a hectare, equating to less than 20 cents for each mature tree logged.

“The Government provided $136M in grants over the past 10 years to this unprofitable industry, equating to a huge loss for NSW, both financially and environmentally.”

Duroux said he believed Central Coast Council had colluded on the plans despite its ongoing public relations campaign applauding the Coast’s Aboriginal heritage and OSF, winning awards for being an Adventure Tourism destination.

He said that the Indigenous Party supported Camp Ourimbah, a small contingent of very dedicated environmental caretakers, who take peaceful direct action to stop native forest logging…..

Duroux said the Indigenous Party of Australia would be writing to local politicians and State ministers, including Environment Minister, Matt Kean, demanding an end to the unprofitable, damaging practice of logging in native forests, including Ourimbah State Forest.

Candidates standing in Page Electorate at 21 May 2022 Federal General Election - Part 3. Patrick Deegan, in his own words

Clarence Valley Independent, 6 April 2022:

The Australian Labor Party candidate for the seat of Page Patrick Deegan is confident ahead of the 2022 Federal Election. Image: Contributed

After polling strongly in the 2019 Federal Election with more than 43000 votes, the Australian Labor Party’s candidate for the seat of Page Patrick Deegan has spoken of his confidence in gaining additional support and momentum ahead of the 2022 Federal Election.

A seasoned campaigner with more than 20 years’ experience working in the community services sector, an extensive knowledge of administrative and financial management, and a dedicated passion to help those around him, Mr Deegan acknowledged there have been many changes including droughts, devastating bushfires, a global pandemic and most recently, unprecedented flooding since the previous Federal Election, and he is determined to give the people of Page a strong voice in Canberra as a representative who can be trusted and relied upon to fight for local communities across the region.

For the past eight years, Mr Deegan said the electorate of Page has been overlooked and neglected by the Nationals and Liberal Party of Australia, identifying various funding cuts to educational facilities including schools and TAFE, and missed employment opportunities and industries as key issues and polices to be addressed should he be elected.

“I am genuinely proud to be the Labor candidate for Page, and there is a lot of fast action which needs to be taken,” he explained.

“We still have people without permanent accommodation following the 2019 Black Summer bushfires and we need to ensure they are looked after.

“The people impacted by the current disasters, specifically the flooding, we need practical solutions to help them, to make insurance affordable for them, to make sure impacted businesses can survive and remain in the area, and we need to secure local employment and increase wage growth.

“We also need to address the housing crisis and make living more affordable.

“Our aged care system is under immense pressure, and we need to make it feasible for aged care providers and workers, and ensure they are paid a liveable wage.

“The Nationals have been taking Page for granted, and the people who call this electorate home need and deserve strong leadership, and that is what I am committed to.”

Mr Deegan said it is important to look ahead and rebuild for the future, and a Labor Government will deliver “a better future for all Australians.”

“My family has lived in the electorate of Page for generations, and I have long term connections to our local communities, and I understand them inside and out,” he said.

“I am passionate, and I genuinely care about the people I would be representing.”

Australian Federal Election 2022: Page & Richmond Electorates State of Play mid-April

The Canberra Times, 16 April 2022:

Mr Joyce's re-election proclamation has been to "make Australia as strong as possible as quickly as possible" in the face of global uncertainty by boosting exports in sectors like mining and minerals.

"Our number one priority is the security of our nation which must be underpinned by our capacity to pay for it," Mr Joyce said as he turned the sod on a central Queensland coal mine.

"And we pay for it with iron ore, we pay for it with coal, we pay for it with gas, we pay for it with live cattle, live sheep, irrigated cotton, irrigated wheat.

"We're going to have an epiphany about how we earn money because if we don't earn money we're poor and if we're poor, we're weak."…...

The Nationals are sandbagging some otherwise safe seats in Queensland and NSW after a series of natural disasters turned public sentiment against the federal government.

Kevin Hogan, whose northern NSW electorate of Page encompasses Lismore - the region worst hit by recent flooding - would normally consider his seat safe for the Nats on a 9.5 per cent margin.

But with NSW state Liberal MP Catherine Cusack accusing the Prime Minister of politicising the devastating floods, publicly stating she wouldn't vote for him, and anger bubbling at delayed government responses, some in Labor believe the seat could prove to be their dark horse.

The adjacent seat of Cowper held by Nationals MP Pat Conaghan on a slimmer 6.8 per cent margin, will also need reinforcements…..

What this news article did not mention was the fact that Kevin Hogan quickly became notorious across the entire NSW Northern Rivers last month when he rather aggressively stated words to the effect that the debate is over on the use of engineered structures on north-eastern coastal rivers and that government will make those decisions not communities.

Tweed Daily News, 14 April 2022:

What area does Richmond cover?

Richmond covers an area from the New South Wales/Queensland border in the north to Ballina and Pimlico in the south.

The main towns include Ballina, Bangalow, Brunswick Heads, Burringbar, Byron Bay, Hastings Point, Kingscliff, Lennox Head, Mullumbimby, Murwillumbah, Suffolk Park, and Tweed Heads.

Overtime the seat has been a traditionally conservative held by the nationals party five times, three of which were in the Anthony family – Hubert Lawrence Anthony (1937 – 1957), former deputy prime minister Doug Anthony (1957 – 1984) and most recently Larry Anthony (1996 – 2004).

The Labor Party has held the seat twice, by Neville Newell between 1990 – 1996 and most recently Justine Elliot since 2004.

Ms Elliot retained the seat with a 4.1 per cent margin in the 2019 election.

Who are the candidates?

Justine Elliot, Labor

The current member for Richmond Justine Elliott will be running again this election.

Ms Elliot said this election Labor’s plans were for cheaper power bills, cheaper childcare and more secure, well-paid jobs.

“From our $10 billion plan to ease the housing crisis, to our comprehensive plan to tackle climate change and create over 600,000 jobs, and the creation of a federal anti-corruption commission – Labor is on your side,” Ms Elliot said.

“Labor will create a better life by securing Medicare and making it easier to go and see the doctor and we’ll make childcare more affordable and fix the aged care crisis.

“We will invest in secure local jobs – investing in skills and training including Fee-Free TAFE in areas of skill shortage. We’ll bring manufacturing home.”

She said Labor will also scrap the cashless debit cards.

“As your local MP, I’m proud to have delivered more than $2 billion for local jobs, schools, health, roads and community resources. I am always on your side and committed to working with everyone to build a better North Coast,” she said.

Ms. Elliot spoke up swiftly and loudly, along with her state political counterparts Catherine Cusack Liberal MLC and Janelle Saffin Labor MLA, objecting to Prime Minister Morrison's attempt to use enhanced direct relief funding for flood victims as a form of 'pork barrelling' aimed at benefiting only the Nationals-held Page electorate.

Also contesting the seat at the 21 May election will be:

Kimberley Hone, National Party. A Pentecostal ‘preacher’ with a Family First & Australian Christian Lobby background, who appears determined to bring the Kingdom of God into federal politics - “the ultimate goal for me, just like my husband and I have done with business, I want to bring God’s kingdom to the political arena and I want God’s kingdom to penetrate the political mountain”. A local resident of around 3 ½ years standing;

Mandy Nolan, The Greens. A performer, comedian, MC, writer, author, artist, teacher, ambassador and activist, who has lived in the Richmond electorate for more than 30 years and, as a longtime resident has an understanding of local and regional issues;

Gary Biggs, Liberal Democrats. A big fan of ‘freedoms’ apparently discovered during the COVID-19 pandemic and it seems of little else. “The average punter needs the chance to vote for a real freedom party, a party with liberty at its very core. Not a party who discovered “more freedom” just in time for an election.”;

Robert Marks, United Australia Party. Has been with millionaire mining magnate Clive Palmer's party for nine years and unsuccessfully run in six elections, five as a party candidate; and

Monica Shepherd, Informed Medical Opinions Party. A self-described “clinical naturopath” with apparently no formal medical qualifications, who appears committed more to an across the board anti-vaccination & anti-fluoride agenda than than to existing freedom of choice.