The Greens in Eden-Monaro have welcomed statements by the new Prime Minister Julia Gillard that she does not support an unsustainable move towards a large population for Australia and is renaming the Population portfolio accordingly.
"This policy shift is the first time we have seen a Federal Government for a long time, if ever, question uncontrolled growth while recognising that there is still room for immigration.
Let's hope that any immigration policy as part of a sustainable population policy makes a priority of the compassionate welcoming of asylum seekers into our country. It is time we started treating asylum seekers the way we would wish our own families and friends to be treated if they were forced to leave home.
If we as a nation can focus on working with the rest of the world towards achieving peace and democracy in every country, and a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions enough to stop catastrophic climate change, we will dramatically reduce the numbers of people who need to seek asylum in the first place.î
Embracing a sustainable population policy for Australia is vital at a time when our greenhouse gas emissions are the highest per capita in the developed world and when our major river systems are in extremely poor health, making it impossible to guarantee adequate water supply into the future.
This is especially relevant in some parts of Eden-Monaro, where the pressure for development is high and at the same time water security is a real issue. Furthermore, the infrastructure needed to take us into an era of sustainability ñ power generated from renewables, and efficient and reliable public transport ñ is almost non-existent.
It was also very encouraging to hear the new Prime Minister recognise the possibility of a carbon tax being part of the mix in the move towards climate action, and I hope that she will also look to reversing the disastrous decision made last week in Parliament to include native forests for power generation as 'renewable energy', making it therefore eligible for carbon credits.
As I said in late March, when The Greens made our candidate announcement, part of effective action on climate change means recognising the vital role played by forests, so any government that is serious about addressing the issue ought to immediately cease the woodchipping of native forests and ensure that the burning of forest e-waste (likely to be whole trees as well, just like in woodchipping) does not become part of any so-called 'green energy' plans, explains Greens candidate for Eden-Monaro, Catherine Moore.
Sustainability must include a move away from coal towards renewables like solar, wind and geothermal - not burning our forests - and I hope the new PM will give this issue her serious consideration.
This entry was created on Sunday, June 27th, 2010