Canberra Turns Green
Over one in four Canberrans will vote Green this election, according to poll figures released today.
“Canberra has turned Green,” said ACT Greens Senate candidate Lin Hatfield Dodds. “If you don’t stand up for Canberra, Canberrans will turn to a candidate and a party who will, as this poll shows.”
Labor Adopts Greens High Speed Rail Proposal
ACT Greens Senate candidate Lin Hatfield Dodds is pleased that Labor has adopted the Greens' proposal on high speed rail.
"For years, the Greens have been saying that the major Eastern cities need a high-speed rail link" said Ms Hatfield Dodds. "Our call for a study into this has now been adopted by Labor.
Greens Mark National Aboriginal and Islander Children’s Da
ACT Greens Senate candidate Lin Hatfield Dodds is today supporting National Aboriginal and Islander Children's Day.
"Today is about showing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children that they are loved and valued" said Ms Hatfield Dodds. "It is also about improving the lives of children.
Teachers Need More Support
ACT Greens Senate Candidate Lin Hatfield Dodds has today joined Australian Greens Senator Sarah Hanson Young in calling for more support for teachers.
Releasing the ‘Supporting Teachers Initiative’ Ms. Hatfield Dodds has called for greater investment into supporting teachers as a key component of strengthening our education system.
Major Parties Ignoring Dental Health: New Poll Shows Greens ‘Denticare’ Popular
The Australian Greens would use a stronger voice in Federal Parliament to push for increased funding for dental health, including a universal ‘denticare’ scheme.
A national Galaxy poll of over 1000 people shows that 82% of Australians would support the federal government establishing a universal dental-care scheme.
Greens Give Small Business a Hand Up
ACT Senate candidate Lin Hatfield Dodds today joined Bob Brown to launch a plan for small business.
“Small business keeps 5 million Australians in work” said Ms Hatfield Dodds.
“Here in Canberra, there are more than 20,000 small businesses. It’s a huge part of our economy.
Greens Back Light Rail for Canberra
ACT Greens Senate Candidate Lin Hatfield Dodds has joined Senators Bob Brown and Scott Ludlam in calling for light rail for Canberra.
“Light rail is perfect for Canberra” said Lin Hatfield Dodds. “It would boost the ACT economy give us infrastructure for the 21st century.”
Liberals to Slash Jobs, Again
ACT Greens Senate candidate Lin Hatfield Dodds has condemned the Liberal Party’s proposed cuts to the public service.
“Just yesterday, Prime Minister Julia Gillard ruled out cuts to the public service after pressure from the Greens” said Ms Hatfield Dodds. “But today, Tony Abbott announced another $1.2 billion in cuts.
“That is over and above their earlier calls to make 12,000 job cuts over two years.
“It took the ACT economy years to recover from the last Liberal government’s cuts. These will be just as devastating.”
Ms Hatfield Dodds said the cuts proved that Liberal Senator Gary Humphries hasn’t been able to stand up for Canberra.
“Senator Humphries said he wasn’t told about the last lot of proposed cuts. He supported them anyway. Was he told about these? Will he support these too?
“Canberrans have a choice. They can vote for a Greens Senator who supports job security or a Liberal Senator who doesn’t.”
Greens Want an End to the Commonwealth Veto
ACT GreensSenate candidate Lin Hatfield Dodds is calling for an end to Commonwealth powers to override Territory laws.
“In 2006, the Commonwealth Government used its powers to veto the ACT’s civil unions laws” said Ms Hatfield Dodds. “The Greens want to make sure that doesn’t happen again.
“If elected, I will continue to promote legislation to end the Commonwealth veto.
"The ACT has come of age. It has elected stable governments and its parliament should be able to make laws in the same way as the States.
“Senator Gary Humphries has had eight years to introduce legislation of this kind. He has never even tried.
“The Greens have tried to introduce this legislation in the past, and today, we are asking for Senator Humphries’ support.
“A mature, independent Canberra needs multi-partisan support. The Greens are committed to making this happen.”
Greens Win on Job Security for Public Service
ACT Greens Senate candidate Lin Hatfield Dodds has welcomed a commitment from Prime Minister Julia Gillard that there will be no cuts to the public service under a Gillard Government. The announcement comes one day after the Greens highlighted this as a major election issue.
“The Greens have always stood up for Canberra” said Ms Hatfield Dodds. “Throughout this campaign, I have been calling on the other parties to stand up for the public service. This is a significant win."
“The Greens, however remain concerned about the impact of the efficiency dividend set out in the May budget, which will increase pressure on APS employees and services.
“However, Gary Humphries and Tony Abbott’s Liberal Party continue to use the public service as a political football. They are still committed to slashing 12,000 public service jobs over two years. Canberra deserves better.
“It took years for Canberra’s economy to recover from the last Liberal Government’s public service job cuts. After cutting 30,000 jobs in 1996, the ACT economy went into recession and thousands struggled to find work again.
“Gary Humphries says he stands up for the public service, but when it comes to the crunch, he is Tony Abbott's man in Canberra. He has to abide by his party’s policies. The evidence to date suggests that his voice is not effective in the Liberal Party room.
“At this election, Canberrans who vote Green are voting for job security.”
