On forgetting

Kitty Carra (Queensland State Director)

It has been three months since Greens voters directed enough preferences to the ALP to hand them eight seats. Eight seats and a heavy expectation that they will keep the promises they made to protect the reef and reverse LNP attacks on the environment. It has been three months and the signs are not good.

It is true that Labor took power as a minority Government only with the assistance of independent MP for Nicklin, Peter Wellington. It is true that since then the resignation of Billy Gordon has taken some of the puff out of the chests of the new Queensland Government, but no-one can accuse the Palaszczuk Government of forging ahead with an inspiring agenda.

Gone are the days of relentless reform and controversial legislation. The pace of things in Queensland has certainly slowed down. In the words of the new Treasurer the upcoming budget will contain “no frills or surprises”. With an uncomfortable sense of the familiar, we are waiting to see that “better way for Queensland” they promised.

It is important at this point to recall the community anger that fuelled the swing against Newman and pushed voters to an unprecedented preference flow, not seen since the Goss government introduced optional preferential voting leading up to the 1992 state election.

The anger was multi-faceted and had many deciding factors depending on whose story you believe. The unions would say: asset sales, the peace activists: uranium mining, civil libertarians: the VLAD laws, the legal fraternity: accountability, and the community sector would say funding cuts.

And the Greens? Well, we say it was the Reef. Not just the Reef. But certainly the Reef.

Some of you may have clicked links through to the “stronger state” LNP website which asked voters to tick which issues mattered to them the most. The choices included debt, economy, health, jobs, education, housing — a dozen choices.  Not one of them the issues listed above. Not one of them our beloved Reef.

It can only be assumed that Newman learnt his lesson. He has certainly promised everyone that his days in politics are over. Kicking him out and seeing the back of the LNP hardly seems enough given the attacks levelled on the environment by them all.

Let me list a few things they did, in case you have forgotten. They:

• approved the Carmichael Coal Mine, despite concern for the Reef;

• withdrew and consequently closed down the Solar Dawn renewable energy project on the southern downs;

• removed the public right to object to mining lease applications;

• legalised bat shooting in Queensland;

• removed land clearing controls on mature bushland regrowth;

• removed requirement for permits to destroy vegetation along watercourses;

• made dumping waste in Queensland free;

• suspended investigation of compliance with the vegetation management act for three months;

• removed public notification requirements to changed environmental  approval applications;

• reduced  the public consultation period under the environmental protection act,

as well as making funding cuts to the following :

• Queensland Climate Change Fund;

• Renewable Energy Fund (supporting the Geothermal Centre of Excellence);

• Smart Energy Savings Program (which helped businesses improve energy efficiency);

• Waste Avoidance and Resource Efficiency Fund ;

• Local Government Sustainable Future Fund;

• Solar Initiatives Package; and the

• Future Growth Fund

And so it has been three months since the ALP took government in Queensland. The first thing they did was appoint a Minister for the Reef. The second thing they did was confirm approval for the Adani mega-coal mine.  

Green voters told the LNP they love the Reef, solar energy and their local environment. They were also telling Labor.

There are many stories that explain the result in January. The question is: which one will they remember?