2019-04-23
The Queensland Greens today launched their federal campaign with leader Dr Richard Di Natale, co-Deputy Leader and Senator for Queensland Larissa Waters, and lower house candidates in the key election battleground state.
The Greens are running candidates in every lower house seat in Queensland and are focused on campaigning to hold the senate seat Senator Waters won in 2010. The Queensland Greens are running their biggest campaign ever, already knocking on more than 50,000 doors across the state, and signing up more volunteers than ever to help.On the day the election was called, a new volunteer signed up every three minutes and a new wave of volunteers have flooded in to help since the far right targeted Greens election posters over the weekend, defacing them with swastikas.
“I’m thrilled to be running with such a fabulous team in Queensland which is a crucial state for both the lower house and the Senate,” Senator Waters said.
“It’s a stark choice between Greens or right-wing conservatives in the balance of power in the Senate and that will make all the difference to any new government being able to get their agenda through the parliament and getting the policy change Australians are ready for.
“It’s no surprise our candidate materials are being targeted by the far right – we stand for a multicultural and equal society. We are the defence against the far right, as the final Senate seat in Queensland will be a battle between Greens, One Nation, Anning and Clive Palmer.
“Big money shouldn’t buy preferences or election outcomes, and it shouldn’t buy policy outcomes. Greens don’t take corporate donations - we are here for people and planet.”
Senator Waters said the Greens in Queensland were campaigning on a plan for a better future for all Queenslanders with a positive message of hope and people getting their democracy back.
“Here in Queensland, the Greens will be campaigning for cleaning up politics - ending the corrupting influence of corporate donations, strong action on climate change and supporting coal communities as the economy transitions, job-creating investment in affordable housing and clean energy, free education from childcare to TAFE and uni, and bringing dental and mental health into Medicare,” Senator Waters said.
“We’ve had a government that’s spent six years cutting services and making life harder for people, while giving big tax cuts to big corporations to give them bigger profits, while the rest of the community and the environment suffers.
“It’s high time we ended the corrupting influence of big corporate donors to political parties, so our democracy can work for people and the planet not corporate profits.
“The Greens have fully costed our policies and we can fund these promises by making big corporations pay their fair share and stopping that tax dodging with one in three mega corporations not paying a cent of tax.
“I cannot wait to see the back of this government and boot them out. But even with a change of government we need Greens in the Senate to hold Labor to account and push them to go further and do more for people and the planet, not their corporate donors.”
“I’ve loved being a voice for Queenslanders since 2010 and with their support I will keep doing that in the Senate, working for a future for all of us.”