2016-06-28
Dr Jillian Marsh, Greens Candidate for Grey
In the final few days of the Federal election campaign, the Greens Candidate for Grey, Dr Jillian Marsh will be in Ceduna on Thursday and Port Pirie on Friday and Saturday. Throughout the campaign, voters in Grey have been raising important social, environmental and economic issues, which the Greens are already working hard on in Federal Parliament. These include:
International High-level Nuclear Waste Dump
With the South Australian Royal Commission proposing that SA become a dumping ground for high level nuclear waste from other countries, the most likely sites for the port and the dumps are in the Grey electorate.
“This is an ill-conceived project that threatens our state and imposes liabilities forever on future generations.
"Australia has a long history of failed plans to locate nuclear waste dumps - plans that have disproportionately targeted Aboriginal land. Nobody wants toxic waste in their back yard.
Oil & Gas mining in the Great Australian Bight
Drilling for oil in the wild and deep waters of the Great Australian Bight is a disaster waiting to happen.
“Why on Earth would you let the company responsible for the Gulf of Mexico oil spill disaster loose on the pristine environment of the Bight? Putting whales and other important marine life at risk is lunacy, as is risking the viability of commercial fishing and tourism if anything were to go wrong.
Cashless welfare card - not the right pathway to closing the gap
The imposition of the cashless welfare card on all income support recipients is making life more difficult for residents in Ceduna.
“Taking a top-down paternalistic approach to complex issues and treating all welfare recipients as irresponsible is making life even more difficult for those struggling to get by. Not everyone has a drinking or gambling problem, yet all income support recipients have had the Government’s cashless welfare card imposed on them, denying them the choice to manage their own money. The Greens want the trials to stop.
Protection from invasive mining
Mining projects on the Eyre Peninsula are threating valuable agricultural land and Aboriginal cultural heritage.
“The Greens will ensure productive agricultural land and culturally significant land is protected from invasive mining. Too often, short-term financial gain is prioritised over long term food security and the protection of important cultural resources.
National Nuclear Waste Dump
The Federal Government's proposal for a national nuclear waste dump for intermediate and low level radioactive waste in the Flinders Ranges is divisive in the community.
"Dumping Australia’s radioactive waste in the Flinders Ranges is an insult to the Adnyamathanha traditional owners and shows that Reconciliation still has a long way to go. The Greens are calling for a national response based on a thorough audit of nuclear waste and using best available evidence, not just dumping this waste on Aboriginal land", concluded Jillian Marsh.