2018-05-01
Hon. Diane Evers
Hello everyone!
Ive been on the road a lot of the last few months visiting and meeting with as many of you as possible. In March it was a great pleasure to travel with former Greens Leader Christine Milne and Senator Rachel Siewert through Margaret River to launch Christines book 'An Activist Life. It was also a great pleasure to introduce new Greens Senator Jordon Steele-John to Denmark and Albany in March and Bunbury and Busselton in April as the federal team get prepared for an election which could come as soon as August. As the youngest Senator in Australia and the first Senator to have cerebral palsy, Jordon is encouraging a whole new wave of Green engagement that I am thrilled to be a part of.
Theres been some staffing changes in my team these last few weeks as we farewell Eloise Dortch from the media and research role and welcome Ray Chan. Ray has many years of experience as a newspaper editor and has hit the ground running already supporting me in coverage on the live export issue and many more that have been hot these last two weeks. We also welcome Saphron Stapleton who joined our team as a volunteer and who is now working a few days a week to assist with our office administration and some research.
Live Export
The big issue thats been in national and international headlines this past month is that of the live animal export trade. Disturbing footage was leaked to the media of horrific animal abuse aboard an Emanuel live export carrier departing from Fremantle port in WA. As the Greens WA spokesperson for Agriculture I have been asking questions of the Government in Parliament and working with lobby groups to push to end this practice without hurting our farmers. The Greens have a 5 Point Plan to End Cruelty and Expand Jobs.
Its time for governments, both State and Federal, to show they have the mettle to fix the dilemma, so that the public can be confident animal welfare is being ensured while providing alternative options for our farmers. Its time for them to take more immediate action against exporters who flagrantly violate the rules because they know they will get away with nothing more than a lecture for the umpteenth time. Its time for them to show they will support farmers in finding new options.
Today emphasis is shifting towards more ecological and regenerative farming. Most farmers are deriving their income from grains, while those who keep sheep are profiting more from wool than the shipper market.
Indeed, the recent report by Pegasus Economics showed that the overall economic effect on WA of ending the trade would be marginally positive, because it would create more work for local abattoirs which are currently not running at full capacity.
Ultimately, even if the live trade is shown to be a profitable one for the economy, does the end justify the means? Or more accurately, does the means justify the end?
Click here to watch a short video I made on Live Export with Robin Chapple MLC
Asking Questions in Parliament: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpAkTO5AGCQ
Regenerative Farming
In recent months I have been speaking about the rights of GM-Free farmers and promoting input to the Parliamentary Enquiry. But in my support of agriculture I have also been looking into ways to support a new kind of farming called Regenerative Agriculture. I recently gave a members statement in parliament about regenerative agriculture after visiting with a number of farmers and speaking to a number of experts. I care about regenerative farming because I see a change, I see hope, I see a future and I see a lot of things happening that are affecting that future. Regenerative farming is more than just sustainable farming. Sustainable farming wants to keep things as they are and not get any worse, but regenerative farming wants to improve the soil so that we can grow more produce more easily that is healthier and more nutritious and basically keep regional areas and people coming into regional areas healthier. Regenerative farming incorporates a number of benefits including:
Lower chemical use: The pesticides, herbicides and fungicides that we are putting in our soils are killing the things that make our plants grow. We seem to be going backwards, along with the rest of the world, by letting industrial agriculture tell us that this is how we have to do it.
Diversity: We often have monocultures that extend for kilometers and kilometers of the same thing. That means there is a lack of diversity in the soil and we have less chance of expanding the types of creatures and types of biota that will provide different types of nutrients to the food that we grow.
Variety: Our bodies need a variety of foods. We need a breadth of nutrients to help us grow strong. We need a breadth of diversity in our plants, and our plants will grow stronger if they are fed with a variety of nutrients. It all works as part of the system. We have been killing that system by whittling it down to one or two varieties and we have taken a lot of nutrients out of the soil by killing off what is in there.
Utilising livestock: Livestock is a strong part of regenerative agriculture, because it provides the nutrients and manures that feed the micro biota and other living organisms in the soil. We will then be able to store carbon in our soil—not dead carbon, but living carbon that grows and transfers nutrients and water and helps our plants to grow.
Living carbon and soil health: Soil needs to have moisture content at all times. A dry soil is a dead soil. We need to keep the moisture in the soil. Low till or no till is a great idea, but it does not keep the soil moist. We need different varieties of cover crops. We should not clear the land every time we grow something. We need to have things growing in our soil all the time. We then bring in the animals. The idea of regenerative agriculture is that we end up with more livestock.
My team and I are developing a video series on some of the great regenerative agriculture practices and exciting innovative small farms in the South West so watch this space!
In the meantime if you are interested in regenerative agriculture I highly recommend reading Charles Masseys book 'Call of the Reed Warbler”.
Electorate Issues
As always there is a lot going on in the South West and I am grateful to the dedicated and passionate people of the communities in the South West who are fighting for the rights of our environment and regional resilience.
- Dalyellup Tuart Bushland
The Dalyellup bushland is a wildlife corridor home to many endangered Western Ringtail Possums. Local residents are fighting against a Satterly proposal to develop 22 hectares of this bushland into 173 residential lots. To date the Shire of Capel has received hundreds of submissions on the matter and the Save Dalyellup Tuart Bushland community action group have collected hundreds of signatures to oppose the destruction of this small but vital green patch. I am working with the group to ask questions of the Minister for Environment.
- Margaret River – Cape to Cape Winter Diversion Track
In recent months there has been considerable controversy over the development of a 'winter diversion from the infamous Cape to Cape hiking trail. The winter diversion was proposed to the Margaret River Shire as a dual purpose track for both hikers and mountain bikers use along the banks of the Margaret River utilizing funding through Royalties for Regions. Their justification was that for a very short period of the year the river bed is uncrossable on foot due to water flow. Unfortunately there appears to have been little to no consideration for the environment in the design of this track and the works already carried out have caused significant damage to this pristine environment, including destruction of trees and boulders and total wash-out in some areas causing stratification. Additionally Aboriginal land use was not considered and locals are deeply concerned about encroachment into known burial sites. I went to the new track site to meet with concerned locals in April and will be watching this issue closely.
- Manjimup – Southern Forests Irrigation Scheme
The Southern Forest Irrigation Scheme is an agricultural irrigation scheme being developed in the Manjimup-Pemberton area. The proposed scheme will comprise a 15 GL dam located on Record Brook and a pipeline distribution network that will supply water to irrigators who have purchased a water entitlement for the scheme. Many in the community have raised concerns with me regarding this project and I have been asking questions in parliament to understand that the safety of our communitys water and environment is considered. If you have concerns or information on this or any issue effecting the South West please give my office a call on 9486 8070. Questions asked: Research and community consultation, Impact on other water users, Blockchain and alternatives.
Ongoing Campaigns
- Save our Forests
A crowd of more than two hundred people converged on Parliament House on the 21st of March despite searing heat to hand over a petition asking the state government to honor its pre-election promise to protect high conservation value (HCV) forests and transition the timber industry out of native forest logging.
We need to stop this slaughter of our forests; its the wrong thing to be doing both ecologically and economically. Logging native forests is a regressive and financially irresponsible course for the government to pursue.
The petition developed by the WA Forest Alliance is one of the biggest to be tabled in the WA parliament this century, with 5,000 more signatories than the petition calling for a referendum on Daylight Saving in 2007.
To have more than 15,500 people sign this petition is a clear indication of the strong feelings the community has about the government honoring their promise to safeguard our high conservation value forests rather than turn them into low-value wood products.
I am urging the McGowan Government to listen to the community and enact the promises it made in the run up to last years election to immediately protect more than 100 forests across the South West of the State classed High Conservation Value.
Watch my speech as I tabled this petition in Parliament: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSb6d9cEwZw
Listen to an amazing poem read by Mitchella Hutchins at the rally: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FE_vLpJACvM
- GM Free Farmers Rights
Currently, there is an inquiry underway into compensation for farmers who suffer financial loss from GM incursion in their non-GM crop. Buttons were obviously pushed for my fellow Member of Parliament, Hon. Jim Chown, as he delivered a tirade in the House aimed at undermining non-GM farmers. My response was to call for reasoned and informed debate. “We need to find the facts and we need to work out how we can manage this so that any one farmer is not financially hurt by the actions of their nieghbour. Farmers do not want to go to court with their neighbours. They live beside them, they live in the same community and they share the same community resources and the same family, friends, churches and schools. They do not want to take their neighbour to court. I hope that the inquiry may resolve this and that we may look into these issues using facts, not emotions, and keep it rational to find the best response possible.”
Watch my full response video here or read the Hansard transcript here.
- Community Resource Centres
I am continuing the fight to protect our regional Community Resource Centers from the 40% cuts proposed by the State Government by asking questions in the house, writing letters to the various Ministers and encouraging community support. I recently wrote to the Hon. Alannah McTiernan to point out that recent increases to funding CRCs was in line with negotiated fair work conditions for low paid community services workers and to cut these funds to those who have fought to achieve fair pay goes against Labors foundational commitments and ethos. I continue to meet with CRC staff and managers and will be hosting a community Sundowner at Northcliffe CRC on the 4th May.
- Sharks
In the wake of the two recent shark attacks I called on the State Government to refrain from over-reacting to the shark attack at Gracetown. There is no need for impulsive calls for action to be taken on shark numbers and reintroduce ineffective measures such as drumlines and culling. It's important that we as a community avoid hype or falling into the reactive decision-making we have seen from governments past. We need to maintain the pressure on the State Government to invest in research and continue subsiding the cost of shark-deterrent devices. There is nothing that can completely eliminate risk if you go in the ocean. Yet just as a seatbelt improves your safety significantly, so will wearing an independently tested and verified personal shark deterrent. Its also really important to check the government Sharksmart website, sharksmart.com.au, and support effective signage on closed beaches and high risk areas.
Ill be on the road again in the next few weeks meeting with farmers and learning about traditional fire management practices as well as meeting with locals and concerned community members in the South West. The State Budget is only a few weeks away now and Ill be looking at a wish list for good government and asking questions of our Treasurer and State Departments to ensure our environment and South West communities are cared for.
I will be in Bridgetown on 26th April and Northcliffe 4th May with many more regional get-togethers to come. To find out the latest on events in your area follow my Facebook page or send me an invitation at southwest.evers@mp.wa.gov.au
If you have any questions, issues or just want to say 'Hi!” drop me a line at southwest.evers@mp.wa.gov.au.
Header photo: Albany Greens meet with Diane Evers and Jordon Steele-John at launch of new Greenskills building. Elliot Sawyers