2019-05-05
By Senator Rachel Siewert
It’s hard to believe that there are now just a few more days to polling day. And let’s just say I’m certainly relieved as are many that the election has finally been called. 
We have been planning, preparing and campaigning for well over a year now and it’s good to finally have an end point to this current Parliament. And I would have to say this is probably the most prepared we have ever been for an election that I can remember.
I attended our Momentum training day in March which brought together all our campaign team. It was so great to see so many new faces as well as our experienced campaigners all learning from each other. There was great energy in the room and it was really good to get everyone together right before the election was called.
I’ve also joined some of our awesome campaign teams on door knocking. The Greens are getting a great response on the doors and our volunteers working on the campaign teams are doing such great work supporting our candidates, and of course Jordon, to be elected. So, thank you for all that you do and I look forward to campaigning with you for the remaining days of this long election campaign and celebrating on May 18th. 
Of course over the last few months it hasn’t just been election campaigning. There has been lots of work in key areas.
We have been getting some traction on the punitive and controlling ParentsNext program. The Committee inquiry I helped initiate and chaired reported and helped focus attention on the issue. This program is leaving many single mothers and their families without their payments and making them participate in ridiculous activities like story time and playgroups with very stringent reporting requirements.
The Government thinks that because women are sole parents, they need to be subjected to a compliance based program that is heavily monitored and punished if they don’t meet the requirements. ParentsNext is not the way to help and support mothers on income support and I will keep pushing whoever wins Government to abandon this sexist and controlling program.
We have released our youth mental health and world class accessible mental health policy this week and I also spoke at the Mental Health Australia Members policy Forum in March. Mental illness is one of the biggest challenges of the 21st century and access to treatments should be universal. People in our community should be able to get easy access to treatments in the same way they would for a broken leg or the flu.
I attended the school strike for climate with many of you and it was a fantastic event. It is so inspiring to see the amazing action young people are taking to try and get climate action.
The events that unfolded in Christchurch were absolutely horrific and the impacts have been felt by the Muslim community worldwide. I was honoured to speak at the Perth Mosque vigil and unite with the community against hate and far right extremism.
We have also launched our justice for First Nations Peoples policy and I spent some time in Darwin meeting with stakeholders particularly talking about youth justice issues and of course met with NT Greens. It is a disgrace that the NT Government has reversed some of the amendments on youth justice that followed the Don Dale royal commission. I also spoke at the National Family Violence Prevention Legal Services Forum in Broome. It was great to touch base with stakeholders from around the country and talk about the Greens commitment to this important issue.
We had our last days of Parliament sitting, the budget and estimates. It was a bit of a whirl wind and unfortunately the ALP and Coalition ganged up with the Government to gag debate and extend the cashless debit card for another year in Ceduna, the East Kimberley and the Goldfields. Once again people on the lowest incomes have been ignored in this year’s budget which has projected a so-called "surplus" at the expense of people doing it tough.
I’ve just spent some time down in the South West in Margaret River and Balingup with our candidate for Forrest Nerilee Boshammer. It’s always good to catch up with our members and supporters in the regions and talk to people in the community. I also had the opportunity to catch up with some mental health stakeholders and unfortunately there are some big challenges facing those with mental ill health accessing the NDIS.
I also recently spoke at the Fight for the Bight paddle out. It was fantastic to see so many WA people saying no to oil drilling in the Bight. Equinor have no social licence to drill in the Great Australian Bight and our oceans here in WA would be at risk if there was an oil spill. Our coastal communities and marine life are too precious to lose and what can I say, I got to speak on an issue I care so much about and have a paddle as well!
Header photo: Rachel at the Kids Strike for Climate Action. Grace Turco
Text photos: Rachel at Jordon’s launch, leafletting and at pre-polling . Grace Turco