2018-04-30
Hon. Robin Chapple
April? Already?
My team and I have just come out of a series of sitting weeks in Parliament, and yet again Im reminded of how much our party and our movement can achieve by bringing community campaigns into the halls of power and giving them a voice. Weve seen fantastic wins followed by dreadful government announcements and so, as usual, there is a lot to do to hold this government accountable.
My bill to ban single-use plastics received widespread community support, and a petition calling on the government to debate it received over 2000 signatures with the help of the stars at Sea Shepherd Marine Debris Campaign Australia. Likewise, with my bill to ban the release of balloons outside, we got a lot of feedback from across the state, and while we copped a few “fun police” headlines, more and more people are becoming aware of how damaging and ridiculous it is to release balloons outside. Lets hope the other parties are willing to pass these important reforms. Big thanks to all who helped get signatures on the petition.
With your help, we also had a great win on keeping cane toads listed as a pest. Now, that may seem obvious, but the Labor Government was looking at removing cane toads from this listing, and their backflip is a welcome assurance to the volunteers on the frontier in the Kimberley.
Im continuing my work on the End of Life Choices Committee. This is about choice, and I look forward to the day, hopefully soon, when this important reform passes through the Parliament.
I travelled up to Broome, where we held stakeholder meetings and also had the pleasure of catching up with local members. I took the opportunity to visit James Price Point again and remind myself of how powerful our movement is when we work together with traditional owners.
We have had thrills, but I must report on the spills too. The Labor Government has announced their plan to turn WA into a massive LNG hub, a move that will accelerate climate change and do nothing but boost the profits of big business. We are scrutinising this at every turn, and offering up our alternative: a renewable future that creates thousands of jobs and transitions WA to 100% clean energy.
We also heard the disappointing news that the NT Labor Government has opened up nearly half of the Territory for fracking. Were keeping a close eye on Labor here as they develop their report into fracking in WA.
Oh, and of course, I ran into some trouble up North again. Driving between Derby and Broome on committee business a cow bounded out onto the road in front of me. There have been many accidents of a similar nature in the Kimberley, and Im lucky I was driving my troopy, as a smaller car would have been a disaster. Were working in Parliament to get action on making roads safer, for motorists and for cattle.
Thats all for now, but as always I want to thank you for everything you do for The Greens (WA). My office is open to you and I would love to hear your feedback and suggestions, or even just have a yarn.
Header photo: Kimberley Greens. Liam Carter
Text photo: Robin at James Price Point: Liam Carter