Showing posts with label tasmania. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tasmania. Show all posts
February 18, 2014
Socialist Alliance Candidate for Denison,Tasmanian State Election 2014
Shaine Stephen runs a small business in Hobart and lives with his wife in the foothills of Mt Wellington. Shaine is passionate about Tasmania’s potential to be able to deliver the things people really need – a healthy environment, fulfilling jobs, community democracy and good healthcare and housing.
Shaine condemns the recent cuts to health, education and other public services and believes that the government can create jobs, revitalise the economy and look after people by boosting funding to these services. Shaine opposes the partial privatisation of public housing, the attempts to privatise Aurora and the selling of public assets. Instead, he calls for more high-quality, energy efficient public housing to be built and for Tasmania to become powered by 100% renewable energy. He opposes the pulp mill and calls for free, frequent, energy efficient public transport and for an end to handouts to big corporations, especially ones that destroy the environment.
In addition, Shaine supports justice for Aboriginal people and refugees and stands up for workers’ rights, women’s rights and equality for all.
Shaine is an activist committed to building movements that put people and the environment before profit.
A vote for Shaine Stephen and the Socialist Alliance is a vote for a progressive Tasmania!
Socialist Alliance Candidate for Franklin, Tasmanian State Election 2014
Jenny Forward grew up in the Huon, where her family has lived for generations, but she now lives in Kingston. She’s well aware of the hardships faced by rural communities and therefore she will stand up for better access to employment, education and training, affordable housing, health care and community services. Jenny will also protect Tasmania’s share of the GST.
She’s currently a public hospital social worker and a union delegate for the CPSU. Jenny has also worked as tenant's advocate and child protection worker so she understands the challenges that many families face in making ends meet. She firmly believes that we need to increase the discount given to Tasmanian pensioners and low-income earners to help them pay their electricity, water, and sewerage bills and explore scrapping water and sewerage charges.
Jenny is also campaigning for: urgent action on climate change, an energy future based on renewables and green jobs, no fracking in Tasmania, no Tamar Valley pulp mill; marriage equality and equal rights for all; public ownership of essential services (including the Hydro) and free and frequent public transport and an increased funding boost for health, education and housing.
A vote for Socialist Alliance is not a vote lost as the full value of your vote will go to your next preference. Your vote for Socialist Alliance sends a clear message to the other parties that there is discontent in the Franklin electorate.
Jenny Forward is standing as a candidate for Socialist Alliance as she believes that together we can build an independent and grass-roots community that places the environment and people before profit. The needs of the battlers must take priority over the greed of big business. Vote for a progressive alternative by voting for Socialist Alliance and join us in the struggle for a better world.
August 22, 2011
Socialist Alliance Media Release
Socialist Alliance outrage over the state government budget, including dangerous cuts to mental health services
5 August 2011
Socialist Alliance members were outraged by the harsh neo-liberal budget handed down by the Tasmanian Labor-Greens government on June 16. The government has pushed for and then backed down on a plan to close 20 schools. Now the government wants to slash over $110 million from the health budget in the next financial year alone. Mental health services in the south of the state have been one of the first targets.
Inpatient and community teams have been told that they will lose clinical case management, nursing, allied health, admin, emergency crisis worker and diversional therapy positions. Staff at the 12-bed mental health residential facility in Campbell St have been told that the service will be closed down or transferred to an NGO and the Department is even considering outsourcing the Mental Health Helpline - the critical gateway into the service which is responsible for responding to crisis calls! Staff have expressed anger and alarm to Socialist Alliance about the impact that these proposed cuts will have on people with serious mental illnesses who need treatment and support.
All the community mental health teams already have big waitlists for people needing case management. Existing staffing resources are not enough to meet even the current needs of the seriously mentally ill. Professor Patrick McGorry has convincingly explained that mental health services in this country remain drastically under-funded in comparison to other health services. Burnout, stress and work overload is already an issue amongst Tasmanian mental health staff.
“If the Health Minister goes ahead with plans to cut all these frontline clinical positions, we will see more people with serious mental health conditions going untreated and unsupported and the stress on existing clinicians will be extreme. This is likely to lead to more hospital admissions, more social disruption, greater physical harm and more risk of suicides,” warned Linda Seaborn, spokesperson for the Socialist Alliance.
Seaborn asked “How can these cuts make economic sense when you consider the long-term costs to our community of not treating illnesses early? This is true even if you just consider the economic costs of increased hospital admissions and potential loss of working capacity.” The Socialist Alliance says “Hands off mental health services’ frontline positions!”
Socialist Alliance members are disappointed that Greens MPs are supporting and actively implementing this budget. Greens leader and MP Nick McKim said in a media release: “The Greens welcome the move to a new fiscal strategy.” He said that they have “rolled up their sleeves” to take “tough remedial budget action” and they won’t “shirk from this responsibility”.
“This Labor-Green government has got its priorities all wrong”, said Rose Matthews, spokesperson for the Socialist Alliance. “The government is punishing ordinary people by slashing into the services we really need. Nobody believes that you can axe millions of dollars and over a thousand jobs from health, education, and police without leading to poorer services. They may even slash the Royal Hobart Hospital’s budget by 20% ($70 million), the Launceston General Hospital by $39 million according to reports today. Grassroots workers will be the ones to face the sack, not the top-levels of the bureaucracy.”
The Socialist Alliance pledges to stand side-by-side with the mental health and other public sector workers that are currently campaigning against cuts to their services.
“In fact, we need to defend health, education, housing and child protection services across the board. Cuts will lead to the most vulnerable people in our community suffering. They will also result in a loss of skilled staff to the mainland and more flow-on unemployment in the private sector,” Matthews said.
“Governments need to stimulate the economy by maintaining a strong public sector and investing in jobs, especially in times of economic crisis.”
Yet Premier Lara Giddings is too eager to listen to its ex-TCCI (Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry) economist who she recruited to be her senior advisor. Roz Madsen from Unions Tasmania pointed out that last year, the state government cut land tax, payroll tax and tax on betting exchanges which led to a reduction of $185 million in government income. The government has also spent taxpayers’ money on propping up Gunns and other favored businesses, with no public benefit.
The Socialist Alliance advocates an alternative approach that protects services and boosts the economy. We call on the government to:
- Boost grassroots professional jobs in essential services like health, mental health, education, child protection, ambulance services etc to meet the needs of all Tasmanians
- Take up the offer of the Federal Government to fund 50% of an evidence-based EPPIC (Early Psychosis) treatment service for young people, which we badly need in this state.
- Invest in rail, renewable energy, national parks and public housing, going into debt in the short-term if necessary, in order to stimulate jobs and the economy
Instead of slashing essential services, they could balance the budget by doing things like:
- End subsidies and pay-outs to Gunns and other private companies (especially when there are no guarantees of long-term jobs)
- Increase corporate payroll tax
- Increase mining royalties significantly from the meager rate of 5.5%
- Reduce the frivolous budget spent on maintaining a full-time governor and Government House
- Charge market rates to the three big corporate electricity users instead of selling our electricity to them at below-cost
- Tax the excess gaming profits made by Federal Hotels (which according to Greg James on Tasmanian Times, amounts to $225 million per annum)
- Take action to recoup the $721,000 owed to the government by the Walker Corporation for planning costs associated with their failed Ralph’s Bay marina application
- Return water and sewerage to council control
- Reduce parliamentary and top-bureaucrat perks, privileges, superannuation and wages
March 27, 2011
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225 Murray St, Hobart, TAS 7000 / Phone: (03) 6234 6397 / hobart@socialist-alliance.org
Socialist Alliance opposes Gunns’ pulp mill, calls for referendum
24 March 2011
Socialist Alliance condemns the recent decision by Federal Environment Minister Tony Burke to give final approval to Gunn’s Tamar Valley pulp mill. Socialist Alliance also opposes the decision by the State government to continue propping up the mill by promising to build mill-related infrastructure for Gunns.
“We could never support the Gunns pulp mill in the Tamar Valley, due to the corrupt nature with which it was approved,” said Susan Austin, Socialist Alliance spokesperson. “In addition we oppose it because of its likely toxic effects on the environment and the community.”
Socialist Alliance joins with other community and environment groups in expressing grave concern about water usage, toxic effluent, odours, air pollution, greenhouse emissions, wood-fired power processes and the intensification of an already-harmful plantation industry in the state.
“The permits for the mill must be revoked by the state and federal governments. Approval for any pulp mill needs to pass a rigorous, independent scientific assessment, such as the RPDC,” Austin said.
“Further, we acknowledge that there have been serious social and environmental issues concerned with pulp mills in general, wherever they have been built and therefore we believe that this and all other pulp mill proposals should in addition be subjected to a Tasmania wide referendum. This is a much more accurate way to determine the social license for any pulp mill and will allow everyone to have a say about whether we want a pulp mill or not,” said Austin.
Socialist Alliance also supports campaigns around the world by other communities who are also battling similar pulp mills.
“There will be no jobs on a dead planet. There are many ways that the government can support jobs and the environment, but supporting this toxic, job-poor project is definitely not one of them!” Austin concluded.
For more info: Susan Austin 0418 643 133
August 11, 2010
Come Along and Support Mel Barnes at Election Campaign Benefit Gig
Mel Barnes, Socialist Alliance Candidate for Denison Election Campaign benefit gig
Thursday 19th August 8pm Alley Cat Bar, North Hobart
August 05, 2010
Hobart Town Hall Debate
Hobart Town Hall Debate
Forget about twitter and facebook.
It's time for a good old fashioned
Town Hall political debate.
Come along and hear what your
have to say as they via for your vote.
Plenty of opportunity to test their mettle on the issue of your choice.
Wednesday 18th August
6.30 – 8.30 pm
Mel Barnes, Socialist Alliance
Geoff Couser, Greens
Jonathan Jackson, ALP
Cameron Simpkins, Liberal
Andrew Wilkie, Independent
You are also invited to ask a question on behalf of your organisation.
Please let me know in advance so I can add you to the list.
There will also be plenty of opportunity for a general Q & A session.
Could you also please distribute this invitation amongst your networks?
Organised by Hobart
For further information - 0428 243 964
Written and authorised by Bill Harvey
C/- Town Hall Hobart
Election Campaigning Update
Hi all,
There are only 2 weeks and 2 days to go before Australians head to the polls to elect a new national government. We are doing all that we can to try and make sure that people vote for alternative parties that will stand up for the environment and the needs of ordinary people. The campaign for Mel Barnes, our Socialist Alliance candidate in Denison
Mel attended a demonstration today against the proposed plan to burn native forests for power. As a dedicated climate change activist, Mel is also proud to see that the Vote Climate website www.voteclimate.
Have you signed up to her `Mel Barnes for Denison North Hobart on Thursday August 19th, so please note it in your diary and we'll send out more details when they are confirmed.
In solidarity,
Susan Austin
August 04, 2010
BRIGHTON BYPASS CAMPAIGN LAUNCH
BRIGHTON BYPASS
CAMPAIGN LAUNCH
Saturday 7th August 2010, 12pm
Parliament House Lawns – Hobart
All Aborigines and non-Aboriginal supporters are invited to join in the fight for the protection of Aboriginal heritage in the Lower Jordan Valley.
The launch will include speeches, cultural dance performances and the unveiling of our campaign billboards as well as a sausage sizzle.
If the Tasmanian Government is willing to destroy Aboriginal heritage dating back 40,000 years, what hope do we have of protecting other ancient heritage in Tasmania?
We must all fight for the protection of Aboriginal Heritage before it’s too late.
Contact the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre on 1800 132 260 or visit www.tacinc.com.au
WE NEED YOUR HELP!!!
THE TASMANIAN GOVERNMENT INTENDS TO DESTROY SIGNIFICANT ABORIGINAL SITE
We have set up a website dedicated to this campaign of protecting the indispensable Aboriginal Site at Brighton (Tasmania/ Australia).
The Lower Jordan River levee at Brighton holds the most extensive and best preserved evidence of human existence going back through 40,000 years ever found in Tasmania, and one of the oldest such places found in Australia.
The Tasmanian government intend to destroy the site with a highway and bridge. Works are already well advanced.
We are not opposing the road we just want the Government to find an alternative route.
Applications to have the Brighton Aboriginal site protected under both Federal and State laws were lodged on Tuesday 8th June, 2010 with Ministers Peter Garrett and David O’Byrne.
All the relevant information is on our website www.tacinc.com.au. We ask that you read and find the time to write to the State and Federal Ministers (or email david.obyrne@parliament.tas.gov.au, peter.garrett.mp@aph.gov.au) to support our application to protect this site.
Please help the Tasmanian Aboriginal Community to save our culture, heritage and support this extremely important campaign! Can you please forward on.
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