public transport should be owned by the public

On the 31st May a public meeting will be held to demand the sacking of Connex and restoration of public control over public transport.

Rail and tram franchise agreements expire in 2008 and the State Government has until 30 November, 2007 to decide whether it will exented or renew them. If no such notice is given by the deadline, then Melbourne's trains and trams revert to public ownership without the risk of compensation claims.

On the 27th March, the Shire of Yarra Ranges council confirmed its support for the LinkUp Melbourne campaign including the signing of an open letter to The Premier and the Minister for Public Transport calling for an end to privatisation of the train and tram services.

Yarra Ranges Council have shown we are committed to action on climate change. There is no doubt that a state government run public transport system plays an essential part in reducing reliance on motor cars. What our community needs is appropriate arrangements in place to permit the planning, funding and provision of high quality public transport, this is not what we have now under privatisation. I urge all who can to attend the meeting to lend your support to the LinkUp Melbourne campaign.

The meeting will be held on Thursday 31st May from 5:30pm to 6:30pm at the Wesley Uniting Church at 148 Lonsdale Street, City.

If you'd like to know more about LinkUp Melbourne visit http://www.linkupmelbourne.org.au

the supermarket application

An article that appeared in the local press described councils deliberations on a supermarket application for Mt Evelyn as pithy soundbites, see http://www.starnewsgroup.com.au/story/41663

However, there was much more I said about the application, I think it went well beyond a soundbite, what I actually said (among other things) was:
the application;

1. does not reflect the characteristics of the town
2. does not meet the standards or design objectives of the proposed DDO
3. does nothing to enhance the local urban character
4. is excessive and incompatible in a low scale residential context
5. I urge you to support the motion to refuse this most dreadful application

There was a lot of discussion about this application, the speaker supporting the application, Mr Jeff Bailey, suggested that as a response to climate change we should support the application. Climate change is complicated, it is well known that large supermarket chains purchase their perishable foods from all over the world, fruit and vegetables can travel thousands of kilometres, this is not a good response to address climate change.

It's very easy to pull out the climate change card and use it for your own ends, but doing this needs very careful consideration, it is a very complex matter.

my version

ALP doesn't want parliament to have nuclear say...

Last month the three Greens MLCs joined the Liberals, Nationals and DLP in the upper house to defeat a Labor Party bill that would have enabled the Government to call a plebiscite of Victorian voters if the Federal Government tried to override state laws and build a nuclear reactor in Victoria.

As a reaction to the defeat of the bill the ALP have come up with the poster (below) which it intends to distribute around Melbourne and Monash Uni's as well as Greens heartland areas of Melbourne, Brunswick, Northcote and Richmond.

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
The simple truth is the Bill was a bad piece of legislation, because:

It would have given sole responsibility for crafting a question for a plebiscite on nuclear energy to the Minister, and the Minister only.

There was nothing to prevent the Minister writing the question in such a way as to make nuclear energy appear acceptable.

Our MLCs will be drafting a private members Bill to enshrine in the Victorian constitution that it will be the Parliament, not an individual Minister that decides on questions to be put to a plebiscite.

Amazingly Steve Bracks, who apparently does not support nuclear energy, voted to dump the ALP's three mine policy at their national conference last weekend. This is a diversion from the real issue being the expansion of uranium mining under a federal Labor government, which Bracks voted for and supported.

Source of image http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/greens-see-red/2007/05/07/1178390226037.html