Bob Brown’s speech to National Press Club
With the launch of the election campaign, Bob Brown, leader of the Australian Greens, addressed the National Press Club yesterday. This is the start of the his speech:
A decade ago The Greens had a very simple slogan - “No environment no economy�.
Today that is even truer.
Ten years ago it was a warning. Now, in 2007; it is a description of our reality.
And the farmers, the fishers, the tourism industry workers, the city dwellers on water restrictions – Australians everywhere – know this is true. Without the environment, there is no economy.
And yet John Howard, the now self-defined ‘climate change realist’, persists with the same policies and the same thinking that has failed Australia for the past decade. And Kevin Rudd shows little sign of making that seismic shift in thinking required to address the most urgent matters confronting Australia today – climate change and water security.
October 18th, 2007 at 12:25 pm
I reckon you could build a good economy on the moon (mining) when technology catches up, and the environment there is sh*t.
If we had an economy on the moon, would the Greens be banging on about how man’s presence there has completely destroyed the atmosphere?
The thing is, no-one disagrees with the generic obvious statements “no environment - no economy”, its the causes, the so called links to man made climate change, and MOST importantly, the proffered solutions that are debatable.
It’s the usual Greenie hyped press release…I’ve seen more informative Exclusive Brethren brochures than this.
October 18th, 2007 at 12:35 pm
The speech makes a specific mention of the EB’s influence in Australian politics.
Does every Green party have a problem with the EB’s or is it only New Zealand and Australia?
It is getting to the paranoia stage?
October 18th, 2007 at 12:41 pm
It’s called creating the bogeyman. Apparently, in a democracy, you can only express a valid opinion if you are not from a religious group.
Excluding the Religions of the Environment of course.
Also, the Greens hate the ‘international conspiracy’ element of the EB’s. You see, the EB’s send the same one page brochure about the world to attack Green parties - thus making it an international conspriacy.
The Greens know this because they constantly talk to their international connections (get them over for presentations etc) and share Green Policies around the world, which means the EB brochure hardly needs changing!
Gosh, looks like an international Green conspiracy.
October 18th, 2007 at 12:43 pm
fascinating stuff. haven’t you 2 got anything better to do?
October 18th, 2007 at 12:51 pm
Bob Brown lives in a Country where much of former drought ravaged farmland has recently been redesignated as Desert.
This has allowed Govt. to compensate Farmers leaving their Family land, and help arrest the frightening suicide rate amongst these (often-multi-generational) landholders.
October 18th, 2007 at 1:08 pm
Stuey,
Thats the beauty of computer controlled machines. Once it is programmed I can sit back and let the cutting take care of it self (unless a tool breaks or I have programmed it wrong), gives me time to comments on this most excellent blog.
Greens in Australia want to sign up to Kyoto and persue carbon trading as a climate control mechanism.
Reminds me of a question I asked you the other day.
“Lets agree that global warming is happening and it is to the detriment of the human race.
Do you think carbon trading as practised by Al Gore’s company the solution to the problem?
Creating carbon credits, from dubious sources, so that emmisions can continue and using a propaganda film to promote his company (even indirectly)?
This claimed $15Trillion carbon credit industry already has a greater volume of carbon credits to trade than current emmisions.
Meaning that carbon trading will not slow down carbon emmisions nor soak up the excess carbon already in the atmosphere and causing global warming.”
What say you Stuey, carbon trading the answer as esoused by both Australian and New Zealand Green parties?
October 18th, 2007 at 1:34 pm
Once it is programmed I can sit back and let the cutting take care of it self (unless a tool breaks or I have programmed it wrong), gives me time to comments
Wow, sounds like this investment in technology has really boosted your productivity.
October 18th, 2007 at 1:43 pm
so russell..the human rights commissioner wants that bill scrapped..
“..The Human Rights Commission told a select committee considering the Government’s Electoral Finance Bill that the impact of measures in the bill could have a deadening effect on democracy.
The commission wants the bill scrapped and started again.
If it has to stay wants to see the present three-month regulatory period limiting election spending kept instead of increasing it to the whole of an election year;
Chief Human Rights Commissioner Rosslyn Noonan said the cumulative effect of the measures in the bill meant it was incompatible with the Bill of Rights.
Active participation in the political process was vital to democracy and the bill’s provisions could stifle legitimate debate and political contributions for nearly a third of the electoral cycle, she said.
Prime Minister Helen Clark has previously indicated there could be changes to the definitions of electoral advertising, spending thresholds and time limitations. But Ms Noonan said any changes needed to be consulted on and the best way to do it was with a new bill.
“The commission’s preference is and remains that the … bill is withdrawn and redrafted to take into account the very substantial and in depth submissions of the over 600 submitters to this committee.�
The commission also thought there was an issue around the benefits the party in power had during election campaigns; advantages included being the mouthpiece of policy and having the infrastructure of government..”
so..that’s pretty much the concerns voiced by me and a few others..
but..still determined to plough ahead..?
eh..?
phil(whoar.co.nz)
October 18th, 2007 at 2:37 pm
XYY,
Technology invented by the Japanese I think (might be wrong) during the war using punch tapes.
Developed a lot since then naturally and this related back to investment and something the Greens need to take into consideration.
While underwater turbine technolgy is great to be researched, to build a turbine blade requires a massive investment in machinery. I have a simple 3 axis machine, replacement cost around $150K.
To machine turbine blades you would need at least a 5 axis machine costing around $1M.
Now to spend this sort of money (plus add $30K for software and another $30K for tooling) requires commitment and a more then reasonable chance a ROI is available.
Hence it is important that taxation wise New Zealand is pretty closely aligned with its competitors otherwise the investment will be placed in say Australia, Thailand, Vietnam, etc.
New Zealand sadly is also lacking in educated operators and programmers.
So for technology to come here you need a taxation system closely aligned to our competitors and a skilled workforce.
October 18th, 2007 at 6:07 pm
I think the Greens are obsessed with EB because they fail to understand the gap between how they think and how the public thinks, and so look for an outside cause.
October 19th, 2007 at 11:11 am
My personal distaste for the EB campaign stemmed from the lack of transparency associated with their advertising. The EB have shown themselves to be desperate and deceptive in their attempts to circulate incorrect information.
That’s not to say they should be rounded up as a terrorist organisation. They deserve, however, to swelter under the acerbic gaze of the Green Party.
And if they had any gumption they would stand up and defend their arguments …
October 19th, 2007 at 4:05 pm
trotting out the ‘party line’..
eh stu..?
phil(whoar.co.nz)
October 19th, 2007 at 5:55 pm
My personal distaste for the EB campaign stemmed from the lack of transparency associated with their advertising.
Yeah, fancy putting only a name and po box on the back of the brochure. That delayed the uinceasing persecution of the chinless scarf wearers by a whole week.