Greens contest Parramatta by-election
By Janet Parker
SYDNEY — On August 27, voters in the state seat of Parramatta, once a piece of Labor's "heartland" and now a marginal seat, go to the polls. Some commentators estimate the outcome will be decided by as few as 800 votes.
While media reports have concentrated on the Labor and Liberal parties ever-more expensive election promises, the other seven contenders, including the Greens (NSW), have barely rated a mention. Also running are Fred and Elaine Nile's Call to Australia, Greypower and the Daylight Saving Extension Party.
The Greens (NSW) candidate is offering the only genuine alternative in this otherwise unexciting race. Miranda Fitzgerald is a 25-year-old employee of Community Aid Abroad Trading and an environment officer with the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS) Students Association. Fitzgerald's involvement with a range of green and social justice issues has been extensive, from her work with CAA and Amnesty International to her activity around PNG, Malaysian, Indonesian and local forestry issues.
The Greens' policies include the incorporation of light rail to allow greater movement across existing rail links and the abandonment of the proposed M2 freeway near Parramatta which will only serve to encourage car usage and exacerbate the already serious pollution problem.
Public access to health care is another concern of the Greens. "Both parties have been pushing for the establishment of 'mega-hospitals'," Fitzgerald told Green Left, "where people are shoved through the system in production-line fashion, all in the name of achieving some economies of scale. Parramatta Hospital, a prime piece of waterfront real estate has, funnily enough, been recently closed and further closures or downgrading are proposed for Lidcombe, Canterbury, Western Suburbs and Concord Hospitals. There's been a serious decline in health and support services through no fault of the staff who are working under difficult conditions. It's just a reflection of the government's priorities."
High on the mainstream political agenda in NSW has been the issue of "law and order". Labor and Liberal are promising to get tough! The ALP's Gabrielle Harrison has made this a major focus; her election material cites Parramatta's record rates of burglary and car theft and she promises to make work with local police to prevent and fight crime a priority.
According to Fitzgerald the solution of both Labor and Liberal is to "throw more police at it" whereas, the Greens' focus on crime is to "address the issues of social welfare, education and the creation of environmentally-benign jobs".
If elected the Greens have pledged to: address greenhouse gas emissions; protect wilderness areas and coastal wetlands; minimise waste; look for markets for post-consumer waste; comply with the National Forest Policy; increase access to education and community services; and introduce a decentralised secondary and tertiary sewerage system.