Greens won't direct preferences
By Michael Bell
BRISBANE — The Green Alliance has decided not to direct preferences in the March 23 Brisbane City Council elections.
"Our dilemma is that the Liberals won't give too many promises on the environment and the ALP break theirs", said Drew Hutton, Green Alliance candidate for lord mayor. "We don't see any more reason to trust Jim Soorley [the Labor candidate] than we do Bob Hawke."
Only in the ward of Rochedale will the Greens make an exception. There they will direct preferences to the Labor candidate because of the alliance's opposition to Liberal plans for a landfill waste dump in the area.
"Neither Labor nor Liberals currently deserve Green preferences", said Fairfield ward candidate Dr Coral Wynter.
"The final straw has been the Hawke government's sell-out to the logging and mining industry with its resource security legislation, which means giving legal protection to destruction of our natural heritage.
"Added to the Goss government's refusal to keep to its pledge to save Fraser Island, it is refusing to use its powers to halt the Rochedale dump once and for all."