{"id":23999,"date":"2014-11-28T09:52:21","date_gmt":"2014-11-27T22:52:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nofibs.com.au\/?p=23999"},"modified":"2019-04-16T13:31:24","modified_gmt":"2019-04-16T03:31:24","slug":"the-sleeping-issue-of-climate-change-in-the-vicvotes-battle-for-northcote-reports-takvera","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.nofibs.com.au\/the-sleeping-issue-of-climate-change-in-the-vicvotes-battle-for-northcote-reports-takvera\/","title":{"rendered":"The sleeping issue of climate change in the #vicvotes battle for Northcote reports @takvera"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Darebin<\/a>
\nBoth the Liberal and Labor parties have avoided talking about climate change in this election and Northcote is a good example of this bipartisan silencing of debate on climate policy. <\/p>\n

Candidates from both major parties refused to attend a Climate Q and A forum<\/a> in the electorate on November 12. The group that organised this forum, Darebin Climate Action Now<\/a> is an active group that has been quietly talking about the issue and impacts of climate change in this community for a number of years educating voters bit by bit.<\/p>\n

Rivalry is not unknown between the Council areas of Darebin and Moreland with the valley of the Merri Creek that divides the two municipalities. But we also share many similar cultural aspects and levels of development and many of the same issues and problems. We will also feel the impacts of climate change in a similar manner through increased frequency and intensity of heatwaves and hotspells. Like in Moreland and Brunswick where I reside, Northcote has an interesting story this election with grassroots climate group Darebin Climate Action Now playing a pivotal role.<\/p>\n

The seat of Northcote is one of those inner northern city electorates in Melbourne where the Greens vote has been steadily growing. This state election it has proved to be a particularly nasty battle-ground between the ALP’s Fiona Richardson (Unipollwatch profile<\/a>) and the Greens Trent McCarthy (Unipollwatch profile<\/a>) with the intervention of Federal Labor MP David Feeney into the fray. <\/p>\n

Grassroots campaign on climate change<\/h3>\n

At the start of 2014 the group published postcards directed at the Labor, Liberals and Greens State leaders to make climate change an issue this election. Thousands of these postcards were delivered to the parliamentary leaders of these parties in the leadup to the election.<\/p>\n

\"Voteclimate-Postcard2014\"<\/a>Darebin Climate Action Now also produced a postcard warning that rapid emissions reductions are now required according to the latest climate science, and distributed the card to 27,000 people in Northcote, that is just about every household. This is a massive effort for a community group to do. They have also produced and distributed 27,000 Vote Climate election scorecards which rates each of four candidates – the ALP, the Greens, Liberal Party and Save the Planet – for this electorate on their climate change policies. In recent months the group has also collected more than 2,000 signatures for the Monster Climate Petition at stalls and through doorknocking. <\/p>\n

\"Voteclimate-Northcote-scorecard\"<\/a>\u201cWe have seen an unprecedented upsurge in interest in climate action this election as shown by a tripling in the number of supporters of our local group and over 200 volunteers contributing to our campaign\u201d said Carol Ride from DCAN. \u201cWe think that with a Tony Abbott winding back action on climate and renewable energy at a federal level, and the Labor Party not really stepping up on the issue, people are clearer that we are going to need take action ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Jane Morton from the VoteClimate campaign<\/a>, there are estimated to be at least ten ‘Vote Climate’ house signs for each one from Labor in the electorate.<\/p>\n

Release of Labor climate policy<\/h3>\n

\"Darebin<\/a>The Labor environment policy was released without fanfare or promotion on 26 November. The climate policy is very minimal and does not mention coal once with regard to closing any coal fired power stations or excluding development of local coal for the export trade.<\/p>\n

Past the motherhood statement, Labor committed only $20 million to new energy jobs, a rather small amount in the scheme of things. It does affirm reduction in the buffer zone for wind farms from 2km to 1 km. There is no commitment to a Victorian Renewable Energy Target while Labor will review setting a 2020 emissions reduction target. With the Federal RET under attack there is a lack of business certainty in the wind sector which will probably require a VRET to restore enough confidence for stalled wind farm developments to proceed.<\/p>\n

Tristan Eddis writing in the Business Spectator<\/em><\/a>, called the $20 million new Energy Jobs Fund a joke, a drop in the bucket of investment required and also identified the change in wind farm buffer zones will be insufficient to boost development in this stalled market until there is more certainty with energy targets.<\/p>\n

The Liberal Party has not to date (27 November) even released an environment policy, similar to their 2010 election campaign. <\/p>\n

Labor scared of losing seat<\/h3>\n

On first inspection the results in 2010 show there is about 10% margin between Labor and the Greens. But there has also been slight changes to the electorate boundaries which will favour the greens a little, plus the fact that when comparing the margin to voting in Northccote wards for the Federal election that margin has come down to about 5 per cent.<\/p>\n

The Liberal vote was 15 pc in 2006 and just under 20 pc in 2010, but with the Liberal How to vote putting the Greens last under the orders of Denis Napthine, it means the Greens need to achieve a higher primary vote, although Liberal preferences from Anthony D’Angelo (Unipollwatch profile<\/a>) may show substantial leakage from the registered How to Vote card. In a close race preferences of minor parties standing: Jamie McCarney from the Basics Rock and Roll Party, Helen Fenn from Family First, Georgina Purcell from Animal Justice Party and Save the Planet independent Bryony Edwards (Unipollwatch profile<\/a>) – could all be crucial to the final result.<\/p>\n

Labor is now scared of losing this seat. <\/p>\n

Labor has chosen an aggressive campaign to attack, undermine and smear the Greens candidate on a number of levels. <\/p>\n

A key area of congestion in the electorate is the Chandler Highway 2 lane bridge across the Yarra River to Kew. The Labor leaflet alleges that only Labor can fix the Chandler Highway bridge and accuse the Greens of opposing the duplication of this bridge: “If the Greens have their way … Chandler Highway Bridge will remain a traffic nightmare for years to come.” <\/p>\n

Yet there are Greens leaflets published for some time saying “Chandler Bridge duplication by 2016 including a bus every 10 minutes to cut congestion”.<\/p>\n

One could ask why Labor did nothing about the Chandler Hwy bridge when they were in power to 2010…<\/p>\n

\n

.@Mad_As_Mel<\/a> one could ask why Labor did nothing about Chandler Hwy bridge when they were in power to 2010….#Northcote<\/a> #vicvotes<\/a><\/p>\n

— John Englart EAM (@takvera) November 22, 2014<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n