Janet Rice
News
Thursday 15 October 2009 at 8:05 pm
For a sombre and completely up to date reminder of what’s really driving transport policy today , beyond the platitudes of transport plans, have a read of the independent panel report assessing the Environmental Effects Statement on the Frankston bypass
First let’s remind ourselves that the go ahead for this road was given by the Premier prior to the Environmental Effects Statement being completed. It highlights that once a road is on the agenda, preordained, not only will nothing stand in the way of it being built, but that the power of the road building industry, feeding and catering as it does to our society’s car dependency, is sufficient to overturn democratic and theoretically objective checks and balances in the system.
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Monday 13 July 2009 at 12:40 pm
I had a great deal of respect for Al Gore. He brought the attention of the world to climate change. He said in his speech at the launch of
Safe Climate Australia this morning that he was a recovering politician. Sorry Al, you’re not. You are as much a politician as ever. The climate is changing a lot, but in Mr Gores world, it’s the politics that have undergone the step change since An Inconvenient Truth. Obama is now in the Whitehouse, and in Australia Kevin Rudd is PM. These people are from Al Gore’s side of politics. That means whatever they are doing is the best that can be done. He told us that Rudd and Australia were showing global leadership on climate action. Never mind our inadequate targets, never mind our fatally compromised Carbon Polluters Rewards Scheme, or that his hosts at breakfast, Safe Climate Australia, aim to prepare a plan that shows how we can reduce carbon emissions to zero.
Al Gore said he was being apolitical. That’s bunkum. Gore was being deeply political in buying into the Australian debate as to whether what is being proposed by our Labor government should be supported. Every word that Al Gore uttered this morning about the need for emergency action on climate change was silenced and negated by his politics. Whilst he spoke of the need to take action like never before he gave support to the incrementalism that is spelling doom for a safe climate future.
His pronouncement that what Rudd is doing the best that can be achieved in the current political climate is a powerful attack on those who say we should and can be going much further at far greater speed. What’s more it’s wrong.
Kevin Rudd had a mandate to act on climate change. He has the support of the Australian community for strong action. He has scientific consensus that emergency action is needed. He has Greens and an independent in the Senate who will support real action. The political challenge he could have set himself is to achieve the one extra vote he needs in the Senate for strong action. Or to face the community at a double dissolution election on a platform of real action and genuine global leadership on climate change.
I came away from breakfast feeling deeply depressed. But then I reminded myself. No-one said it was going to be easy to beat the vested interests, the resource industries, the coal industry who currently are dictating policy. We know strong grassroots action is needed and it’s abundantly clear that the only way we are going to get it is through strong Green politics. I’m happy for the Gores, the ACF’s of the world to keep scratching backs and thinking they can reform the ALP from within. I wish them luck but to me I see absolutely no evidence that working that way is going to deliver results.
Gore finished his speech by acknowledging that we are still lacking political will for strong action, but that at least political will is a renewable resource. I look forward to a hasty renewal of that political will when the old parties discover, maybe at the next election , maybe the one after, that they need Greens support to form government. Till then I’ll keep on campaigning.
Wednesday 08 July 2009 at 1:19 pm
I've given two presentations over the last fortnight on the above topic, outlining the sorts of changes that are needed in how we run our transport systems if we are to achieve sustainable, equitable, economically efficient and workable transport for a growing city.
The attached slide show hasn't got much text but I think you'll be able to read between the lines to get some of the gist of the presentation and the great discussion that it generated at both sessions. I'm happy to give it again - give me a hoy if you're interested
Sunday 28 June 2009 at 10:33 pm
The freeway, the bandicoots and frying and dying. How Mr Brumby and Lester help us learn to stop worrying and love the bomb.
Once upon a time Mr Brumby and his government decided to build a big shiny new freeway to make it easier for them to get to their seaside holidays on the Mornington Peninsula.
Mr Brumby says ‘Don’t worry. We will do an Environment Effects Statement to show how the new freeway can be built without destroying the environment. We are so confident that we can do that that we don’t even need to wait until the EES is finished before announcing that the freeway will be built!.
Now, even though Mr Brumby has already said that the freeway will be built, we still get to play the EES game. So, the EES is written. People get to put in submissions. Aren’t they lucky to be able to spend their weekends doing such fun things like that!
Then comes the really fun bit of the game. This involves three lovely gentlemen getting together as a Panel. Their job is to say how well the EES has done in its quest of saying that we can build a freeway and protect the environment and reduce carbon pollution and create world peace.
The Chair of the Panel is a bloke called Lester who lives in Brunswick (Lester used to be seen as a bit of a greenie. Not any more.)
Lester and his Panel say ‘Mmmm, The EES says traffic is increasing. Congestion is a problem. Population is increasing ( but not too much) . And what do you know! There is land that has been set aside for the freeway for a long, long time – almost back to when time began. Magic Freeway Land!
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Wednesday 15 April 2009 at 1:09 pm
Voting has now opened for the Victorian Greens lead Senate candidate. with voting closing on 22 May. My nomination statement is printed below, or if you prefer, it's also available as a pdf. The statements from my four nominators are available here, and supporting statements from Greens members and others are here.
Janet for the Senate
Authentic, experienced,
with a passion for change.
Authentic.
All my adult life I’ve worked passionately
for change. Taking action on climate change has been a huge priority for me since
studying meteorology at university more than twenty years ago. It’s the most
important issue facing us. Now, it’s an emergency. I’m asking for your support
to become our Senator so together we can use the power of that position to lever
real change on climate, as well as biodiversity, greening the economy, and the
other urgent issues we face.
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Tuesday 07 April 2009 at 09:04 am
I resubmitted my letter to the Age regarding public transport to the airport yesterday after they ran an article quoting the transport minister saying there wasn't any demand for a airport rail link! They pubished it today:
No demand? Really?
LYNNE Kosky's spokesman says "there doesn't appear to be much demand" for an airport rail link (The Age,
6/4). I've got an idea for the Transport Minister — she could determine
demand for reliable and affordable public transport by providing it.
Currently,
in addition to the $16 each way Skybus service, there is a cheaper
option — a bus service from Broadmeadows station to the airport. It
takes 20 minutes and is covered by a Met ticket. The problem is it runs
only every two hours. An improvement would be to run an express bus
service from Broadmeadows so that it meets every train. It would also
service workers in the airport precinct, for whom a return trip on
Skybus every day is out of the question.
The new 401 bus
service from North Melbourne to the hospitals and university has shown
how successful services can be when they are fast, frequent and direct.
Run the Broadmeadows trains and buses every 10 minutes and I reckon the
Transport Department would have another success story — something it
sorely needs.
Janet Rice, Footscray
Tuesday 31 March 2009 at 10:51 am
I've just written a letter to the Editor at The Age reflecting on the cost of parking at the airport which has just been found by the ACCC to reflect a monopoly! Surprise, surprise! Here's the letter:
It’s no surprise that
the price of parking at Tullamarine has been found to be ‘consistent with airports having a monopoly position’ because that’s exactly what
exists. Not only are there no convenient alternatives for parking, but the
option of not driving is just as expensive – $16 for a skybus trip and over $50
for a taxi trip from the city.
There is however a little known cheaper
option of the bus service from Broadmeadows station to the Airport. It only
takes 20 minutes and is covered by a Met ticket – the only problem is it only
runs every two hours!
A modest but highly effective public
transport improvement that would break the parking monopoly would be to run the
bus service from Broadmeadows so that it meets every train. It would also
service the huge numbers of workers in the airport precinct, for whom a $25
return trip on skybus every day is out of the question.
The new shuttle bus service from North Melbourne to the Hospitals
and University has shown how successful bus services can be when they are fast
frequent and direct. Run the Broadmeadows trains and buses every 10 minutes
throughout the day and I reckon the Department of Transport would have another
success story on its hands – something it sorely needs.
Wednesday 18 March 2009 at 1:59 pm
Totally confused by the Rudd Government's so called Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme? Help is at hand! I've just finished writing a
piece summarising the problems with the scheme. This paper will be the basis for the talk I am giving tonight at the Fire and Water Forum in Footscray, organised by WeCAN - Western Community Action Network (see
www.wecan.collectivex.com).
Monday 09 February 2009 at 08:56 am
What can one say about the fires currently burning out of control through Victoria? The loss of life – 100 confirmed dead so far, the infernos ripping through homes, forest, farmland. It's an absolute tragedy. We grieve for our fellow Victorians who have lost their loved ones, their homes, their livelihoods. The conditions were worse than Ash Wednesday in 1983. Hotter than Black Friday in 1939. Presumably once the smoke clears, there will be an inquiry, and climate change has to be on the agenda.
At 46.4 degrees Melbourne’s maximum temperature on 7 February was the highest ever recorded. It’s almost a degree hotter than the previous all time record and smashed the previous February record by 3 degrees. The state is so dry – over a decade of drought. We can shore up our water supplies by building desalination plants, (and adding to energy usage and climate change) but we can’t just ‘ fix’ our natural environment. We are destroying it.
It makes climate change real and tangible – maybe even to the skeptics. I heard of one avid Andrew Bolt reader who whilst sweltering in the heat said he thought he may have been following a false prophet . If our political leaders have any brains at all they must realise the need for serious action at emergency speed to tackle our climate emergency– the fact they are not taking it shows just how beholden they are to the greenhouse mafia of the coal industry and others
Wednesday 04 February 2009 at 4:48 pm
I’ve just returned from a fabulous weekend at the climate summit in Canberra, bringing together over 500 climate change activists from 150 Climate Action Groups together, to plan a joint platform and joint actions for the coming year and beyond.
We agreed on some very radical but scarily necessary objectives for the campaign – to work to scrap the government’s Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme, to campaign for 100% renewable energy for Australia by 2020, and for Australia to play its part in recreating a safe climate, by stabilising atmospheric carbon at 300ppm – that means taking carbon out of the atmosphere, and will allow the Arctic to refreeze. Have a read of more of my thoughts about the Summit here.
Forest Destruction on Brown Mountain
Just before Christmas the Victorian Government began logging majestic wild forest at Brown Mountain in East Gippsland. Their plans to continue the destruction are currently on hold because activists have found evidence of threatened species in the forest areas due to be logged. Brown Mountain has a special place in my heart – it was where we organised protest actions against logging in 1990 – and where on being totally sold out by the Labor Party both at a state and federal level I threw myself in establishing The Greens in Victoria. I’ve written a piece that explains the sellout by the Federal Government then – and how the Labor Party just haven’t changed a bit in the intervening 19 years.
Farewelling Council
I finished up on Maribyrnong Council at the end of November last year. I enjoyed my six years but it was time to move on. I’ve had some immense satisfaction including my work on sustainable transport and success in Council’s commitment to go carbon neutral by 2015. A quick summary of what I feel I achieved during my six year term is here. One of the big factors in my decision to move on was that being an active effective Councillor needs at least 30-40 hours a week, but you only get paid an allowance of $15 500. You can do it for so long, but not indefinitely. The allowance has now gone up to $20 000 but realistically it will only be when being a Councillor pays $30 000 or more that most people will be able to afford to put their hand up to be elected.
What’s in store for me in 2009?
I’m still working this out! I’m planning to stand for pre-selection for the lead senate candidate for The Greens Victoria. Nominations open next month, and the candidate is chosen by postal ballot of all Greens Members in May. Please contact me if you’d like to know more about this.
Other than this I’m aiming to work half time as a facilitator to earn some money – see my CV . I’ve currently got some available time, so if you or your colleagues need some facilitating done give me a hoy. And then with the rest of my time I’m planning on campaigning on climate change and transport.
- I’m now the Convenor of the Greens Victoria Transport and Planning Working Group – send me an email if you’re interested in joining. A key task for this year is working on a community campaign to run alongside the Parliamentary Inquiry into Melbourne and Victoria’s train service which Upper House Greens MP Greg Barber is initiating.
- I’ve taken on some work following the Climate Action Summit – specifically working on a local government action kit, and working on communications messages and materials.
- I’m helping to get the Western Community Action Network – WeCan! off the ground. We are planning an action for 28 February in the Yarraville Gardens focused on the Wonthaggi desalination plant. Click here for more info.
- I’m working with No Freeway for West Footscray on planning the campaign against the proposed road tunnel under Footscray.
- I’m currently doing some work with the GAMUT Centre (Governance and Management of Urban Transport) at Melbourne University aimed at forming the Sustainable Melbourne Alliance for Transport and Urbanism. Stay tuned for more details!
- As Convenor for the Western Suburbs Region of The Greens I’ll be encouraging and helping all members in the region to be campaigning strongly on critical issues such as claimte change, transport, water and gambling
