Firstly, I recognise as an independent candidate I will not be able to be
all things to all people, and for some folk that means I don’t count at all.
However, here are some of my thoughts around climate change.
We all must play our personal part, which I actively do and promote via the
RRR recycling process.
With regard to climate change, I understand the LC is about to consider the
Climate Change Amendment Bill and those various submissions have been made to
the LC including that from Climate Tasmania and the Tas Independent Science
Council raising specific concerns around ‘urgency, sector emissions
reductions, independent advice, strategic resilience, parliamentary
oversight mechanisms ‘etc.
This advice is obviously authorative. Their submission to the Legislative Council
from the Tas Policy Exchange within Utas, is the sort of independent
review most valuable to the LC members when reviewing potential legislation.
The section on transport, page 42 highlights the challenges facing Tasmania
and also, possible solutions (3.3 Strategies).
One of the most important issues for me is in reeling back our desire for
suburban sprawl which requires so much private vehicular transport, part of
that solution is dramatically increasing density within our existing
suburbs. Serious red/green tape currently prevents this.
A case in point is last month’s final approval in Sandy Bay for a carbon neutral housing
development attracting 270 opposing submissions to just 2 in favour, mostly
about ‘height restrictions’. all about ‘not in my back yard’ attitudes
fostered by a desire for eutopia, but in the end empower individual
self-interest. This of course is only my assessment and I of course invite
community input, as the structure and purpose of the LC is to do so….. I
am also keen to see us in Tassie progress the ‘electrification’ of the
island as an example to the rest of the country, we don’t want use of fossil
fuels and most don’t want dams, but we have dams they have been built with
the debt that they required, so at this point I don’t see enough evidence in
favour of restoring Lake Pedder, that might change and again one
Parliamentary member can’t be all things to all people.
Elected members to the LC are able to review all the evidence and pass
‘judgement’, my concern is if the major parties dominate both houses as we
saw with the gaming debacle then our house of review can’t work as it
should, and so I stand as an independent in an attempt to return the balance
of power to the independent members, not the major political parties.