Greens - policy updates

[ozbob]

Received 8th March 2009

1. Ronan Lee launches Greens campaign with commitment to jobs, light rail, new rail links

Ronan Lee yesterday launched the Greens campaign for the Queensland State election with a commitment to a new light rail network for Brisbane, a plan to create jobs by making Queensland the renewable energy and sustainable industry capital of Australia and new rail links to Bellbowrie (via Darra), Toowoomba, Redcliffe and a passenger service for Beaudesert.

New Light Rail Plans
The Greens will build a light rail network for the Greater Brisbane area. This will include:
* A Northern Line to Aspley
* A North-West Line to Bridgeman Downs
* The Gap Line to Brisbane Forest Park
* The Western Line through Kenmore and Moggill, linking up with the Ipswich rail line
* The University of Queensland Line and
* The Eastern Line to Capalaba.
* The South East line ? making use of the existing busway.

Queensland?s bus ways are designed to be capable of running light rail and we will make sure that we take full advantage of this.

This light rail network will fill in gaps in the heavy rail system and give Brisbane a world class public transport system. We would be applying to the Federal Government under their new public transport funding program to underwrite part of the cost.

New Rail lines
Green action will create jobs by building new rail links to Toowoomba, Redcliffe, Bellbowrie via Darra, a passenger service for Beaudesert and speeding up construction on the Springfield and Sunshine Coast lines.

New trains built in Queensland and new rail lines mean more jobs for Queenslanders, a better transport system, less traffic congestion. This is win-win but the old parties can?t see the job opportunities here.

And we will fund these important commitments from the massive savings that will be made when we stop pointless billion dollar road proposals like the Kenmore Bypass. Our plan will solve transport problems not just shift them the way the old parties would.

2. Greens announce plans for FREE public transport for students and young people
The Greens today announced at the University of Queensland Market Day a plan for free public transport for young people in Queensland.

Under the Greens' plan young people under 22 years of age and all students would ride free on all trains, buses ferries and CityCats.

Greens MP for Indooroopilly Ronan Lee said such a policy was important because it provided young people with free public transport to encourage them to use and learn more about the system before they learned how to drive. This means they were less likely to become habitual car drivers.

Students and young people would register for an EasiCard which would use the GoCard system and provide them with free transport.

"This scheme would cost the State Government $40 million a year but this would be more than compensated for by such benefits as improving safety around schools by reducing the number of vehicles dropping off students," Mr Lee said.

"This is a congestion-busting policy and would save future governments from having to build new roads.

"There's a short-term cost to the government with a long-term benefit to the community."

For more info visit: www.ronanleemp.com

[ozbob]

Overall, some excellent suggestions for a sustainable transport future!

Not sure if all the busways have been built light rail capable but it is nice notion.

Rather than free travel for just students and under 22's,  use the go card as an incentive fare tool for ALL the public transport community (off peak, early late peak and capping).  This is more equitable and will lead to an increase in public transport use and in turn no revenue loss.  But people will have choices.  Still, a good contribution to the go card policy debate.

[stephenk]

Mention of new rail lines, but no mention of extra infrastructure required at the networks core to support the extra services required.

[ozbob]

From the Brisbanetimes click here!

Green alternative to 'old parties'

Green alternative to 'old parties'
Tony Moore | March 8, 2009 - 3:23PM

The ALP and the LNP were both "old parties", who ignored the potential of alternative energies and industries providing new jobs in Queensland, the state Greens said at their campaign launch today.

Today, The Greens promised to waive all State Government levies, fees and charges for any company generating "green jobs" to shift to Queensland.

Ronan Lee - who defected from the ALP last year to become the Greens' first Queensland MP - said the Queensland Government was quick to help the Gold Coast Indy and Virgin Airlines, but failed to help a Canberra-based solar cell company that wanted help to relocate.

Mr Lee said the Queensland Governement had not given any "meaningful incentive" to a company called Spark Solar, which has already been given major project facilitation statis by the federal governemnt.

He predicted the company would become the largest supplier of solar cells in the southern hemisphere.

"Spark Solar are saying it is not an option to come to Queensland, they are looking at southern cities and southern states to base their factories," he said.

"They want to make 10 million solar cells every year, $135 million of export revenue and 115 Australian jobs, and Queensland is missing out on this," he said.

As a new policy for the 2009 state election campaign The Greens promised to set up a Greens' 'Job Agency' to create "new green industry jobs" - set up as a partnership between the state and federal governments.

It will be linked to Infrastructure Australia and report to the Coalition of Australian Governments (COAG).

It will include a board of management with industry experts chosen to retrain people into emerging industries and provide seed funding to new businesses.

The Greens are polling around 8 per cent in the 2009 state election and are expected to be influential in deciding which party wins between 10 and 15 seats around Queensland.

At the launch they also committed their support to keeping pediatric care at the Royal Brisbane Hospital, one of the biggest single issues of the 2009 election campaign.

The issue is creating nerves for the ALP in inner-city Brisbane, although the Royal Brisbane Hospital is in the seat of Brisbane Central held by the ALP's Grace Grace with a 14 per cent margin.

The Greens will replace the $1 billion Kenmore Bypass proposal with a light rail concept connecting to the main Ipswich line as part of a network for greater Brisbane.

This issue was raised by the Greens during the Brisbane City Council election in March 2008.

The Greens promised to stop bauxite mining on the Wenlock River, buy back the water that is allocated to the giant cotton-growing Cubbie Station and maintain their complete opposition to uranium mining in Queensland.

Mr Lee said the Greens would also change Queensland's current solar energy payment scheme from a feed-in tariff, to one based on the gross renewable energy produced.

"It will be calculated, like every research report that looks at this issue says it should be, on the gross renewable energy that households and schools and business, produce."

brisbanetimes.com.au revealed last year that Queensland has the slowest uptake of solar power.

[ButFli]

Ronan Lee is out of control! He wants to build a light rail everywhere! As long as it goes past my house I will be happy. Judging by the map he delivered to my house today it will.