On Sunday the 25th of August the Australian Greens held their launch at the Mangrove hotel in Broome for their vision for the Kimberley.
The room filled up quickly with 70 people turning up to hear the Western Australian senators Rachel Siewert and Scott Ludlam and the Greens Durak candidate Ian ‘Jessie’ James present the Greens’ vision.
Ian gave a warming talk about the struggles of being a farmer in the Wheatbelt, and how his research into the political parties polices for farmers had led him to the Greens.
The Kimberley is a very special and unique place, but faces a number of serious and cumulative pressures, including climate change, large wild fires, feral animals and weeds, over-grazing and ad hoc, incompatible development.
The fully costed policy platforms addresses all these issues by making investments in culture, conservation, renewable energy, research and innovation to underpin a jobs-rich and diverse economy. These include $100 million in doubling the number of Indigenous Rangers, and $2 million in facilitating community participation in planning.
There was a lively discussion following the launch, where community members got to meet the Greens Durak candidate and WA senators, and the room was filled with promise at the prospect of a vibrant future for the Kimberley.
This vision delivers a caring, resilient community and a clean, innovative economy for the Kimberley that will support people to live, work and care for their families.
Policies:
Indigenous Rangers: http://greens.org.au/indigenous-rangers
Kimberley Vision: http://greens.org.au/kimberley
