WA Greens Energy spokesperson Robin Chapple MLC has labelled Minister Marmion’s latest plug in support of uranium mining in Western Australia as ‘seriously flawed’.
“The WA Greens will not accept uranium mining in this state any more than we will accept Mr Marmion’s premise for asking us too,” Mr Chapple said.
“Contrary to Mr Marmion’s statements I’d say that the Paris Conference didn’t really lend much hope to the nuclear industry and came out strongly in support of renewable energy as the best way to tackle future energy crises and climate change.
“And, there is a whole host of other factors not being considered here. Vast amounts of concrete are used to build a nuclear reactor, one of the most energy intensive processes known to man.
“Nuclear waste must be stored for decades once it has been spent and as a producer, we would understandably be expected to share this burden.
“I think it’s unlikely there will be an increase in global demand for uranium either. The rate at which nuclear reactors are being shutdown far exceeds the rate at which they are being built and it is difficult to imagine that status quo changing.
“Uranium mining is not a small, low-impact commitment but a long term responsibility that will have implications for generations after the mine is no longer producing.”
WA Greens MLC Robin Chapple has again questioned what the state government are doing to address safety on the Great Northern Highway between Broome and Derby.
“Cattle roaming Kimberley highways freely, especially the stretch of Great Northern Highway between Broome and Derby, continues to be a persistent problem for the region,” Mr Chapple said.
“The risk to drivers is absolutely phenomenal. I have not driven this stretch of road once in the last few years and not seen cattle roaming on, or very near, the road which suggests to me it is only getting worse.
“Just last month whilst travelling north from Broome to my home in Derby I narrowly avoided a major collision when a herd of cattle got spooked and stampeded across the road in front of me.
“Somehow, I went straight through the middle of the herd, however you can imagine the level of damage that could be sustained in a cattle collision at highway speeds!"
Mr Chapple’s comments come after The National Party yesterday announced thousands of dollars’ worth of funding from the Road Safety Commission for the state’s South West.
“The Great Northern Highway is a major service highway for the Kimberley and roaming cattle is a well-known issue for this region,” Mr Chapple said.
“An Australian Road Assessment Program report, commissioned by the Australian Automobile Association in 2013, suggested the Great Northern Highway was one of the state’s worst roads; so why has nothing been done?
“It wouldn’t take much to work with pastoralists in the region to make sure that gates are locked, fences are secure and generally speaking, the road is safe for all users. Right now that is very far from the truth.
“I would go so far as to say this is a case of ‘out of sight and out of mind’ for the Department and quite frankly, it is an attitude faced by Kimberley residents all too often.”
For comment please contact media liaison Tim Oliver on 08 9486 8255 or 0431 9696 25.
The WA Greens have criticised the state government and opposition for passing tough mandatory sentencing laws that breach the international convention on the rights of a child.
“It was extremely disappointing to see such universal support for a bill that is so fraught with opportunities for misuse and unintended consequences,” WA Greens MLC Robin Chapple said.
“The convention states that in a case involving a minor, detention must be a last resort - these laws remove the ability of a court to use discretion and hence clearly breach the convention.
“We should be allowing the judiciary to make decisions relating to children, not mandating from Parliament.”
WA Greens MLC Lynn MacLaren said that mandatory sentencing had a disproportionate impact on marginalised West Australians with little evidence to suggest that it reduced crime in any context.
“Home burglaries are ultimately a crime of despair – it would be nice to see a government who was willing to actually invest in people and invest in rehabilitation,” Ms MacLaren said.
“I challenge the State Government, and Canning candidate Andrew Hastie, who has weighed into this debate to support mandatory sentencing extensions - to produce their evidence to show that mandatory sentencing will reduce the number of home burglaries.
“I also challenge the Government to commit to implementing the policies that are known to work to reduce crime. That is, long term, research-linked, community-based strategies, including health-based substance abuse programs.”
For comment please contact media liaison Tim Oliver on 08 9486 8255 or 0431 9696 25
WA Greens spokesperson on Aboriginal Affairs Robin Chapple MLC said he was disgusted to learn this morning that community maintenance work at Mowanjum, undertaken by local men, had been outsourced to a Victorian contractor.
“I have never been more ashamed than of the Barnett government’s relentless attacks on Aboriginal people, agency and culture in Western Australia,” Mr Chapple said.
“All the Government rhetoric about reform for remote Aboriginal communities to address social issues means absolutely nothing; they simply do not care.
“It has been proven time and again that local, meaningful, employment is one of the most effective methods of dealing with mental health issues in remote communities.
“There is a fundamental flaw in the system here and that is where reform should be targeted; these at-risk young men were undertaking meaningful work within their own community and are now unemployed.”
For further comment please contact media liaison Tim Oliver on (08) 9486 8255 or 0431 9696 25
