Tasmanian Greens leader Cassy O’Connor said she would focus on core green issues and what is of public interest at the party’s state conference in Burnie on Sunday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Some of the issues Ms O’Connor told fellow party members she would stand up for included tackling the government’s “total inaction on climate change”, industrial fish farming, stopping the proposed cable car on kunanyi (Mount Wellington) and foreign ownership of Indigenous lands.
Ms O’Connor said there must be stronger laws on political donations and gun control, and more needed to be done to protect Tasmania’s wilderness from private ownership in multiple locations.
She said they had drafted numerous bills to put before Parliament when it resumes.
“Did you know that is it a crime in Tasmania to beg?” Ms O’Connor said.
“It is in the Criminal Code, we have a law in our state that punishes people for abject poverty. We have a draft bill to remove the crime of begging from the statue.”
Ms O’Connor said she wanted to restore the number of sitting members in Parliament because when it was reduced from 35 to 25 it became undemocratic.
She also gave thanks to Labor leader Rebecca While for sticking with a policy to ban pokies.
Senator Nick McKim and Ms O’Connor both said they had concerns about the Cradle Mountain cable car and tourism proposal.
“We are very happy to have a look at any changes that might be offered but we don’t think private companies should be given that infrastructure to run,” Senator McKim said.
“Any infrastructure that is operated in our World Heritage Area should be public owned and operated.
“We also have some concerns about the proposed route which is not along the road.”
Ms O’Connor said Tasmania needed a management regime for Cradle that protects the values of the park.
“We are very concerned about the potential cable car and the impact on the park,” she said.
The Greens are running candidates in the upcoming council elections, which Ms O’Connor said was because so many of the decisions made in local government had an impact on the environment.
“Things like waste, that is a critical local government issue ... but you cannot do that without a state government implementing such things as a container deposit scheme,” she said.
Ms O’Connor said she was proud to be the voice of communities who were worried about the big developments and changes that were happening.
“I am really proud we get to stand up for Tasmania’s environment.”