Some Greens Media Releases

Greens to move quickly in Higgins [8/10/09]

The Greens will move quickly to select a candidate in the Higgins
by-election, Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown said today.

"I expect the Greens will announce a strong candidate by October 24 to
give voters in Higgins a genuine alternative. This will coincide with the
Green New Deal conference in Melbourne."

"The Greens will take up the fight against the coalition. Prime Minister
Rudd should commit the Labor party to putting forward a candidate. A
repeat of the situation in Bradfield would be an insult to the voters of
Higgins as well."

"Peter Costello and Brendan Nelson should resign their seats now. The
people of Bradfield and Higgins are being denied a member of parliament
for the crucial sittings of parliament when the emissions trading scheme
legislation will be debated," Senator Brown said.

Government should acknowledge corruption in Afghanistan [8/10/09]

Prime Minister Rudd and Foreign Minister Smith should speak out against
the serious claims of election fraud and corruption against senior
government figures in Afghanistan, Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown
said today.

"With Australians risking their lives to maintain the government in
Afghanistan, our government should be taking serious action to address
these very severe revelations of corruption."

"Australia's involvement in Afghanistan should be debated by parliament,
the human and financial cost of these operations cannot otherwise be
justified."

Revelations of electoral corruption by the United Nation's sacked deputy
in Afghanistan, Peter Galbraith, are deeply disturbing and must make the
Australian troop's job and safety much harder," Senator Brown said.

http://greens.org.au/

What's happening with Gold Coast health services?

An advertisement for the Gold Coast Medical Association's 'Free Medical Talks' in the local Murdoch rag

These talks may be free to the public, but they are basically marketing - for health services and treatment that you will need to pay a pretty penny for.

Ask yourself why the private sector has such a control over the provision of these services on the Gold Coast.

The Queensland Government are involved (in the form of representation from the Gold Coast University Hospital) which lends the show a veneer of legitimacy. Unfortunately, this corporatisation of government services to fit in with private corporate interests comes at the expense of a truly "public" health system.

Do you really want to live in a community where only the rich can access the latest cancer treatment at private hospitals that have been subsidised by the public purse?

Health care is a right, not a privilege.

Are these trees also doomed?

Trees on the corner of Turpin Street and Brisbane Road, Labrador

Last month we reported on the obliteration of 16 Norfolk Pines in Harley Park to make way for an unnecessary highway expansion.

A sign on Brisbane Road says:

Gold Coast Highway Upgrade

Roberts Street to Government Road. Total Cost $128 million. Robert Street and Broad Street Stage Completion late 2009.

The widening is progressing back along Brisbane road, and as at yesterday, fences have been moved and surveying work is being carried out.

It can only be a matter of time before these trees are also removed.

Marketing

"Coles is now a more beautiful place to shop"

By the way, if anyone here is in marketing or advertising...kill yourself. Thank you. Just planting seeds, planting seeds is all I'm doing. No joke here, really. Seriously, kill yourself, you have no rationalisation for what you do, you are Satan's little helpers. Kill yourself, kill yourself, kill yourself now. Now, back to the show. Seriously, I know the marketing people: 'There's gonna be a joke comin' up.' There's no fuckin' joke. Suck a tail pipe, hang yourself...borrow a pistol from an NRA buddy, do something...rid the world of your evil fuckin' presence.
Bill Hicks

But What About The Whales?

Mother and baby humpback off the Hervey Bay coast

"Impact on industry"????

How would you like it?

And what happens to all those sharks that the shark nets catch? Does anyone keep statistics on those? And if not, they should be published.

After all, remember how we spent all that money saving the grey nurse shark off Julian Rocks?

ABC online reports on 'Doubt over soundness of whale protection plan':

Marine authorities say they are not convinced scaring humpbacks with the sound of killer whales will keep them safe.

Four humpbacks have been caught in shark nets on the Gold Coast in south-east Queensland this year.

The latest was a juvenile humpback off Mermaid Beach yesterday.

Queensland shark control program spokesman Tony Ham says more information is required before sound devices are attached to shark nets.

"We'd certainly be happy to engage that type of research finding as long as there's no significant impact on other industries," he said.

"Obviously the whale watch industry is one of those, not to mention the tourism industry, and the last thing we would want to do is disturb their migration pattern too much."

When was the last time you had a "Queensland Salad"?

You remember the "Queensland Salad"?

Don't you?

Those family barbeques a decade or so ago, or counter lunches long past?

Lettuce, beetroot, cucumber, grated carrot, boiled eggs, orange slices, pineapple rings, tomato, cubes of cheese, salad onion, corn niblets, and a simple oil and vinegar dressing (or mayo if you're in the money!) with perhaps a banana on the side?

Actually, it's whatever's in season, locally available, or whatever's in your fridge.

That's the Queensland Salad.

Not char-grilled baby octopus on a bed of something or other, cajun chicken on a mango/avo/macadamia jus w. sundried tomato and rocket which costs 29.9, or a pretentious concoction of seared something or other served on a wilted this and that sourced from a wank "pretend" organic farm with a ridiculous dressing.

Sure most of the ingredients aren't produced/grown in Queensland anymore, but hey, that's because we're so sophisticated these days!

The Queensland Salad is you. Simple. Why deny yourself any longer?

After all, it is supposedly our 150th!

Protect Our Coral Sea

Take action and ask your Federal MP now:

The world’s oceans are in trouble. In the last 50 years, 90% of big ocean fish have disappeared due to overfishing.

Less than 1% of the Coral Sea within Australian waters is fully protected. Without a high level of protection, the beauty and biodiversity of the Coral Sea will diminish over time.

It’s important that we do something now.