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We would like to raise a few issues about your report in The Point about the rally outside David Harris’ office last Wednesday.
You identified a number of the groups active at the rally. However, you did not acknowledge the Central Coast Greens, represented by five members and supporters. The Greens also participated in organising and circulating information about the rally.
The large centrepiece of the rally, the koala, was delivered by a Newcastle Greens member, and the Central Coast Greens also initiated a Do-Gooder email campaign sent to MPs David Harris, Penny Sharpe, Courtney Houssos, Tara Moriarty, Daniel Mookhey, and Tanya Plibersek which has generated 71 emails so far.
Greens members are also part of an ongoing group protesting at Tea for Trees every Tuesday at Ourimbah.
We are pointing this out because, while omitting the Greens’ involvement, you included a statement from another participant about his view that Labor “get(s) elected on the Greens preferences largely, so I’d like the Greens to really hold Labor to their environmental promises and work together to ensure that we don’t lose this iconic Australian animal”, implying that we are not already doing this.
For balance, it would have been helpful to note that, as well as being involved in local actions such as the rally, local Greens groups work hard to ensure that candidates like David Shoebridge, Cate Faehrmann and Sue Higginson are elected – people who have long and excellent track records fighting for koalas and native forests and who have been doing precisely what this participant is suggesting for many years.
For further information, see: Forestry Policy and NSW Greens campaign: https://www.catefaehrmann.org/campaigns
https://greens.org.au/nsw/news/media-release/greens-bring-debate-nsw-parliament-stop-logging-koala-hubs-mid-north-coast
I doubt that David Harris would think that he gained office due primarily to preferences from Greens, and there is a definite need for significant community discussion and education about how the preference system works. It is misunderstood, and voters are easily manipulated and sometimes disenfranchised through misinformation.
Chantelle and Cath
On behalf of the Central Coast Greens
