Congratulations to Lizzie Blandthorn and Tim Read being elected to #springst
December 5, 2018 at 4:08 pm John Englart 1 comment
The Victorian state election is over and two of Moreland’s state MP’s signed the climate emergency declaration during the campaign: Labor’s Lizzie Blandthorn in Pascoe Vale, and the Greens Tim Read in Brunswick.
The first important step for our elected representatives is to acknowledge the problem, that we have a climate crisis, a climate emergency, that requires a level of emergency climate planning and action.
We are glad and congratulate that two of our three Legislative Assembly representatives have acknowledged the problem and in the coming four years expect they will act in their respective parties and in parliament to ramp up climate action consistent with climate science and climate targets. The citizens of Moreland expect nothing less.
Tim Read MP is the new Greens MP for Brunswick. He was motivated to enter politics and stand for parliament after seeing Al Gore’s first documentary film in 2006: An Inconvenient Truth. Read the Age article on his election win: Greens claim Brunswick from Labor a week after poll. Feel free to leave a message of congratulations for his commitment to climate justice at Tim Read’s Facebook page.
Lizzie Blandthorn was the sitting Labor MP for Pascoe Vale (elected 2014) facing a strong challenge in the 2018 election from local independents. Ms Blandthorn signed the climate emergency declaration. Ms Blandthorn has been appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Carers and Parliamentary Secretary for Sport in the second term Labor Government under Premier Daniel Andrews. Feel free to leave a message of congratulations for her commitment to climate justice at Lizzie Blandthorn’s Facebook page.
Moreland’s third MP, Labor’s Frank McGuire, was approached to sign the climate emergency declaration but did not respond. His seatt of Broadmeadows is now one of the safest Labor seats in Victoria, but he ignores the climate crisis and responding to constituents. As a member of the Labor Government we should expect far more, given he occupies a super safe electorate.
It should also be noted that during the campaign Labor’s Lily D’Ambrosio, MP for Mill Park and The Minister for Climate and Energy, signed the climate emergency.
Vote count continuing in Northern Metro Region
As of the 5th December, the Northern Metro Region votes and preferences are still being counted.
The first three spots are Jenny Mikakos (Labor), Nazih Elasmar (Labor), and Samantha Ratnam (Greens).
The last two spots will be between Carmela Dagiandis (Derryn Hinch Justice Party), Craig Ondarchie (Liberal) but with some outside chances for Fiona Patten (Reason Party) and Burhan YIGIT (Labor). The last two spots all depend on preferences, Below the Lines Votes and how many exhaust before being effective, whether a candidate makes quota in their own right, and the order candidates are excluded.
Federal Politicians and the climate emergency
We note that Wills MP Peter Khalil signed the climate emergency declaration in December 2016.
In the neighboring seat of Batman (being renamed to Cooper) Labor’s Ged Kearney has signed the climate emergency declaration, and in a parliamentary speech on October 22, 2018 on The Government’s Disasterous Climate Change Policy acknowledged that we are experiencing a climate emergency.
Adam Bandt, the Greens MP for Melbourne, has long articulated we are in a climate emergency. He accepted an 18,000 strong climate emergency petition in February 2017 for Federal Parliament. :”Proud to accept the Climate Emergency petition at Parliament yesterday. Over 18,000 people have signed the petition declaring we’re in a climate emergency and calling on the government to mobilise the resources to restore a safe climate.” he stated on Facebook. In a recent media release he called for “hitting the emergency button in Canberra. Instead, we have a coal-addled Prime Minister and a coal-conflicted Labor leader.”
Labor’s Shadow Minister for Climate, Mark Butler MP, this week during COP24 and acknowledging the statement by veteran naturalist David Attenborough, that “The world is now facing a climate emergency. This emergency won’t unfold over the course of the coming year or even few years; this emergency will unfold over coming decades, but we are starting to see the impacts of climate change now.” Read his statement to Parliament.
Entry filed under: election, news, Politician education. Tags: Brunswick, Lizzie Blandthorn, Pascoe Vale, tim read, vicvotes, vicvotes2018.
Climate Action Merribek: people in Brunswick, Coburg, Fawkner and Glenroy wanting action on climate change 
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[…] Pascoe Vale MP Lizzie Blandthorn, who signed a climate emergency declaration before the last state election, is nowhere to be seen justifying this destruction of trees in […]