Federal Pre-selection and the NSW Greens - my speech full text.

Amanda Findley at the Ashfield Town Hall pre-selection forum 19 June 2015

Following is the full text of the speech I delivered at Ashfield Town Hall on 19 June 2015 as part of the meet the candidates forum for the NSW Greens pre-selection. The prepared speech was delivered, followed by a 3 min speech chosen from a random topic and a half hour preparation time. The fifteen mins. of questioning afterwards was an intense and broad ranging flurry of topics. Even though I was nervous going into the session,  I enjoyed the rigor of the session. If you are a Greens member reading this and you have watched the You Tubes from the session you will see that I didn't quite finish what I prepared and the text is slightly different as I adlibed through my own content.

Just for context here is the scenario I was given for the second short speech

Renewable energy and war

You are elected a Greens senator and become a leading advocate for a new form of highly cost-effective solar technology that is pricing out both coal and gas from the Australian energy market.

You are hosting a 'half way there' party to celebrate the first year in which more than half of the electrical energy used in Australia was generated from renewable sources. Much of the success has been because of the new solar technology.

The mineral tantalum is a critical feedstock for the production of the new solar technology.

The day before your party, a United Nations report is released showing that mining for tantalum in the Democratic Republic of Congo has been responsible for escalating a war that has already killed 100,000 people and is likely to get much worse as the demand for the mineral increases.  Other countries can produce tantalum but at very much greater price, with consequences for the cost-competitiveness of the new solar technology.

Speech for Greens pre-selection.               

I want to pay my respects to Aboriginal elders past present and future and to acknowledge that the land on which we meet was is and will always be Aboriginal land.

I have spent the last 8 years enjoying my  apprenticeship within the party, which started with a bang when I threw myself in the deep end and contested the 2007 State election. I haven’t looked back in fact I think my life has sped up considerably since making that initial decision. 

I keenly felt the defeat of Kerry Nettle during that election and found it difficult to reconcile why NSW voters couldn’t see what we Greens could see. The planet needed protecting from climate change, that asylum seekers had a right to seek asylum and that our fragile environment needed all the help we could give it.

Part of my apprenticeship had been served on Shoalhaven City Council – I was elected for two consecutive terms and I am currently considering my future in local government.

The 2015 state election really brought home to many the importance of local campaigns, conversations, strong local groups and critical issues. We Greens didn’t   need to move to a more conservative position within the political spectrum but our dedication to environmental protection and standing up for the vulnerable shone through. Even though we achieved electoral success our average vote remained virtually unchanged,  more than ever a plan to tap into the fertile ground of Western Sydney were millions of potential voters reside is needed.

We have fantastic local groups working in Western Sydney building The Greens profile, but imagine what we could do by strategically focusing annually on a geographical area and making a concerted effort with the local groups. Working with NGO’s and community groups to provide interesting and interactive forums that inform our policy work, mass doorknocking  events,  the holding of a number of our SDC’s in the chosen region. Many of you have experienced working in small groups, how draining it is just to work through election cycles. What a difference a pledge of one day per member Could make in, promoting a Green’s inspired future,  the hope we could generate for those who feel like there is little.  I remember as a young person living in Campbelltown that there was so little hope it was easier to look for opportunities to obliterate yourself than it was to look for allies who seemed invisible.  We have to be there for people and they don’t need to look hard to find us, especially when concerns about housing and basic needs are high priority.

Part of building our narrative of hope is to refocus on tackling climate change. Some in this room grew up with cold war threats of nuclear war, some of us enjoyed the relative calm of the interwar years, but we need to offer hope for Generation Z and beyond, who are growing up in a world threatened by climate change.  The next election cycle offers us great opportunity to differentiate ourselves once again by promoting a national campaign similar to the NSW 100% Renewables. With iron ore and coal prices declining, and our PM declaring war on wind energy and  wind as a blight on the landscape we need to capitalize swiftly and continuously on the benefits of a renewable energy future, possible, affordable and essential, should be the three words on the lips of all. The economic benefits are not hard to sell and we can recruit those householders who have great home solar stories to tell to help us in imagining a renewable future. I have had some involvement in the home and remote solar industry and many of our  clients didn't identify as ‘being Green’ but when we spend  time talking to them about that you can see a shift in thinking taking place. The technological revolution continues apace and we are the only party that embraces science over corporate greed. We need more open communication and build our allies with the scientific community.

Our environment is continually under threat, State Governments continue to undermine decades of progress that put some protection into a development system that was tipped so far in favour of the developer. If campaigns are the life blood of The Greens then it is surely our responsibility to roar loud and often about the Federal Governments current legislation that seeks to hand the administration of Commonwealth threatened species protection over to the states. In the last month the EDO have made it clear that such an act will see a massive decline in environmental standards. Environment Victoria seem to be the only group making a concerted campaign effort in this space and we need to take a more prominent position- main stream media might not find it ‘worthy’ but our friends in the 5^th estate can ensure that the message and its importance isn’t lost.

New Loo something to be proud of

Its not often you can be proud of a toilet, but Shoalhaven City Council on a recommendation from the Access Advisory Committee has committed to building a Changing Places Bathroom at the soon to be completed leisure centre.

I have been a member of and chaired the Access Advisory Committee for six years and it is one of the most satisfying roles I have had on Shoalhaven City Council. The committee recommends changes to Council in respect to accessibility.

I recently put to Council a motion to require Council to review its Tourism Master Plan to make sure that it included Inclusive Tourism for at present it barely mentions  accessibility.

The Access Advisory group are a wonderful group of dedicated people  who bring forward issues relating to amenity for the visually impaired, hearing impaired and for those with physical ability issues.

Here is how the register reported our first win for the year - we won't be the first - but there are only about 5 across NSW.

Check out TravAbility for more on advocacy for inclusive travel

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Sailability sailing program for all

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Seven Principles of Universal Design  

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Changing Places campaign            

Nowra first in NSW with special change room

By SIMON BROWN

Jan. 20, 2015, 4:43 p.m.

SUCCESS: Annette Pham, with son Adam, outside the construction site that will become the Nowra Aquatic Centre, the first place in NSW to have an accredited Changing Place toilet for people with a profound disability.

A LOCAL mother is helping bring about a quiet revolution in NSW.
Annette Pham from Vincentia, the mother of Liam, 12, who suffers from a profound disability, is championing the introduction of accredited Changing Places fully accessible toilets, not just in the Shoalhaven but nationwide.
Ms Pham said that as soon as Shoalhaven Mayor Joanna Gash and council became aware of the plight of children suffering a profound disability and their carers when it came to a lack of change facilities, they were determined to do something about it.
As a result, such a facility will now be built inside the Nowra Aquatic Centre currently being constructed.
“Shoalhaven City Council is now the first local council in NSW to have such a facility put in place. We should be very proud of our council and council staff,” Ms Pham said.
Changing Place toilets cater to the needs of adults and children with severe and profound disabilities requiring special equipment, such as an adult-sized changing table and a ceiling hoist to use in the bathroom.
“There are currently 200,000 people suffering from a profound disability in Australia,” Ms Pham said.
“And until the Nowra Aquatic Centre is completed, there will only be six Changing Place toilets in Australia, and five of those are in Brisbane.”
She said championing the cause of Changing Place toilets was easier than she first thought it would be.

“The reaction of Jo Gash and the council is what you see most of the time when you explain to people what the difficulties are.
“Knowing that if you are the carer and you go out you may not be able to change a person with a profound disability at all, or have to use the floor of a public toilet or a park bench, can influence you to stay at home.
“Many carers in this position suffer depression, and when they try to do something by themselves may injure their back.
“The cause is being spearheaded by the Association of Children with a Disability. The association really wants to make things happen.”
Ms Pham said other places also installing or considering installing a Changing Place include the new Noah’s Ark building in Nowra, the new public toilet block at Burrill Lake, the about-to-be constructed Woolworths in Vincentia, and possibly a modified Changing Place at Stockland Nowra.
In the near future Ms Pham will help formulate a new standard for disabled toilets.
“The plan is to make it easier for the NSW government to change building standards so than in future any large building with public access, such as a cinema or aquatic centre or shopping centre, will have to include a Changing Place toilet.”
Cr Gash said Annette Pham was good at hassling councillors and ministers at both the state and national level.
“Which of course is what makes change happen,” Mayor Gash said.
“All members of the council were very supportive of the changes. The need was always there, but we were unaware of it.
“We’re very proud to be the first local council in NSW to set up a Changing 

Dealing with conflict, sometimes its just not easy

I was recently asked, how do you deal with so much conflict on Shoalhaven City Council. I have to admit that it sometimes isn't easy, particularly when both sides of an issue come across to one another as intractable.

A recent iteration of that has been happening in respect to dogs off leash on beaches.

I sent the same response to a number of people who were sharing my emails with each other.

I though I would publish the following correspondence and my response - it makes for interesting reading.

My response.

Dear Wendy,

I understand that you might find the process frustrating, and I hope that following response will give you a greater appreciation of my position. I am not adverse to policy reviews that are carried out with due process, consider and aim to reduce the adversarial nature of an ‘us vs them’ situation, Have a view to reaching consensus, and are reviewed on consistent schedules and not in an ad hoc manner that are costly and time consuming. 

Council staff recommended that a full and proper review take place.

Council staff recommended that Council did not have any allocated budget for a review of the off leash areas for dogs policy nor any budget to amend signs and as all Council policies must be reviewed every 4 years I did not think it was unreasonable to wait for that review which is to take place next year (2016). Council at present is stuck in a loop of review for this policy, with the policy being reviewed approximately every seven months. I think this is an unreasonable expectation to review the policy so often and if it were to happen in the private sector it would be considered wasteful and ineffective. The preferred option is to review the policy on a 4 year cycle with proper consultation and this costs $84,000 which includes $65,000 for signage.

I support a trial if a proper process of consultation is undertaken.

Council has a community engagement strategy that it needs to follow, if it is to have any credibility in respect to community consultation.

Personally I am neither for nor against dogs on beaches, I understand the position of both sides.

I understand that some people have a deep fear of dogs, children and adults don’t like over friendly dogs jumping on them, no one likes dog droppings on the beach or their beach bags and towels being urinated on.

I equally understand that if you live next to the beach you feel some sort of right to walk you dog freely wherever and whenever you want.

ALL constituents deserve a right to be heard and have political representation on any matter and it was increasingly clear from both sides that they felt like they were not getting a fair hearing.

I was asked to present a petition to Council as that is a job of Councillors. I understand that each group has alleged that the other has acted unfairly, but after being in politics for a number of years I have learnt to look through the antics and allegations and seek answers in logical and thorough ways.

I am more than happy for the discussion of this issue to continue and will happily speak with you on the matter.

Respectfully yours,

Amanda Findley

Wendy Perkins []

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In response to the message from Amanda Findley, Wed 12:22 PM

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Amanda Findley

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Jo Gash‎; John Wells

Saturday, 27 June 2015 10:39 AM

Hello Amanda,

I'm not impressed with duplicated emails.  We all sent you individual emails and you don't have the courage to answer us on the merit of individual requests.  Is it laziness or is it your inability to articulate how you really feel about being a puppet for some of the dustbin-dipping-drop-outs in Ward 3.

Your email was rubbish.

You left it until after the Council meeting to answer everyone with a facsimile email full of excuses. 

Have you forgotten we achieved over 3,600 signatures, and have kept copies for the next election campaign.  Everyone one who signed will pass on how disturbed they were with your spineless “No” vote to placate the likes of Mrs Doubtfire (Jan Gregory).

3,600 people will turn into 9,000 contacts, very quickly, in deposing you from your position on Council. 

You speak of due process. I know that we have contacted you well before the last council election in regard to this issue. You responded that we should wait for due process which would occur after the election.

If you check your records, (you do keep records I presume) the survey that was conducted by Council after the last election, received an overwhelming response from locals asking for an off-leash time at Narrawallee Beach.

The recommendation from staff that was ratified by you and the other Councillors was to make no changes. So that's the recent history of due process.

YOUR suggestion we should now  have to wait until December 2016 - AFTER the next election is extraordinary, if not to say, downright pathetic and gutless.

I am shocked at your claim that we "feel some sort of right to walk you dog freely wherever and whenever you want".

You know full well that this not what we asked for.  You are very good at  twisting the truth. You know we asked for timed, sharing of the beach.  God, you are so pathetic.  All of this is on record and will be published at the next pre-selection for everyone to see how spineless you are.

Costs are being bandied about and I am reluctant to accept that the cost of a trial at Narrawallee would be significant. That’s a total cop-out and you know it.

Council always has some money in reserve for special projects that arise that had not been planned. Look at the unanimous vote in favour of the pipe band last night. Where did the budget for that $6,000 come from?

Very strange that you can pull $6,000 out of a hat and yet you can’t accommodate more than half of the voters in your electorate, with their wish to run their pets “off-leash”.  

Very interesting but it doesn’t surprise me – I’ve been in politics a lot longer than you have and I took on the big guns in Federal politics, not local government.  The money for the band had to come from somewhere didn’t it Ms Findley? 

It’s gutless and spineless that you have only now contacted the Narrawallee Dog Group with the thinly veiled reasons why you justify the reason you cannot support dogs off-leash – what do you take us for? 

Communicating, honestly and fairly, is surely part of your job and should happen before a vote is taken.   This campaign will not fade away. 

Remember, 3,600 signatures and you can double even triple that if each signatory tells two other people, just how self-righteous and sanctimonious you can be when you want to and how dishonest you really are when it comes to the showdown.

I will keep abreast of your activities and remind the 3,600 signatories before the next election, just how much of a puppet you really are.  Mrs Doubtfire (Jan Gregory) obviously has you running scared.

Wendy Perkins

Wendy Perkins

Hello Amanda, Thank you for taking the time to respond to my email. I too, have been in the political arena for more than 20 years when I lived in the Sutherland Shire and fully aware of behind the scenes protocol. I was a member of the Liberal Party and represented

Wed 1:59 PM

Wendy Perkins [@scoastnet.com.au]

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Amanda Findley

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Wednesday, 24 June 2015 1:59 PM

Hello Amanda,

Thank you for taking the time to respond to my email. I too, have been in the political arena for more than 20 years when I lived in the Sutherland Shire and fully aware of behind the scenes protocol. 

I was a member of the Liberal Party and represented my electorate on the NSW State Council. I worked with Peter Reith, the then Minister for Small Business and the government published a book I co-authored, Under the Microscope, outlining the problems associated with small business pre GST.  I do understand how the "back room" works, although Federal politics is vastly different from regional Council issues.

However,  I do have a problem with people who embellish the truth about dog bites, dog attacks, etc. to win their point.

I walk along Burrill Beach and have had to side-step human faeces on the track leading the beach.  I have also had to pull a fish hook out of my dogs throat and have stepped on hooks, fishing lines and even a plastic bag containing the carcass of a beaten puppy.  I have picked up soiled nappies, empty soft drink cans, empty alcohol bottles and discarded rubbish left by lazy beach goers and deposited their rubbish in my own bin. I beg to differ but I find humans more dangerous than dogs.

I'm also a drug and alcohol counsellor and my colleague, Dr. Sandra Cabot, agrees with me that dogs are safer to have around on our beaches than some humans.

I am disabled and pleased that some councillors took the initiative to look at the plight of the elderly and disabled and not be swayed by a minority of anti-dog campaigners in this region.

I'm also a good friend of Margie Nyholm, who was edged out of the last election by ambiguous voting propaganda.  Mark Kitchener made it safely in through the back door on Margie's shirt-tails. That won't happen again.

Thank you for addressing my complaint directly with me.

Wendy Perkins

Wendy Perkins [@scoastnet.com.au]

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Amanda Findley

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Monday, 22 June 2015 1:52 PM

This message was sent with High importance.

You replied on 24/06/2015 12:22 PM.

Hello Amanda,

Well, from what I’ve been told, you will not be getting any votes from quite a few thousand people at the next election.

I was in politics in Sydney and worked with Peter Reith when he was Minister for Small Business. I was also a member of the Micro Business Consultative Board and Deputy Chairman on the Board of the Business Enterprise Centre for the Sutherland and St. George area in the early to mid-90’s. 

Bad news travels faster than good news and I will be getting my political cap out of the box; dusting it off and making sure you never get back into Council.

I’ve had a lot of experience with politics and know about the “done deals” with the likes of Jan Gregory – I’ve never met the woman and by the sound of her, I would have nothing in common with her.  Obviously, you have and she has you under her control.  

I started up the fight in January about dogs off leash on Narrawallee Beach and will carry on the fight until I die.  See you tomorrow evening. 

PS  I’m the disabled lady with the walking stick who cannot walk my little 2.2 kilo dog along Narrawallee Beach because of selfish, self-centred, egotistical people who like to control.

Lynette Kearney knows me well – if you want a personal reference about my political background and business acumen (slightly lacking in your department).

Wendy Perkins

Callala Bay Land Clearing - found Illegal by Land and Environment Court - as reported in The South Coast Register

Landowner loses clearing battle

May 28, 2015, 5:08 p.m.

THE owner of controversial blocks of land at Callala Beach has been ordered to pay Shoalhaven City Council’s court costs after being found guilty of illegally clearing trees.

THE owner of controversial blocks of land at Callala Beach has been ordered to pay Shoalhaven City Council’s court costs after being found guilty of illegally clearing trees.

In April Charlie Elachi, from Sutherland, was at the centre of a community protest when he began clearing trees on his Griffin Street property in Benton Sands Estate.

The land was the subject of a Land and Environment Court case last year in which the court rejected a proposal to build on the blocks.
The judge expressed concern at the ecological sensitivity of the Bangalay sand forest which made up the majority of the site.
On Tuesday Mr Elachi was back in the NSW Land and Environment Court facing Shoalhaven City Council over his attempt to clear what he claimed was a fence line with no comment.
In handing down the judgement, Justice Briscoe explained that removal of the trees and other vegetation without consent was found contrary to the Shoalhaven Local Environmental Plan 2014.
Shoalhaven Mayor Joanna Gash said she was delighted with the decision of the court, saying she was sure the local community would also be very pleased with the result.
“Council took Mr Elachi to the Land and Environment Court following the unlawful clearing of vegetation across his three consolidated lot property at Callala Beach,” said Cr Gash.
“Mr Elachi claimed that the vegetation clearing was to assist in the creation of a fence to go around each individual lot and the boundary of the property despite no development consent being obtained.
“The Land and Environment Court agreed with council’s view that the proposed fence was not a ‘boundary fence’ as it ran around the perimeter of each lot while the clearing was not exempt development under the SLEP.

“This is great news for the local community who have long expressed concern at the impact of clearing on this consolidated land holding,” she said.