Meet the Senate Candidate meetings - Geelong and Tooradin

I have attended the first two "meet the senate candidate" meetings which give Greens party members in Victoria a chance to meet and hear the candidates for preselection as the lead senate candidate for the Greens in Victoria.

The first meeting was at Geelong on Saturday May 2nd. It was a great opportunity to meet the other candidates and local Greens. We each got to speak for 5 minutes on why we were seeking preselection, then we answered questions from the audience. There were several excellent questions to keep us on our toes.

The two I particularly liked, with my answers in italics, are below.

What will you be prepared to compromise on if you are a Senator?

I would not compromise on climate change and energy policy matters. We need to rapidly reduce our carbon emissions in line with what are scientists are telling us. We need to stop playing politics about climate change and take urgent action to ensure as safe climate future.

I would compromise on an issue such as the Alcopops tax. While all alcholic drinks should be taxed according to their alcohol content, there is general consensus that the Alcopops tax was a step in the right direction.

What visions to you have that may be outside of current Greens policy?

I think we need a Very Fast Train service linking Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney. It could eventually extend to Adelaide and Brisbane. This would reduce carbon emissions on the Melbourne to Sydney air route which is one of the busiest in the world.

The second meeting was held on Saturday 9/5 at Tooradin. The event followed a similar format to Geelong. Once again, there were several excellent questions.

It is good to get out and about and meet people during this process. It is also a great opportunity to share information on about the opportunities and challenges that face us all in our quest for a sustainable and low carbon society.