Category Archives: Victoria

Replace Hazelwood

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The Replace Hazelwood campaign has been on in earnest for some time now. In short, from replacehazelwood.com.au

Hazelwood is Australia’s dirtiest power station. This election year, we’re calling on the Victorian and Federal Governments to commit to Replace Hazelwood with Clean Energy by 2012. Can you help us make it happen?

Check out the official website.

Doorknocking has been underway in a number of suburbs in Melbourne for about a month now. There have also been a range of other actions around the place. More info on upcoming dates at the climate action centre.

  • Sat 3 July – Brunswick with Climate Action Moreland
  • Sunday 4 July – Richmond with Yarra Climate Action Now
  • Sun 10 July – Westgarth (DCAN) 1-4pm Jika Jika Community House cnr Plant and Union Street Northcote with Darebin Climate Action Network
  • Sat 17 July – North Melbourne with Inner Northwest Climate Change Community

The Victorian Greens have recently incorporated action on Hazelwood into their campaign.

Federal Labor MP Kelvin Thompson has also recently voiced support for  taking steps to close the plant.

There is a National Day of Action to Replace Hazelwood on July 17.

Politician Rebranding in Clifton Hill

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A very successful Politician Rebranding session was held this morning by members of Yarra Climate Action Now (YCAN) in Clifton Hill. Local Labor MP Richard Wynne had set out to promote his green credentials with a ‘Showerhead Exchange’. The YCAN members were on hand across the road to point out some more urgent environmental priorities! The ‘Honk for Urgent Climate Action’ sign proved a real winner with passing motorists (much to the chagrin of Mr Wynne and his staffers!) Video below.

For more info on the weekly rebranding sessions outside Richard Wynne’s office, check out the YCAN blog.

Political funding reform goes quietly into the night

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The federal government seems to be wandering away from commitments to political funding reform. Royce Millar in The Age: No reform for political funding

THE Rudd Government has abandoned its promise of a new, cleaner system of political funding before the next election, prompting Opposition claims it has caved in to union pressure.

The Age understands that broad agreement had been reached between the major and minor parties, including the Greens, about the need for key reforms, including controls on donations to political parties and campaign expenditure, regulation of third parties such as lobby groups and unions, and increased public funding for elections.

Victorian Labor wants to protect its income from both unions and corporations and is keen to ensure revenue continues to flow from controversial but successful fund-raising arm, Progressive Business, particularly as it faces both state and federal elections this year.

The way that is a way is not the way

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An interesting article in The Age by recently retired teacher Nigel Jackson: Best to let teachers wander once more

This task is to lead or guide each individual student out of the relative ignorance and incapacity of childhood and youth so that he or she will more and more readily find a suitable path through life in which to find unique fulfilment. There are no fixed rules for completing this task. This makes teaching open-ended, challenging and glorious.

Really, this view of good teaching that I am proposing is just the incarnation of the wisdom contained in the Chinese Tao Te Ching’s ”the way that is a way is not the way” and the Bible’s similar reminder that ”the spirit blows where it chooses to blow”.

This means that much of the very best teaching and learning that occurs in schools and in classrooms is informal, unexpected and illuminating. And for this to happen often, the educational structure must not become too regimented and fixed. My great fear is that school-teaching in Victoria is threatened with a kind of stifling.

Since then I have observed a gradual but ever-continuing bureaucratisation of education in Victoria, with various inappropriate exaggerations of the importance of assessment, fixation on state-mandated curriculums, the ”latest educational research”, ideological indoctrination or career preparation.

Handing over Police files to corporations!

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An interesting (and disturbing) article from Paul Austin at The Age: Secret files on protesters given to desal consortium.

Particularly of note…

Secret police files on people protesting against Victoria’s $3.5 billion desalination project are being made available to the private consortium building the plant.

The Age understands similar agreements have been struck on other Government-backed projects such as the Grand Prix at Albert Park and the pipeline to bring water from northern Victoria to Melbourne.

Liberty Victoria president Michael Pearce, SC, accused the Government of being paranoid about protests. ”This seems to be a part of the Government’s heavy-handed response to relatively low-level protest activity which is a part of the democratic process in relation to a project of enormous public significance,” he said.

Update: The story continues to unfold. More at The Age.

Ticket Inspectors (Authorised Officers)

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An interesting article in today’s Crikey by Luke Williams (subscriber only) providing some details on Melbourne’s lovable public transport ticket inspectors.

Choice excerpts include

The latest report by the Public Transport Ombudsman shows 38% of its complaints are about fines and the conduct of authorised officers

Of the complaints, 31% were about intimidation, 22% about the use of force, the rest were largely about officers not listening or acting aggressively.

Also, he notes a project undertaken by YouthLaw, called Campaign Respect, looking at young people’s experiences at the hands of ticket inspectors.