Greens MLC Colleen Hartland has described the government's litter announcement as a $6 million attempt to deflect criticism on Clean-up Australia Day tomorrow.

"A ten cent deposit turns litterers into recyclers.  It stops the litter before it hits the ground. As Ian Kiernan of Clean-Up Australia said - 'who would walk past a silver coin lying on the ground'."

"Local governments already shell out $100 million on litter each year, so offering them another $6 million to carry the burden of litter is simply tokenistic.  It's a $6 million gate for a horse that has bolted."

"I'm going to re-introduce the Greens legislation for a 10c deposit scheme next year if I am re-elected in November.  We have the public behind us, the local councils, sports groups, 'friends of' groups, the Scouts and the Guides. The government has the major drinks corporations who see litter as advertising. But the 10c deposit supporters vote."

"There is still time for Mr Brumby to announce a 10c deposit scheme in response to public demand", said Ms Hartland

For comment: Colleen Hartland - 9689 6373

Greens MP Colleen Hartland has expressed great concern about Essendon
Cricket club’s planned move to Fairbairn Park, Ascot Vale, and questioned
why Moonee Valley Council and the State Government are supporting the move
so strongly.

"Moonee Valley Council has largely ignored the opposition expressed by 200
local residents in submissions, and over 1000 people who signed a
petition."

"I am very concerned that $1.5 million of state government funding is going
towards a project which is fiercely opposed by the local community.

"Justin Madden, the Labor candidate for Essendon is already in the hot seat
for sham community consultation processes. He has some explaining to do as
to why the state government, along with Council, is ignoring the outcomes
of the consultation process".

"Establishing two ovals for first class cricket will effectively remove
about a third of the open space of Fairbairn Park from general public use,
and will create conflicts with other users such as children at the
playground next door."

"Why can’t the state government and Council learn from other examples of
conflicts between elite sporting facilities and public use?" Ms Hartland
asked.

"Other first class cricket grounds in my electorate include Merv Hughes
Oval in Footscray where the ground is completely fenced to discourage
public use, and Yarraville Oval where there are ongoing issues with dog
droppings and damage to turf wickets.

"It will be completely unworkable for the Fairbairn Park ovals to remain a
dog off-leash area."

"How long before the cricket club applies for a liquor licence? The club
states it wants first class facilities. Will this include the cricketers
being restricted to cups of tea and cordial?"

"I don’t understand why Cross Keys reserve in Strathmore was suitable for
the cricket club when their move there was announced in 2008 but now it
isn’t.

I plan to request meetings with the cricket club and the community groups
opposed to the move to discuss these issues," Ms Hartland concluded

*****

More information Colleen Hartland 9689 6373

Greens MP Colleen Hartland has lashed out at the Government in Parliament last night for the bungled upgrade of Footscray and Laverton stations which she described as "distressing and potentially harmful to members of our community ".

"Many people have contacted me, including senior citizens, to express their distress that the upgraded Footscray railway station will have steep stairs and lifts, but no ramps".

"The old ramps at Footscray were rotting and needed replacing. They were an absolute disgrace", Ms Hartland stated.

"But many people cannot walk up steep stairs, including senior citizens, people with prams and some people with disabilities. The station is opposite the Footscray market and people with shopping trolleys cannot use the stairs easily."

"There will only be three lifts for the four platforms. If the lift breaks down, people getting off the train will be stranded on the platform."

"Two weeks ago I was at Laverton station when an elderly woman got off the train. The lift was broken and the only alternative was the steep stairs. She had to call on the help of some fellow passengers to carry her up the stairs. This was a demeaning and dangerous situation."

"People with disabilities deserve equality and people in the west deserve a safe and efficient public transport system."

Ms Hartland has called for the Minister for Public Transport to ensure that every railway platform may be accessed by Disability Discrimination Act compliant ramps, and to make escalators available at Footscray station.

For comment: Colleen Hartland - 9689 6373

For full text of Colleen's statement click here.

Greens MLC Colleen Hartland announced that she will re-introduce her legislation for a 10c deposit system if she is re-elected in November, at the launch of the Boomerang Alliance "Green Jobs" package this morning.  She called on the government to change its policy.

In a speech to parliament after the launch, Ms Hartland said "Environment groups have learned to speak the language that governments understand.  They use words like 'jobs', 'money', 'investment', and 'industry support'.  Now will you listen to them?"

"The people on the steps this morning represent the people of Victoria, because an overwhelming majority of Victorians want a returnable deposit on drink bottles, cans and cartons."

"If I am re-elected to parliament in November, I will re-introduce my bill for a 10c deposit scheme."

"You're going to have to deal with it sooner or later. If we've got the scouts, the guides, local councils, community groups and good old Ian Kieranan on our side, we can't lose."

"You can't beat us.  But you can join us.  There is still time to for the government to change its policy and support a 10c deposit on drink bottles, cans and cartons in Victoria, or better still throughout Australia."

For comment: Colleen Hartland - 9689 6373

Greens MLC Colleen Hartland has lent her support to the Action on Cinema Access protest outside Greater Union Cinemas in Russell Street at 11am today.

"Movies are such a big part of our culture, it's shocking to think that less than 1% of cinemas are available for people who have a hearing or vision impairment, when one in six Australians are affected by hearing loss, including three in four over seventy*" said Colleen Hartland MLC

"People go to movies on dates, they talk about them at parties - they are an experience that unites all of us.  Cinemas should play it fair, and stop missing out on business opportunities by ignoring an entire sector of our society".

"The protesters are Proof that people want to get out of The Castle and are ready to Shine in a Bran Nue Dae," said Ms Hartland

For comment: Colleen Hartland - 9689 6373

* Access Economic Report  "Listen Hear!  The Economic Impact and Cost of Hearing Loss in Australia"

 “Dangerous industries in the west have ageing infrastructure and poor records, and Mobil is one of the worst,” said Greens MLC Colleen Hartland, at the site of this morning’s massive petrol spill in Altona.

“The government only takes notice when an event is big enough to affect other areas, like this one, or there’s a by-election, like this week. Labor and Liberal governments have the same attitude.  They expect us to put up with it.”

“These are dinosaur industries with ageing infrastructure.  Mobil is sacking workers in Altona because they’re not going to make bitumen any more, and they’re sacking workers in Yarraville because they’re not going to make lubricant. ”

 “ You have to ask yourself why the government didn’t act in 1991 when the explosion and fire in Coode Island blanketed half of Melbourne with a toxic plume. There was the United Transport fire, the chlorine explosion and fire a couple of years ago.  It’s got to the stage where I flinch when I hear a siren.”

“How long was the tank leaking for this morning, because residents tell me they heard three blasts on the siren at about 4am.”

“Mobil leaked petrol in a residential area of Newport in 2006, with sickening fumes in people’s houses for months and months in 2007.”

“If this was in the eastern suburbs, or a marginal electorate, they wouldn’t be storing petrol in a leaky tank,” said Colleen Hartland

For comment – Colleen Hartland 9689 6373

Greens MPs in State Parliament have succeeded in an amendment to compel Victoria University to consider the needs of students in the west, after a surprise show of support from the government opposition to the Greens amendment.

"There are plenty of intelligent people in the western suburbs.  But a lot of intelligent people miss out on university education, because they lack opportunity," said Greens MLC Colleen Hartland in parliament today. 

"Students who have to overcome disadvantage at school are better at thinking for themselves and researching, and tend to be more self-motivated. These are the skills you need at university, but they are not the skills that get you into a university".

"If Victoria University does not remain bound by the obligation to expand education opportunities in the Western suburbs, who else will break the cycle of students in my area thinking they are not good enough to go to university?"

Ms Hartland's amendment responded to a government process of modernising and streamlining universities legislation, which removed the special obligation to the west, and to students of a lower socio-economic background, from the university's legislation.

"This must indeed be a troublesome clause for a university trying to cut costs, slash staff, and slash the support services that made it possible for disadvantaged students to achieve their degrees.  Troublesome enough to go missing from the Victoria University Bill 2009."

"This amendment is to do with substantial issues that affect the every day lives of people in the western suburbs, like education, social justice and access to resources.  A number of recent events have raised concerns that Victoria University is starting to move away from its special responsibility to the western suburbs."

"The Minister should ... use this legislation, strengthened by the Greens amendment, to encourage the University to re-open the Sunbury campus."

Ms Hartland spoke about returning to education at the age of 40, at Victoria University's St Albans Campus.  She said that the support services, which have now been slashed, helped her succeed in her course and overcome the gaps in her education at a disadvantaged government school. She called on the government and opposition not to take out their frustrations on VU, simply because it educated a "troublemaker" like her.

For comment: Colleen Hartland - 9689 6373

Last night in parliament, Greens MLC Colleen Hartland slammed the government's decision to close the Family Violence Unit (FVU), a vital service in the City of Brimbank.

"Family violence is the leading contributor to death, disability and illness in Victorian women aged 15 to 44.   Brimbank has one of the highest rates of reported family violence incidents in Victoria," said Ms Hartland

"The Government makes all these empty promises about addressing family violence in an integrated and meaningful way but then this successful service, the first of its kind in Victoria, is terminated"

"This is exactly what I was talking about last month when I said 'we need more police, not more police powers'.  We had that great big media circus checking bags at Footscray station to show that the Government is tough on crime.  Meanwhile, the crime that causes the most death, disability and illness behind closed doors cops a funding cut." 

"It's a disgrace that such an important community service is disbanded without proper consultation or transparency.  The children of Brimbank, our future, deserve better."

 "The closure of the Family Violence Unit is a massive blow to family violence support agencies, women and children who have accessed this service and the wider community."

"We simply cannot afford to have police specialists who have been trained to respond to complex cases of family violence to be relocated to normal policing duties - it is such a waste of their skills, knowledge and training."  

"The Government has failed to provide enough police in the west.   Victoria has the lowest number of police on the beat per head of population in Australia.   A vital resource has been removed from the City of Brimbank," said Ms Hartland

For comment: Colleen Hartland - 9689 6373

Greens MLC Colleen Hartland has described the government's response in parliament today to her question on the Westgate Bike Punt as "bizarre".

"My question set out the increase in cycling commuters and the success of running the Punt on of Ride To Work Day, and asked him to consider funding a commuter Punt service for a year, as it would be very cost-effective."

"The Minister's bizarre answer is that in 2005 there weren't enough cyclists to make it economically viable."

"As if the roads minister doesn't have access to data on the extraordinary increase in bike commuting from the west since then, not to mention the numbers I set out in my question."

"In the next breath he shows how the Federation Trail extension will deliver even more cyclists to within a few metres of the Punt's jetty.  After which people heading to the other side of the Yarra need to swim 100m or take a 13km detour."

"It is nine kilometres along the Yarra from Williamstown to Footscray Road.  If this was the eastern suburbs, there would be several bike crossings over the river.  We are only asking for a fraction of what they have."

"The Minister concluded with his plan to widen Shepherds Bridge on Footscray Road to take even more trucks.  Why he thinks this will cheer up the western suburbs is anyone's guess."

Ms Hartland asked her question on 14 October last year, and received the answer in Parliament today, nearly three months after the time limit expired.  

For comment: Colleen Hartland - 9689 6373

David Strangward has launched his campaign as the Greens candidate for the Altona by-election at a bus stop in Point Cook today.

“I am the public transport candidate”, said Mr Strangward.

“I’m launching the campaign at a bus stop in Point Cook, to show you how our buses only work part-time.”

“The Greens want a bus that meets every train, from the first train to the last, seven days a week, in this and every electorate.”

“The new Minister for public transport says he’s going to take the bus to work.  That’s fine for him. His bus to the train station runs all day and late at night, seven days a week. We just want what he’s got.”

“The last 413 bus leaves at 6.30 on a week night, 5.30 on a Saturday and on Sundays you’re walking. ”

“So people in our area need cars for everything.  Work, study, sport, entertainment.  If young people want to get a start in the workplace with a part-time job, they need a car to get there.”

“You can tell from the number of cars getting off the freeway that the public transport system isn’t working yet.”

“The Greens provide a new opportunity for people who are politically weary.  I like the community engagement in the Greens.  We are accessible.  Colleen Hartland is a shining example of that.”

David Strangward is a 45-year old small businessman who lives in Altona North with his partner Kathy.

You can connect with David via Facebook or Twitter.