In the media

MP entitlements called into question

leerhiannon — 2010-07-06T06:42:35Z

Read the article in its original context here:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/07/06/2945998.htm

The NSW Parliamentary Remuneration Tribunal has just handed MPs a 2.9 per cent increase to a number of their entitlements - including the Sydney Allowance.

The increase has prompted fresh questions about which MPs are able to claim the $253 per night payment.

Depending on where they live, MPs are eligible for the allowance up to 135 nights a year.

That means they can claim a maximum of $34,155 on top of their salary.

The tribunal says the Sydney Allowance "is provided to Members who reside in non-metropolitan electorates to compensate for the additional costs including commercial accommodation, meals and incidental costs associated with staying in Sydney to attend sessions of Parliament, meetings of Parliamentary committees or other Parliamentary business".

Among those who are eligible for the allowance is the MP for Hawkesbury Ray Williams.

The Hawkesbury electorate stretches north to the Yengo National Park, and west to the lower Blue Mountains.

However Mr Williams lives at Rouse Hill - which is about 40 kilometres from NSW Parliament House.

Mr Williams says he only claims the allowance when State Parliament is sitting - which is about 50 nights a year.

But NSW Greens MP Lee Rhiannon says he should not be claiming it.

Ms Rhiannon is calling for the eligibility rules for the Sydney allowance to be changed.

"For Mr Williams, coming from the Hawkesbury to claim an overnight allowance when so many people travel there on a daily basis will just be quite galling for many people," she said.

The NSW Government Minister and the MP for Heathcote, Paul McLeay, is also eligible for the Sydney Allowance.

Mr McLeay says he used to claim the allowance when he lived further away from Sydney, but has not claimed it since he moved to Woronora in Sydney's south.

The Parliamentary Remuneration Tribunal also granted 2.9 per cent increases to MPs electorate allowances and logistics support allowances.

Abortion law reform needed, Greens say

leerhiannon — 2010-07-06T06:20:24Z

Read the article in its original context here:

http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/abortion-law-reform-needed-greens-say-20100705-zx5m.html

The poll, published in the Medical Journal of Australia, indicated a clear majority of Australians believe abortion should be lawful without question in a woman's first trimester, or lawful depending on her circumstances in the second trimester.

Greens MP Lee Rhiannon said on Monday the results should act as a reminder to the government that NSW laws were out of step with community opinion and in need of change.

"It's a human rights issue, it's an issue of dignity in terms of managing one's own reproductive health," Ms Rhiannon told AAP.

"Current laws in NSW contribute to stigma and can lead to women delaying abortion, suffering extra humiliation and distress."

The national poll of about 800 Australians over 18 years of age found 61 per cent said abortion should be lawful without question for a woman in her first trimester of pregnancy, while 26 per cent said it should be lawful depending on the reason.

Ms Rhiannon said when coupled, the figures were significant because they showed 87 per cent of people believed abortion should not be a crime.

The NSW Crimes Act states that anyone who unlawfully commits an act with the intention of procuring a miscarriage is liable to 10 years imprisonment.

The last time a doctor in NSW was convicted for carrying out an illegal abortion was in 2006.

Ms Rhiannon believes abortions should be regulated by health laws like any other medical procedure, as is the case in some states.

"Victoria, the ACT and Western Australia have modernised abortion laws in the last decade, treating abortion as a health not a criminal matter," she said, adding that the conservative wing of NSW Labor has held up reform.

"(Abortion) needs to be moved out of the Crimes Act. It will come, I just hope that it doesn't take too long."

The Greens have called for a NSW Law Reform Commission assessment of different models, which they believe will help to achieve unity on the issue across the political parties.

Acting Premier Carmel Tebbutt and Opposition Health spokesman Jillian Skinner were unavailable for comment on Monday.

Earlier this year, the NSW government said the existing legislation allowed for legal abortion under certain circumstances, and adequately protected women and health professionals.

The poll also found support for outright lawful abortion in the second trimester (12 to 24 weeks) was 12 per cent, while 57 per cent of respondents said it depended on circumstances.

For third trimester or late-term abortions, just six per cent of people said it should be outright lawful while 42 per cent said it depended on the circumstances.

A lead author of the research also called for abortion to be decriminalised.

"Early abortion should be freely and easily available on request," said Professor Julian Savulescu, a visiting professor at Monash University.

Results from a separate survey conducted online by Marie Stopes International found that more than half of Australian women have had an unplanned pregnancy.

Star City winnings raise MP's suspicions

leerhiannon — 2010-07-06T05:49:24Z

Read the article in its original context here:

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/star-city-winnings-raise-mps-suspicions-20100702-zu61.html

The stark contrast has prompted an accusation that the Sydney casino is ''pocketing'' much of the unclaimed winnings it collects and a call for the Casino, Liquor and Gaming Control Authority to introduce better auditing of the system.

In NSW, unclaimed winnings include poker machine credits left in machines and jackpots that are downloaded to a machine but not collected. They also include ''sleeper'' bets on gaming tables left unclaimed.

In response to a question by the Greens MP, Lee Rhiannon, the Minister for Gaming and Racing, Kevin Greene, told Parliament last month that the way Star City deals with unclaimed winnings is not subject to any regulation.

However, he said an unclaimed poker machine jackpot ''is dispersed back to the jackpot pool if the patron cannot be identified''.

Unclaimed poker machine credits are deposited into an unclaimed winnings account, while ''sleeper'' bets are returned to the float of the gaming table.

Victorian legislation dictates that unclaimed winnings at Crown are paid to the Treasury.

But while Star City estimates it has collected $212,000 in unclaimed winnings in its 15 years of operation, Crown recently revealed it had collected about $1 million in unclaimed winnings in the past five years - about $200,000 annually.

Ms Rhiannon questioned the discrepancy. ''Either Melbourne casino patrons are far more forgetful than those in Sydney, or Star City Casino is secretly pocketing … unclaimed winnings.''

However, a spokesman for Star City, Peter Grimshaw, rejected the claim. He said that while he could not comment on Crown's figures, he noted that it was a much larger casino with 2500 poker machines, compared with 1500 at Star City.

Mr Grimshaw said money found on the floor and credits left on a machine or in a coin tray were deposited into an ''unclaimed moneys account'' which was then dispersed to registered charities.

He did not provide a figure for how much has been given to charity, but said the account now holds about $22,000.

Ms Rhiannon said the retention of some of the unclaimed money such as ''sleeper bets'' and poker machine jackpots by Star City was ''unjustified''. She called on the government to introduce the Victorian system of returning the money to the Treasurer.

''This major discrepancy underlines the need for more stringent auditing and a law change to ensure this money does not go to Tabcorp [owner of Star City] but goes into consolidated revenue,'' she said.

Mr Grimshaw said any such change was ''a matter for Parliament. Star City has a policy of giving all found money to registered charities, so they would miss out from any move to return the funds to consolidated revenue.''

A spokesman for Mr Greene referred inquiries about changing the rules to the Treasurer, Eric Roozendaal, who is in China on government business.

Mr Grimshaw said the gaming control authority could review Star City's unclaimed winnings ''at any time''.

Green MP champions quarry campaign

leerhiannon — 2010-07-01T02:28:41Z

Read the article in its original context here:

http://www.echonews.com.au/story/2010/07/01/green-mp-champions-local-anti-quarry-campaign/

Greens MP Lee Rhiannon and Lismore councillor Vanessa Ekins with concerned property owners and community members on land at Tuckurimba with Champions Quarry in the background.

Ms Rhiannon met with Lismore Greens councillor Vanessa Ekins and local campaigners at Tuckurimba where Ms Rhiannon was updated on the current situation.

Her visit comes a week after the Land and Environment Court adjourned the court case involving wrongly positioned bunds (used for noise and dust mitigation) until July.

Local residents told Ms Rhiannon that the court case had been adjourned until a later date because the court found that information submitted by the quarry’s surveyors was contradictory.

Ms Rhiannon was also advised of two other court cases instigated by the quarry owners which challenged Lismore City Council’s decision to refuse the development application for a major expansion to the quarry.

“The quarry owners will be taking their proposal to expand the quarry’s extraction limit to 200,000 tonnes to the court in Ballina in October,” Tucki resident Lois Wadsworth said. “They will also be taking the matter to the State Court in Sydney at a later date, and for that case, they have increased their expansion proposal to an ever bigger extraction amount of 250,000 tonnes.”

Friends of the Koala president Lorraine Vass told Ms Rhiannon that any quarry expansion would undoubtedly have a detrimental impact on the local koala population.

“There is less habitat for koalas than there once was and who knows what the impact of additional trucks on the roads will have on the fragile koala population here,” Ms Vass said.

Campaigners told Ms Rhiannon they were also concerned about the proposed buffer zones, dust pollution, impacts on the visual amenity and clearing issues.

Part of the quarry’s proposed expansion plans include building a sand washing plant and a series of dams which would trap 50,000m³ of water.

Garry Owers, an environmental scientist from Wetland Care Australia, said that if the quarry expanded there would be a significant impact on the Tuckean wetland system surrounding the quarry.

“While the Tuckean wetland is not a pristine swamp, we have been working to restore it for a number of years and we don’t need a developer to come along and degrade it further,” he said.

He said that any run-off from the quarry would feed into the wetland and that he was concerned the quarry owners had underestimated the future rainfall and evaporation rates.

“The quarry’s operations will produce water with a high concentration of acid and if the dams overflow, it would adversely affect the swamp.”

Mr Owers also said that four endangered ecological communities of threatened species had been found in the area and that he was concerned about who would be responsible for monitoring any of the quarry’s ongoing operations for compliance.

Ms Rhiannon said that she was aware there were not enough inspectors available to investigate complaints made to the Land and Environment Court and that she would be calling on the EPA to provide more officers.

“Champions Quarry’s application should have been knocked back from the start, considering its super size, proximity to local houses and farms, noise and air pollution risks, and impact on threatened species,” Ms Rhiannon said.

Ms Rhiannon said that she would bring the matter to the attention of parliament during its next sitting in two months time and would attempt to get as many MPs as possible to support her in the issue.

“Local campaigners and Lismore Council deserved to be congratulated for their energy and passion in fighting the expansion,” Ms Rhiannon said. “Under the current NSW Government, communities across NSW have had their concerns swept under the carpet.

“Labor is focused on centralising planning approvals and growing mining, regardless of its detrimental impacts on residents and the environment.”

Champions Quarry owner Jeff Champion told The Echo Ms Rhiannon would be leaving with “a very distorted view of the development”.

“She has only spoken to the opponents and never came to see us or inspected the site. She has probably not considered the transport savings and greenhouse gas savings in having a sandstone quarry in the region as opposed to importing material from the lower Gold Coast,” he said.

Train horns keeping locals awake

leerhiannon — 2010-06-29T05:58:08Z

Read article in its original context here:

http://newcastle.iprime.com.au/index.php/news/prime-news/train-horns-keeping-locals-awake,433121

Greens MP Lee Rhiannon says residents near the station are complaining that horns are depriving them of sleep during the early hours of the morning.

She says Transport Minister John Robertson saysneeds to quickly find a solution to the problem.

"Gosford Greens Councillor Terri Latella contacted me to gain support for residents living near Gosford station seeking assistance with the noise pollution that they are suffering," Ms Rhiannon says.

"It is unacceptable that this night time noise continue, which is reportedly loud enough to penetrate houses already sound-proofed against activities on the rail line."

Ms Rhiannon raised the issue in State Parliament, asking Mr Robertson if he was aware of the issue and if action is being taken.

Mr Robertson says train horns play a role in warning passengers and rail workers of potential risks.

"I am aware that residents close to Gosford station have complained about an increase in horn usage at Gosford stabling yard," he told Parliament.

"In response to the complaints I have asked RailCorp to review its use of horns in Gosford.

"I am advised that RailCorp has met with affected residents and is examining ways to reduce the noise impact of stabled trains.

"I am comfortable for RailCorp to look at further options to minimise noise in Gosford as long as safety standards are upheld."

Rhiannon urges Keneally: Regulate gambling industry for public good

leerhiannon — 2010-06-29T05:41:46Z

Read the article in its original context here: http://cowracommunitynews.com/viewnews.php?newsid=5155&id=48 The commission’s final report, released yesterday, found 600,000 Australians play the pokies at least weekly and 15 per cent are considered problem gamblers. Gambling losses reached just over $19 billion in 2008-09 but the social cost of problem gambling is estimated to be at least $4.7 billion a year. “Premier Kristina Keneally should . . . announce her Government’s support for the commission’s recommendations. With the looming crisis caused by problem gambling, this would be the responsible position for the Government to take,” says Ms Rhiannon. “Problem gambling can result in homelessness, depression, child neglect and the breakdown of families and relationships. “Ms Keneally should move to immediately adopt the recommendations that require poker machines to not accept $50 notes and have all single bets limited to $1. “These measures would reduce the risk of people becoming problem gamblers. “Over the past decade the gambling, hotel and club industry has donated more than $7 million to Labor and more than $4 million to the Coalition parties. “The only group that wouldn’t want reforms backed by the Productivity Commission are pubs and clubs that enjoy the financial benefits of the social cost of problem gambling. “The Productivity Commission also noted that in some jurisdictions, the taxes on gambling revenue are too low – NSW is a clear example of this. “The NSW Government just cut the tax payable on poker machine profits, in a direct contrast to the recommendation from the Productivity Commission. “NSW Labor tried to sell the tax cut as a rescue package for small country pubs, but it’s more likely a desperate grab for more donations in the lead up to next March’s state election. “Both the Government and the Opposition have a responsibility to the public to stop wooing donations from clubs and pubs, and adopt the recommendations of the Productivity Commission,” says Ms Rhiannon.

Radioactive materials used in war games

leerhiannon — 2010-06-23T04:08:05Z

Read article in its original context here;

http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-breaking-news-national/radioactive-materials-used-in-war-games-20100618-ymn6.html

The Australian Defence Force (ADF) said it used a "small radioactive training source" during war games across Sydney between April 27 and May 29.

It said the exercises involved the ADF, US forces, Australian Federal Police and NSW police.

The exercises were based on tracking weapons of mass destruction, it said.

"At no time during this exercise was any danger posed to the general public," the ADF said in a statement on Friday.

"There was no uranium used during this activity. A small radioactive training source was used."

It said small radioactive training sources are those classified by Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Science Agency as being below specified thresholds of radioactivity, which allows them to be used in defence training exercises.

"There was a qualified ionising radiation protection officer with the source at all times," it said.

Ms Rhiannon on Friday said the public had been deliberately "kept in the dark" about the exercises and called on the federal and state governments to place more detail on the public record.

"The government needs to justify why these exercises had to use radioactive material," Ms Rhiannon said in a statement on Friday.

"Military exercises are needed but why should the public be exposed to radioactive material?"

Goverment ignores Street ruling and withholds Metro documents

leerhiannon — 2010-06-17T00:25:53Z

Read the article in its original context here:http://www.altmedia.net.au/goverment-ignores-street-ruling-and-withholds-metro-documents/20438

City of Sydney Greens Councillor Chris Harris said the State Government had ignored the Street recommendation for political purposes.

“They didn’t hear what they wanted to hear, and therefore they’re going to continue to hide what went on with the Metro,” he said.

“When a government makes a decision as they did with the Metro and wastes $500 million worth of taxpayers’ money, the public are entitled to know what they did with it – simple as that. I think it’s an absolute scandal that they’re hiding this from the public.”

His State Colleague Lee Rhiannon MLC said the Government had “thumbed its nose” at Sir Laurence Street’s determination.

“The Transport Minister’s tactic appears to be to keep the real story about the CBD Metro under wraps until after the March 2011 election, denying proper scrutiny and avoiding painful revelations about this mismanaged project,” she said.

Affected CBD tenant Jason Blaicklock said he was appalled that the State Government decision.

“It is symbolic of the type of treatment we’ve been getting as claimants,” he said.

“Delays and all sorts of legal wrangling are keeping tenants from receiving their just compensation. We think it’s deplorable.”

David Hunt from Retravision in Rozelle, whose premises would have been acquired for the Metro, said “the documents should be released … so that the public has full scrutiny over them.”

“It was indicated in February that there would be a full and transparent situation following the cancellation of the CBD Metro,” he said.

“We’d like to hear more about what was actually going on behind the scenes.”

The Greens did claim a smaller victory in Parliament last Thursday by winning the release of all previously secret submissions by the NSW Government for Federal Government Infrastructure Australia funding.

These include bids to secure Metro funding, along with the extension of Sydney’s M4 and M5 Motorways.

Ms Rhiannon said voters expected value for money when their taxes went to major infrastructure projects.

“The release of the government’s bids for Infrastructure Australia funds will allow scrutiny of whether the projects put forward by NSW are in the public interest,” she said.

“It will be disappointing if the government claimed the submissions as privileged.”

Greens get twits into debate first

leerhiannon — 2010-06-16T02:23:49Z

Read the article in its original context here:

http://www.smh.com.au/national/the-diary/greens-get-twits-into-debate-first-20100615-ydbn.html

With all respect to the voters of Penrith, the Coalition will win the byelection on Saturday in a canter. Indeed it could win while hopping on hind legs and juggling kittens. Labor continues to lurch from one disaster to the next and, out west, the plucky Greens are a sideshow. However, this is something the Greens are evidently trying to embrace, as they have initiated the ''world's first Twitter election debate'', which will run today from 11.15am to 11.45am. The Greens MP Lee Rhiannon, who has managed to get the Premier, Kristina Keneally, and the Opposition Leader, Barry O'Farrell, on board, conceded that the idea was a gimmick to shoulder the Greens into the election ruck. But she argued that traditional campaigning - ''wandering the shopping malls'', for example - has become so stage-managed that new approaches are required. ''Socal media is real, and more and more people are using it,'' she said. ''It'll be very interesting to see how we use our 140 characters to give solid, decent answers.'' It sure will. Rhiannon also conceded that the Greens had no chance but said, ''We see it as Labor deserve to lose but the Liberals don't deserve to win.'' Keneally, who by the sounds of it is hopping from foot to foot in anticipation, released a statement yesterday in which she said: ''As an avid new media user, I'm looking forward to the challenge.'' Avidity is one thing, familiarity another. Keneally's release mixed up the Twitter hash tag, using ''penrithdebate#:'' not the correct #penrithdebate. One Greens fan has already had a pop: ''A twitter debate?!?!?! this will obviously favor labor and the libs, who don't have too many ideas that take more than 150 [sic] characters to describe.'' Rhiannon said she thought it wouldn't be easy for any of the debaters. ''It's a challenge for us. But it's another way to bring the public closer to the politician.'' Oh, what a tweet.

Tweeters say cyber debate light on

leerhiannon — 2010-06-17T00:04:24Z

Read article in its original context here:http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2010/s2928345.htm?site=sydney

ELEANOR HALL: Pre-prepared answers, glib one liners and little real debate.

That was some of the feedback from online contributors as political leaders in New South Wales took electioneering into cyberspace this morning.

On the social networking site, Twitter, the New South Wales Premier, Kristina Keneally, the Opposition Leader Barry O'Farrell and the Greens MP Lee Rhiannon had half an hour to win over voters ahead of a crucial by-election this weekend.

So, is this the way election campaigns are heading?

Simon Santow reports.

SIMON SANTOW: In the twittersphere, it seems silly to set a specific time down for a debate.

That's because, the internet site 'Twitter' was already alive with questions and discussion well before the appointed hour. But while there might have been plenty of enthusiasm, it didn't take long for the disappointment to show through.

This from one cynic.

TWITTER 1: Politicians embrace new media platforms to broadcast old rhetoric. Hilarity ensues.

SIMON SANTOW: And...

TWITTER 2: Ironic really. This is the worst use of twitter I've seen from Kristina Keneally. Just the lines, no discussion.

SIMON SANTOW: Or.

TWITTER 3: Kristina Keneally sounds like a talking campaign brochure so far.

TWITTER 4: A debate via twitter - are you kidding me. Are we now celebrating soundbite politics?

SIMON SANTOW: With Labor expecting a bloody nose in a weekend by-election and the Coalition opposition battling increased expectations, the leaders kept things pretty bland to begin with.

Policy was re-announced, some specific to the area, other policy rehashed budget announcements relevant to the whole state.

Twitter restricts comments to 140 characters or less, and even before the debate had begun the Liberals' Barry O'Farrell was cynical about what could be achieved.

BARRY O'FARRELL: I hope this is not the way of the future because it excludes face to face interaction with the public and no one's got any idea as to whether the tweets that are coming out of the Premier's office or other offices are their own or whether they're scripted by the ad guys and other people.

SIMON SANTOW: Premier Kristina Keneally had gone on YouTube to help publicise the debate.

KRISTINA KENEALLY: Hi. Join me tomorrow for a debate on twitter. It's your opportunity to ask the Premier of New South Wales whatever you like - about Penrith or anything else.

SIMON SANTOW: Twitter participant and Greens MP Lee Rhiannon sees plenty of positives in going online.

LEE RHIANNON: We thought that it really would provide an opportunity for more voters to put their questions directly to some of the key political parties.

SIMON SANTOW: Now smaller parties like the Greens are often left out of debates. Was this just a way of actually being on the same playing field as the others?

LEE RHIANNON: Look our key motivation was to use social media because there's clearly a, it's a growth area and we wanted to ensure that we're able to maximise voter interaction with MPs and candidates. Because these days there's just a lot of spin about, I think people often get over the glossy election campaigns and over-managed candidates and this was a way to cut through.

SIMON SANTOW: Julie Posetti is a former broadcast journalist who these days lectures in journalism and specialises in social media at the University of Canberra.

JULIE POSETTI: It's evidence of a growing trend, which is that there's an attempt by politicians to subvert the media gatekeepers in a traditional sense. So rather than having debates on television or radio, there's an attempt to engage directly with voters, with an audience at least via platforms like twitter.

SIMON SANTOW: So did this emerging form of democracy work?

JULIE POSETTI: I think it was flawed like all democracy Simon. It was a demonstration of chaos at one level as both the audience and the participants tried to get used to this high speed sort of mass onslaught of communication in short sound bites, which is what twitter can amount to.

At the same time though as many people observed, it was a useful exercise. It was an innovative approach to try to engender political debate, you know, across a broader spectrum.

There was an interesting, you know, attempt of intervention by the constituents, but there was little attempt to do much more for the most part by the politicians until towards the end to do much more than sprout slogans.

You know, it was a bit like watching a never ending stream of political advertisements albeit, you know, in a multi partisan way on the screen.

SIMON SANTOW: And let's not forget old media with a federal election in the wings and polls in Victoria and New South Wales not too far away, voters can expect to be blitzed whenever and wherever.

Escaping the onslaught might prove very difficult indeed.

ELENAOR HALL: Simon Santow reporting.

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NSW pollies' Twitter debate billed a world first

leerhiannon — 2010-06-16T02:11:40Z

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/06/15/2927505.htm

Ms Keneally and Mr O'Farrell have previously debated head to head. (AAP: Cameron Richardson)

The by-election was called after the dramatic resignation of the sitting Labor MP Karyn Paluzzano who quit after she admitted lying to the state's anti-corruption body.

The candidates (as they will appear on the ballot paper) are:

John Thain - Labor
Suzie Wright - The Greens
Mick Saunders - with the Australia First party, but it is not registered with the NSW Electoral Commission.
Stuart Ayres - Liberal
David Leyonhjelm - Outdoor Recreation Party
Jose Sanz - Australian Democrats
Andrew Green - Christian Democratic Party (Fred Nile Group)
Noel Selby - Independent

The two main contenders are Labor's John Thain and the Liberal Party's Stuart Ayres.

Stuart Ayres has been routinely accompanied on the campaign trail by the Opposition Leader Barry O'Farrell.

In contrast, the Premier Kristina Keneally has only been to Penrith a handful of times and has not held a media conference in the region since the by-election was called.

Ms Keneally is on the record as saying voters will punish Labor and she is expecting a swing away from the ALP of up to 30 per cent.

The ABC's Election Analyst Antony Green believes Ms Keneally has deliberately stayed away from the Penrith area to avoid being associated with a devastating election loss.

"The Labor Party has been talking about how popular and what an asset Kristina Keneally has been but then she spends so little time in the electorate which is one way of inoculating her from the possible result in Penrith," he said.

But the Premier is making herself available tomorrow to discuss the issues affecting the Penrith electorate.

She is participating in a pre by-election Twitter debate with Barry O'Farrell and the Greens MP Lee Rhiannon.

"This takes debating to a whole new level and brings a whole new section of the community into the political arena," Ms Keneally said.

"Getting a response across in 140 characters or less will be a challenge - but I look forward to answering questions from the families and businesses of Penrith."

Barry O'Farrell is also looking forward to the Twitter debate - but says he would have preferred to take on the Premier at public meetings held in places like Newcastle, Wollongong and western Sydney.

"My first choice is townhall style involving public - but I'll debate her anytime, anywhere, any forum," said Mr O'Farrell in a Tweet.

Lee Rhiannon believes the Twitter election debate is the first of its kind anywhere in the world.

"The Twitter debate is a grassroots, democratic approach to electioneering, different to the coiffured campaign debates NSW voters have had to endure in the past," she said.

"Without the distraction of TV lights, hairdos and scripts the gristle of what Labor, the Coalition and the Greens can offer Penrith is up for scrutiny."

The debate takes place between 11:15 and 11.45am tomorrow. Twitter users can follow and contribute to the discussion using the Twitter hashtag - #Penrithdebate.

Australian Greens reject airport expansion plan

leerhiannon — 2010-06-16T03:16:32Z

The aircraft had left Bankstown Airport, in Sydney's southwest, early Tuesday morning before it crashed a few kilometers away at Canley Vale.

Two people on board are believed to have died in the crash.

"This fatal crash tragically highlights the risks to residents living and working under Bankstown Airport's flight path," Rhiannon said in a statement.

She urged Federal Transport Minister Anthony Albanese to reject a proposal by Bankstown Airport to expand its operations.

"Minister Albanese must carefully weigh up whether expanding an already busy airport near a densely populated residential airport is worth the risk," she said.

"Another crash like this, that occurred so close to a local school, should never be repeated."

Cold-hearted deer hunter a 'criminal'

leerhiannon — 2010-06-15T04:40:02Z

To read the article in its original context:

http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/news/local/news/general/coldhearted-deer-hunter-a-criminal/1855516.aspx

Cold-hearted hunters who beheaded a deer and dumped its carcass in suburban Figtree have been branded "criminals" and "trespassers" by the shooting fraternity's peak body.

Shooting experts believe it was killed by illegal trophy hunters seeking its prized antlers.

Shocked Figtree residents find headless deer

The NSW Game Council has seized on the incident as proof its bid to manage deer culling across the Illawarra should be fast-tracked.

Chief executive Brian Boyle said greater Game Council involvement would "see an end to these undesirable incidents".

"The fact is that this deer that was virtually left on a resident's doorstep was not taken by a hunter - it was taken by a criminal, a trespasser, who deserves to be investigated by police and brought to account," he said.

"A Game Council hunter would have certainly done things differently."

Its hunters were required to seek permission from landowners before hunting and were trained to properly dispose of remains, he said.

Their shooters were also encouraged to use all meat from their quarry, rather than just taking the antlers.

The Game Council has long been lobbying Wollongong City Council for permission to shoot deer - the city's No 1 pest - on council land.

But the group has encountered strong criticism from the Greens and animal welfare groups, who insist professional hunters should be used to carry out the killing.

Greens MP Lee Rhiannon scoffed at suggestions the Game Council should be handed responsibility for deer culling in the Illawarra, describing its programs as "scientifically unsound and environmentally damaging".

"The job of managing the Illawarra's feral deer problem should lie with government experts skilled in evidence-based, safe andeffective invasive species management," Ms Rhiannon said.

A council spokeswoman said it would begin an "expression of interest" process in coming weeks to engage licensed shooters to cull deer on council land.

The process would consider safety, cost, animal welfare and risk management, she said.

The decapitated deer was removed by the landowner yesterday morning.

Call to lift ban on x-rated book sales after Kings Cross raids

leerhiannon — 2010-06-15T23:07:07Z

Read article in its original context here:

http://sydney-central.whereilive.com.au/news/story/call-to-lift-ban-on-x-rated-book-sales-after-kings-cross-raids/

Greens MLC Lee Rhiannon, raised a motion in state parliament last week to remove the “logic loophole’’ which prevents the lawful sale of X-rated “nonviolent erotica’’, proposing the material be sold from licensed adult shops.

“The effect of this motion would be to restrict the sale of nonviolent erotica to adult shops, as opposed to the newsagents, video stores and service stations where they can be found today,’’ she said.

“The material we are talking about does not contain violence, sexual coercion, or depictions of performers under 18. It is sexual activity between consenting adults.’’

In the latest of what sex industry advocates say are an increasing number of busts, police raided two adult stores in Kings Cross recently. The bookstores, Pleasure Chest in Darlinghurst Rd, and the Adult Shop opposite, belong to businessman Con Ange.

Kings Cross police confirmed they had confiscated material illegally on sale in the shops, although they said no charges had been laid at this stage.

Australian Sex Party public officer Robbie Swan said during the past 18 months there had been a significant police crackdown on adult stores selling X-rated material, pushing much of the trade further underground.

“They’ve never sent people to jail before, but that’s all changed ? this is so far away from people’s expectations about what should be banned,’’ he said.

NSW Attorney General John Hatzistergos told state parliament he saw “no contradiction in (the government’s) stance on possession as opposed to the sale of such items’’.

“A number of jurisdictions enable X-rated material to be sold,’’ he said, “therefore, it is anomalous to criminalise possession when persons may have gone interstate to acquire material.’’

But Ms Rhiannon said she couldn’t think of a less productive use of police time than hunting for material that was otherwise legal for individuals to own.

“The Attorney-General has revealed himself to be completely misaligned with public opinion on this issue.’’

Fight for future of park trust

leerhiannon — 2010-06-16T03:38:57Z

Read article in its original context here

http://wentworth-courier.whereilive.com.au/news/story/fight-for-future-of-park-trust/

Rally at Kippax Lake against the plans to transfer the Moore Park grounds from the Centennial Park Trust to the SCG Trust Picture: Danny Aarons

The trust’s chairman, John Walker, said the FoI request was necessary because the chairman of the SCG trust, which wants to take over the administration of Moore Park, was aware of the details of the proposal when no one else was.

“It is a scandal that a vested interest group appears privy to the contents of a proposal to Cabinet to assign public lands to itself, when neither the custodians of the land nor the public have access to the proposal,” Mr Walker said on Tuesday.

“We feel duty bound to lodge a Freedom of Information request on behalf of the public.”

Mr Walker said the trust had written to the State Government asking that it be consulted on any proposal regarding the parklands.

“We were told that consultation would occur after the Cabinet has considered the matter,” he said. “We have been given no indication . . . what the proposal does or does not contain.”

A crowd of about 300 took part in a rally at Kippax Lake on Saturday to protest against the proposed transfer of land from the Centennial Park trust to the SCG trust.

In attendance were the federal Wentworth MP, Malcolm Turnbull, and the state Greens MLC Lee Rhiannon.

“These are public parks and they must remain in public hands,” Ms Rhiannon told the crowd. “The NSW Government needs to wake up and realise that NSW is not theirs to give away.

“The idea of these Sydney landmarks becoming carparks for sports fans or being sold off to fill the coffers of the Sydney Cricket and Sports Ground Trust is unthinkable.”

But SCG chairman Rodney Cavalier said his trust would take better care of the park than its present administrators.

“Moore Park will continue to be public parklands, protected by exactly the same statutory oversight,” he said. “The SCG has no intention of altering the character of Moore Park. Why would we?”

Meanwhile, the NRL is set to announce plans to build a new $17.4 million headquarters at Moore Park, on SCG trust land.