A passionate and eclectic group of people concerned about the direction Australia is heading gathered in Belmore Park on Saturday morning to demand politicians of all persuasions listen and take action.
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Local Labor branch president and one of the organisers Jason Shepherd explained to the 100 plus strong audience that the speakers came from a widely diverse background from Liberals, Labor, Greens and Christian Democrats, trade union members and others with no particular affiliation.
Jane Cotter, from the nurses union, spoke about the disparity between city hospitals and Goulburn’s staffing levels and the patient to nurse ratios in the bush.
“If you get pneumonia and go to a hospital here, because your postcode is 2580 you get less nursing hours. If you lived in (postcode) 2040 and went to RPA you would get more nursing hours.” Ms Cotter said.
“This is not fair, it is not equal.”
Mulwaree High year 11 student and recently elected Youth Mayor for Goulburn Agata Nabaglo spoke about climate change and global warming.
She said it was her generation and those younger who would bare the cost of the retrograde actions of the government on measures previously put in place to address the global problem.
She said that the decision makers, who have chosen not to take action now, will be dead by the time coastal communities are inundated by the sea and catastrophic weather events become the norm.
“It is my generation and the generations that come after that will live in a world so severely affected by the poor judgement of the predecessors,” Miss Nabaglo said.
“I don’t want my generation to be the one that has to clean up this mess.
“Wouldn’t it be nice if the government would stop procrastinating and waiting till Sydney was underwater to put effective climate action into place?
“The world depends upon it.”
Goulburn Mulwaree Mayor and Liberal party member Geoff Kettle said the main reason he came to speak was that he was disillusioned with party politics.
“I think today’s governments, whether they be State or Federal, seem to be more worried about self preservation and not interested in getting on with the job of representing their constituency and the people that they represent,” Mayor Kettle said.
“I wonder where bipartisanship has gone?
“What is wrong with either an opposition or a government proposing a good idea?
“What is wrong with both parties getting behind it if it is good for the community and good for the country and the state.
“I believe that both sides of politics are at fault not only mine but the other side.
“Oppositions have got to get rid of the word “no” and get behind what could be good policy.”
Other speakers included Alex Ferrara who talked about the importance of the NBN for future communication, Charlie Prell on the Renewable Energy Target, Bill Dorman on being heard and individuals making a difference, Greg Price on public transport, Anna Rixon on the Fair Work Act and homelessness, and several others all with serious concerns.
Swiss Foreign Correspondent Urs Walterlin spoke about the government’s direction on climate change and how the international community was negatively viewing the actions of the present government in its undoing of climate change measures.
