The Renewable Energy Party launched in Lismore last week with its secretary, Byron Bay lawyer Peter Breen, describing the group as ‘well funded, well organised and mainstream.
Among the party’s executive membership are Jim Moylan and Graham Askey. The latter is the registered officer of the new party and both were heavily involved in the HEMP party.
‘The HEMP party has gone about as far as it will go as a federal political party,’ Mr Moylan said.
Also involved is well-known Byron local Susan Perrow, who founded the Byron Bay Periwinkle School and helped establish the Cape Byron Steiner School. She travels extensively giving workshops and training seminars for teachers, parents and therapists. Her son is the noted pro surfer Kieren Perrow, now retired.
Most colourful of the executive, however, is the party’s secretary Peter Breen. Originally a member of the Liberal Party he became a NSW Upper House MP in 1999.
Call to resign
Breen joined the Labor Party in 2006 but then premier Morris Iemma called on him to resign after he refused to apologise for remarks made in his book Life As A Sentence: The True Story Of The Janine Balding Murder in support of convicted killer Stephen ‘Shorty’ Jamieson. Following his departure from the Labor Party Mr Breen went on to form the Human Rights Party.
Mr Breen’s latest foray into politics was in 2014 as an adviser to Senator Ricky Muir of the Australian Motoring Enthusiast Party (AMEP). According to an ABC report, he ‘became the third staffer to be dismissed or resign from Senator Muir’s office, after he used a sick day to attend the Byron Bay Writers Festival’.
Mr Breen told ABC Radio he did author a leaked confidential report to parliament about ‘certain things that happened in the office’ between AMEP boss Keith Littler and sacked chief-of-staff, ‘preference whisperer’ Glenn Druery.
‘I had absolutely no involvement in the release of that report to the press,’ Mr Breen said. ‘And the person who did release it is Glenn Druery, as most people would know.’
The Renewable Energy Party is online at www.renewableenergy.org.au.
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