Lyn Dickinson, Pottsville
What is missing from election campaigns are a narrative and vision for the future. Instead all we get are three word slogans. I expect there are many who cringe every time they hear ‘jobs and growth’ and ‘put people first’. If we really care about people and their jobs, our primary concern has to be the environment, because it is the environment that sustains us and supports life. Without a healthy environment, there are no healthy and happy people. Assurance of a clean and safe world for our future cannot be restricted to three word slogans!
If the old parties are that concerned about jobs and growth, why are they continuing to invest in the coal industry when the way of the future is renewable energy? How are we going to ensure secure jobs for our children when we are so short-sighted? Not to mention the damage to the environment by continuing to emit dangerous greenhouse gas emissions, which our children will have to fix!
There has to be a balance between jobs, growth and lifestyle. An obsession with making money will turn the Tweed Coast into a Gold Coast. The only way to stop such madness is to give our environment the highest priority. A lot more money can be made in an eco-friendly tourist destination than a concrete jungle.
There is only one political party which puts the environment at the top of the list. That is the Greens. By putting the environment first, they are also putting people first. What is the point of jobs and growth on a dead planet? To look after the quality of our air, soil and water gives us the lifeline we need to survive. No amount of money can do that!
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A voting guide for dummies
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