THEO JONGEN – GREENS CANDIDATE FOR CLARENCE

"I have lived in the Clarence Valley for 22 years, mostly in Nymboida, where I built a passive solar house, and for the last 4 years in Grafton. I have four daughters and two grandchildren and work in health care services, as well as being an artist and sculptor. I have volunteered in local bush fire brigades, Nymboida Hall committee, Clarence Environment Centre and currently at Clarence Valley Arts which is funding a youth magazine for the Clarence.

A veteran of numerous direct forest actions such as Chaelundi, Wild Cattle Creek, Clouds Creek and Shea's Knob, I believe the timber industry must be restructured into a sustainable, environmentally sensitive industry.

I grew up in Holland, where I was involved in the anti-nuclear movement. This made me choose Australia as a safe place to raise my family. I have adapted to Australian society but feel that Anglo Australia failed to do this with regard to indigenous Australia. It learned no native languages, denying itself the opportunity of growing its own culture. We now face cultural domination from other English speaking countries.

While Government has forced many sectors of society to rationalise, economise and become more accountable and efficient, our 19th century English adversarial two-party political system remains unchanged. It is incredible that Australian Parliaments still vote their own wage increases, perks and generous superannuation. We have an entrenched political class that perpetuates this system and is incapable of providing the vision to deal with the changing future we are facing.

In the current Australian voting system, with electorates, two major parties, local members and pork barrelling, most voters are represented by MPs who don't share their views. Minorities, be they green, indigenous or immigrants, have little real choice when electing people to speak for them. I have seen how the Dutch proportional representation voting system works to give minorities the chance to elect their own voices in parliament. This leads to a higher standard of debate than our football match style, with two sides attacking each other.

Climate change, droughts, increasingly more destructive and more frequent storms, and alarming numbers of Endangered Species should compel us to be prudent and conservative.

The Greens are true conservatives. The Coalition 'conservatives' are in fact free market radicals who want exploitation of our finite resources as soon as possible for maximum financial gain. Surely our social and natural capital should be better managed to benefit a long-term sustainable society?

Australian consumers are topping the charts in many negative indicators: waste of water, energy, oil and more. Our extreme wealth affords us an opportunity to work for the highest common good. We must strike a balance between our living standards, our obligations to future generations and our impacts on Earth and all its many species, of which we are only one.

Because I feel strongly about these issues I volunteer my time and energy to stand as The Greens candidate in the upcoming State election.”

Written and authorised by Theo Jongen, Grafton