Pittwater Life May 2019 Issue

2019 Federal NSW Election Special
Pru Wawn
Greens
Her CV
Pru Wawn grew up and has
lived most of her life on the
Northern Beaches. A high
school teacher for more than
35 years, she’s also a mother,
a long-standing Greens member
and an activist. Having
campaigned on environmental
and social justice issues for
many years, she has travelled
to sites across NSW to
see first-hand – and protest
against – fossil fuel mining on
prime farm land.
In the local community,
she’s actively involved in a variety
of groups. As P&C President
at Barrenjoey High for a
couple of years, she gained a
grant of more than $50,000
to refurbish a dilapidated art
space and found a site for the
Avalon Community Garden
within the school grounds.
Ms Wawn is also a member
of the Protect Pittwater committee
– working for council
de-amalgamation – and has
actively supported the ‘Save
Mona Vale Hospital’ campaign.
Her Pitch
Ms Wawn says her top priority
will be action on climate
change and transitioning to a
renewable economy by 2030,
as well as a focus on environmental
protection.
“Time is running out to take
serious and forceful action to
combat climate change,” she
said. “I want to be part of the
solution at the highest level.
As a mother and a teacher (until
recently), I can’t help but be
aware of young people’s concerns
about climate change,
environmental degradation
GREENS: Pru Wawn
and the loss of biodiversity – I
understand the science, which
means I get the urgency for a
massive response, ASAP.”
She said the Greens had
a comprehensive and fully
costed plan to phase-out coal
mining and exports – and
to create a jobs boom in the
renewable energy exports.
“And we need a national
waste strategy and effective
regulation of land clearing,
invasive species and air pollution
– with increased community
access to justice when
things go wrong.”
In Mackellar, she said
residents were angry about
the Liberals’ handling of the
National Broadband Network,
along with issues such as
health, gas and oil exploration
off the coast and the forced
council amalgamation.
“I’m still fuming over what
the Liberals have done to
Australia’s national broadband
infrastructure,” Ms Wawn said.
“Fibre rollout costs are even
cheaper now thanks to new
technology, while the Liberal’s
inferior NBN is an expensive
disaster that’s holding back
local business.
“Another significant fail
is the Federal Government’s
handling of hospitals on
the Northern Beaches. The
Coalition’s privatisation
agenda has cost us acute
services at two public
hospitals, replaced by a
dysfunctional, privately
operated hospital at Frenchs
Forest. The Greens will do
everything in our power to
bring the Northern Beaches
Hospital into public hands.
“I’m also appalled by the
threat of seismic testing and
future oil and gas drilling off
our coastline. The Greens are
strongly opposed to this because
of the damage it would
cause the environment. Neither
do I want to see gas rigs
along our coastline and dread
the possibility of spills.
“In local government, I’m
disgusted with the Coalition’s
attitude to local councils and
demergers. The Greens want
the Australian Constitution
amended to safeguard the
existence of local government,
so that State Governments
can’t disempower local councils
– demerging or abolishing
them at will.”
Ms Wawn said she was
proud of the Greens’ welldeveloped
policies that benefit
the whole community and
were publicly available.
“They are fully costed by the
Parliamentary Budget Office
and are science-based,” she
said. “We refuse donations
from corporations, so can
represent people and the
environment – rather than
those who would buy political
influence.”
External to Mackellar,
she said the Greens were
concerned Australia’s minerals
and farms were being
controlled by a web of influence
that benefitted foreign
corporations.
“They spend millions on
lobbying, which has led to a
lack of progress on climate
and environmental policy,” she
said. “The Greens continue
to push for transparency and
donations reforms, to restore
power to the community over
policy making.”
She added the Greens would
move to ban corporate donations
to end the influence of
big business on politicians;
fund free university and TAFE
courses by cutting fossil fuel
subsidies; and ‘close the
camps’.
“I want to see humane treatment
of refugees,” she said.
“The Greens believe Australia
should be a good neighbour,
improving trust and wellbeing
in our region with increased
foreign aid. We need politics
driven not by fear – but by
hope and compassion.”
Alice Thompson
Independent
Her CV
Local resident Alice Thompson
has extensive experience
across both the government
(for 20 years) and private sectors.
She was a senior advisor
to former PM Malcolm Turnbull
for cities, infrastructure,
regional development, local
government and territories.
Most recently she was Director
KPMG – economic analysis
and business cases for infrastructure
projects, industry
development strategies, local
government advisory; she
resigned at the end of last
year to focus on running for
Mackellar.
36 MAY 2019
The Local Voice Since 1991