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Tasmanian Greens hedge their bets

By Matthew Holloway - posted Wednesday, 25 January 2012


The sale of the Tote is just one example of the Greens move towards privatisation and the neo-liberal agenda, since their move into government the Tasmanian Greens have promoted policies which seem incongruent with the Greens in other states of Australia.

Nick McKim as minister for corrections promoted the privatisation of the state owned Hayes Prison Farm; McKim argued that $4.5 million was needed to upgrade the facility but stated an undisclosed amount would be spent to prepare the facility for the sale which the government expects will return a minimal $2.5 million.


This is in stark contrast to the New South Wales Greens who in 2009 the Greens led a campaign to stop the privatisation of Cessnock Gaol and initiated a parliamentary inquiry into the sale.

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The WA Greens website that privatisation risks equitable and sustainable provision of services and is often a bad decision made on purely economic terms. They also scrutinise claims that the private sector is more efficient in managing services and advocate options other than privatisation to effect greater efficiency.

On the specific issue of prison privatisations, NSW Greens candidate Janet Cavanaugh came out against moves to privatise Grafton gaol stating it is a government's obligation to run prisons and this was in the best interest of society. Ms Cavanaugh argued that allowing corporate profits to be made from punishment was unethical and stated 'The Greens believe that introducing the profit motive into the prisons system is not in the interests of prison officers, prisoners or the rest of the community.'

The final example of the Tasmanian Greens and their massive philosophical divergence from their other Green counterparts is the recent moves by Human Services Minister Cassy O'Connor to hand over the Stainforth Court public housing estate to private developers.

Ms O'Connor discussed social problems on the housing estate and tried to justify a move towards privatising a number of the units. The truth remains that this is a prime location with some of the most beautiful views in Hobart and is situated near the picturesque Cornelian Bay, less than 5 minutes from Hobart CBD. Tony Collidge, the Real Estate Institute of Tasmania's vice-president stated units could attract $300,000 to $400,000.

Having close access to cities is important for people in public housing; public housing residents are more likely to be reliant on public transport and are in greater need of close proximity to the social services on offer in major cities. This Green privatisation initiative will force lower socio-economic people further from the city and preferences wealthier people for inner city living.

In reference to these actions, Jacqui Petrusma, the shadow minister of human services stated 'Stainforth Courttenants are vulnerable, low income earners. They can't afford to move into the private rental market, and should not be forced to.Given we don't have enough public housing properties to meet existing demand, Ms O'Connor must explain how she will ensure that the extra 100 plus tenants from Stainforth Court will not be left out in the cold.'

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Privatisation of public housing is against the policies of the New South Wales Greens who clearly state that they do not support privatisation of any essential services and call for an end to the use of public private partnerships for public services and infrastructure. The NSW Greens also call for 'No mandate, no privatisation' legislation to stop state governments selling off public assets without a full public and parliamentary debate.

It is worth examining whether the public housing privatisation push by Minister O'Connor is a breach of the Charter of the Australian Greens. Privatisation of public housing is questionable in light of the social justice section of the Green Charter, specifically point a) To eradicate poverty by developing initiatives that address the causes as well as symptoms of poverty. Also point c) To introduce measures that redress the imbalance of wealth between the rich and poor.

The time is fast approaching that the Australian Greens need to address their crisis in identity and the actions of the Tasmanian Greens. The question that needs to be answered 'How can the Tasmanian Greens radically promote privatisation in direct contradiction to Greens platforms in other states? Also should the Tasmanian Greens be allowed to continue as members under the Australian Greens banner?'

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About the Author

Matthew Holloway is a freelance writer and social justice advocate from Tasmania, where he stood for state and federal parliament and co-founded Tasmanians for Transparency. He has previously written for Tasmanian Times and Eureka Street, Matthew currently lives in Melbourne where he works as a Counsellor in Aboriginal Health and a Social Worker in Catholic social services.

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