The Greens Kick off Campaign

BY JORDAN FERMANIS

The Greens kicked off their federal election campaign on Saturday with a day of door knocking in the electorates of Sydney City and Grayndler.

Greens supporters met at Sydney Park where they were addressed by Greens Senator Lee Rhiannon and Newtown MP Jenny Leong.

Marrickville Councillor Sylvie Ellsmore will contest the seat of Sydney City and Jim Casey will be the Federal candidate for the electorate of Grayndler. Both these seats are traditionally labor strongholds. Deputy opposition leader Tanya Plibersek has held the Sydney City seat since 1998 and Anthony Albanese has held the Grayndler electorate since 1996. But the Greens will be hoping to make ground by focusing on community issues.

Fittingly, the campaign launch was held at Sydney Park, which is under threat from the controversial Westconnex motorway scheme.

Both candidates addressed the launch where they spoke on issues they would be taking into their campaigns. Casey said that he had come from the Westonnex protest at Wolseley St in Haberfield which he attended with his family. Casey also paid respects to past activist movements in the area, from women’s rights to workers unions.

Sylvie Ellesmere spoke of her opposition to the Westconnex project.

“Broadly it’s within that framework of liveable cities. Who gets to control how our cities are built and developed, whether its private money or public money …this project [Westconnex] is the exact opposite of that,” Clr. Ellesmere said.

Clr. Ellsmore raised the major issues she would be taking into her campaign.

“Affordable housing and refugee rights are the other two issues we have been campaigning really hard on. These are strong areas for us and they are also where our members are most involved,” Clr. Ellsmore said.

After the recent decision from the Papua New Guinea Supreme Court that ruled the Manus Island detention centre illegal, a closure of the centre is underway however it is unclear where the 850 detainees will be relocated. Clr. Ellsmore said that,

“The Greens position is that they should come to Australia.”

Clr. Ellsmore also weighed into the the lockout law debate stating that “Newtown is unique but not exclusive,” saying that people coming to Newtown should respect the community that is there in light of recent incidents of homophobic violence.

With an election set to be held on July 2, the Greens will be hoping to engage young people who are traditionally more sympathetic supporters of the Greens.