Indra Esguerra, the Greens candidate for Fraser answers your questions in this election series.
[If you think it reasonable for candidates to answer questions from the public then please email the recalcitrants]
1) whitelaughter asked: Would you support abolishing self-government in the ACT? Please include a “yes” or “no” in your answer.
No, the Australian Greens support self-government [...]

In the grim silence of Canberra’s moribund democracy the Greens’ Lin Hatfield Dodds has been alone in giving any sign of bothering with the campaign at all.
Today she’s talking about a Green policy she hopes will help with Canberra’s staggeringly unaffordable housing market:
“The Convert to Rent initiative provides financial assistance to property owners to convert [...]

As seen by Yarramundi Reach yesterday.
Most other parties poster the arterial roads, but The Greens are a little different.

The ABC has a piece on the Green Senate candidate Lin Hatfield Dodds withdrawing a leaflet featuring the “Green Machine” of the Canberra Raiders and her own party.
Offend, apologise, bask in the attention.
Does it feel as if there’s only one candidate running in this election in the ACT?

The Greens have lately been showing a well refined ear for what Canberrans want to hear.
Today they’ve announced that a vote for them federally is a vote for light rail in Canberra:
ACT Greens Senate Candidate Lin Hatfield Dodds has joined Senators Bob Brown and Scott Ludlam in calling for light rail for Canberra.
“Light rail [...]

The Greens energetic senate candidate, Lin Hatfield Dodds, is today banging the drum for an end to Commonwealth powers to override Territory laws:
“The ACT has come of age. It has elected stable governments and its parliament should be able to make laws in the same way as the States.
“Senator Gary Humphries has had eight years [...]

Is there a point to having self government in the ACT?
I’m really struggling to understand what value there is beyond the obvious garbage, roads and gardening processes. Each time they discuss anything you cringe with embarrassment.
The last straw has been the Greens – they trade on the intellect of Bob Brown but whenever [...]

In recent times the ABC news website has been moving towards longer form reporting.
Even so, the best part of 1300 words dedicated to the Greens Senate Candidate Lin Hatfield Dodds is eyebrow raising.
Lin is talking big about how she’s playing to win in the upcoming Senate election for the ACT in which three serious candidates [...]

In the Canberra Times the Greens’ Shane Rattenbury is having a major dummy spit over, well over everything:
Mr Rattenbury said frustrations included a lack of cooperation between government agencies, time-wasting bureaucracy, ”deliberate obfuscation” by Government officials and difficulties obtaining basic information from Government media staff.
The deal breaker is plans to bulldoze 32 hectares in [...]

The Greens’ Caroline Le Couteur is continuing her trend of asking difficult questions. This time asking why London Circuit is being dug up while the “Greater Civic Plan” is due to be endorsed this month.
“The Government is spending $3.8m just on London Circuit, but not taking the opportunity to improve the design.”
“If you are [...]

[First filed: May 25, 2010 @ 14:39]
The Greens’ Shane Rattenbury is pointing out that it’s a crying shame lawyers offering to volunteer their time for community work at the Community Legal Centres are being turned away because the ACT Government will not (and has no plans to) provide enough cheap office space to make use [...]

[ 12 May, 2010; 12:15 pm; ] The Greens are hoping to get some of the transport policy tragics down to the Assembly on Wednesday lunchtime for a bit of a chinwag.

Two speakers with expertise in local and international transport and planning issues will present on ‘active transport’ issues in Canberra:

– Karen Wright is a Canberra urban planning consultant and currently the [...]

The Greens’ Caroline Le Couteur is thrilled that she’s got a motion through the Legislative Assembly “calling on the Government to prioritise pedestrians, cyclists and public transport in planning, traffic, and urban design policies in Canberra.”
A motion without legislation is only slightly more significant than the Canberra College SRC moving to make the ACT a [...]

[ 4 June, 2010; 11:00 am to 2:00 pm. ] The ACT Government is holding a World Environment Day celebration in Garema Place on Friday 4 June from 11.00am to 2.00pm.

The interactive event will include displays from local organisations and government agencies to celebrate our environment as well as showcase environmental inititatives and programs that can help our community.

Come and visit us in Garema Place [...]

Yesterday’s ACT Budget appears to be a pretty reasonable thing, with some good ideas in it. Of course nothing can please all the rent seekers.
But here’s the reactions we can find so far:
One media release is all the Liberals can manage in reply. The first part appears to have been written by the Property Council, [...]

For anyone interested in the science behind the protection of our wonderful National Parks and in particular Namadgi NP, there is a terrific Symposium being run this Friday/Saturday by the National Parks Association of the ACT Inc in the CSIRO Discovery Centre.
Nineteen speakers/presenters from all over Australia will be giving short, sharp and entertaining [...]

[ED - The contents of this piece should be taken as no more than rumour]
The ACT Greens continue to be in disarray this week following the shock departure last Friday of their most senior and competent staffer, Meredith Hunter’s Chief of Staff, Louise O’Donnell.
It is understood that Ms O’Donnell was forced to resign with 12 [...]

Greens MLA Meredith Hunter says that her request for a $50,000 pay rise three months after being elected was an attempt to address the ”inequity” of the ACT’s two-party system.
continues: http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/local/news/general/pay-rise-bid-about-equity-mla-says/1723960.aspx
If I knew how to add a poll I would…

Monash Drive has been part of the National Capital Plan for many years now, threatening to cut off the suburbs of Ainslie & Hackett from their bushland backyard. The ABC reports that the National Capital Authority (NCA) is going to drop Monash Drive from the National Capital Plan, and as expected the Greens are jumping [...]

So, I’m hearing snippets, did John Hargreaves and Brendan Smyth say something horrible about a Green (Amanda Bresnan?) over the weekend and are now trying to apologise in the wake of a torrent of tears?
If you’ve got more on this, send it in…
UPDATED: The ABC now have the story online:
Mr Hargreaves and deputy Liberal [...]

Today the ACT Legislative Assembly will be debating a bill for mandatory energy efficient hot water systems for new homes, which is being spearheaded by the Greens.
ACT Greens MLA Caroline Le Couteur says:
“The Liberal Party, in their 2008 Climate Change policy release, said they would require ‘Solar or other low energy hot water systems on [...]

It seems Katy Gallagher only announces the bad budget new.
The Chiefly Jon Stanhope has announced that the ACT Treasury has found another $60 million under the couch and in 2008-09 the Government was in surplus to the tune of $14.3 million.
A hot real estate market and strong employment appears to have made all the difference. [...]

Oh to be a staffer in the ACT Government. Aside from scheming for their own political ambitions and fielding daily calls from eccentrics it seems they been doing a healthy trade in paying each other out on entitlements.
The Auditor-General has announced the release of her report into the “Administration of employment issues for staff of [...]

The Greens’ Meredith Hunter is taking a swing at the residents of Queanbeyan and their filthy motorised personal transit into our fair city every day:
The ACT Greens have called for the Chief Minister and Queanbeyan Mayor to agree on the need for bus/taxi priority signals along Canberra Avenue.
“Over 60 percent of Queanbeyan City workers [...]

In the the Canberra Times even Treasurer Katy Gallagher is admitting she presides over incompetent muppets.
At issue is the ongoing debacle of land tax whereby whatever overpriced and rubber band powered computer system purchased from latter day carnival folk that calculates and levies the land tax in this town ran out of electrons with which [...]

The Greens’ Caroline Le Couteur is having a red hot shot at the Government’s “rabbit in the headlights” approach to the collapse of their recycling services provider at the tips:
Greens spokesperson on waste, Caroline Le Couteur MLA, today called on Mr Stanhope to ensure a recycling service starts operating at the landfill immediately, even [...]

The Canberra Times brings word that the usual Stanhopian approach to negotiation (and doesn’t it work so well?) is underway as the Frisky Leader tries to nag the Home Affairs Minister, Brendan O’Connor, into letting the ACT Legislative Assembly stay out after midnight.
No wait, they’re after an end to Commonwealth veto of our laws.

[...]

Comrades, the state media brings us joyous news of our dear leader’s drive to continue his role overseeing our fine territory.  
Jon Stanhope is quoted as saying:

“I do feel remarkably well, actually, and incredibly young and energetic, almost frisky.”

I’m not sure, frisky? Jon has a lot of salt & pepper going, oh well, I guess it works for [...]

The Canberra Times has a leak from the Legislative Assembly Labor caucus on Andrew Barr’s declarations of love for Jon Stanhope and Katy Gallagher.
The Sunday Canberra Times has obtained a confidential caucus document distributed on Friday afternoon in which Mr Barr says if the role of chief minister became available he would nominate only for [...]

In CityNews Michael Moore is speculating that a full blown leadership run is underway from Andrew Barr and the so called “right” of the ACT ALP.
The manoeuvring has now begun for the first right-faction government to take power in the ACT.
Unlike other parliaments, the Chief Minister of the ACT is not just the [...]

Page 3 of this week’s CityNews is sadly missing bikini girls (or even boys).
But it does have an astonishing interview by Jorian Gardner with Labor’s John Hargreaves. (I have checked with Jorian and he confirmed that the interview was, in fact, conducted after lunch for whatever that may be worth).
Right up the top is the [...]

The Liberals’ Alistair Coe has let us all know that he’s handing over money on behalf of the ACT Council of Motor Clubs.
The presentation of the cheque took place at the ACT Branch of Shannons Insurance in Fyshwick this morning.
The funds were raised as part of the Shannons Wheels vehicle display held earlier this year. [...]