Fairfield Liverpool Greens

GROUP MEETINGS

We are back in 2011 with a very different schedule and location for our meetings. Every month on the third Wednesday, commencing in February.

16 FEBRUARY, 6:00pm

16 MARCH, 6:00pm

20 APRIL, 6:00pm

18 MAY, 6:00pm

15 JUNE, 6:00pm

20 JULY, 6:00pm

17 AUGUST, 6:00pm

21 SEPTEMBER, 6:00pm

19 OCTOBER, 6:00pm

Get involved, get active, and make a difference in our area! If you're interested in seeing what we're about, call Bill on 0403-139-825

Newly affiliated, rearing to go!

At the State Delegates Council of the NSW Greens held on 27/28 August, the Fairfield/Liverpool Greens supporters group became officially affiliated as an official local group, representing the Greens in the LGAs of Fairfield and Liverpool. This was somewhat historic, as this affiliation means that there are no areas in NSW not covered by an official group.

Voice of the Greens

Now the serious work is ahead of us. We saw a dramatic shift in this State in March, when the O'Farrell Liberals overwhelmed the dreadful NSW ALP in a landslide. In the face of relentless smear and disinformation campaigns by both the Coalition and Labor, the Greens managed to grow their representation in Parliament, though the results in our electorates were mixed. We are now seeing exactly what life is like under an O'Farrell Government - the destruction of the Industrial Relations Commission and the introduction of Workchoices-by-stealth; a parliament so paralysed and inert that they run out of things to cover; and a litany of broken promises and laws changed with retrospectivity to allow them any excess they like.

We have another 3 and 1/2 years of this ahead, and probably more because the NSW ALP are an unelectable rabble.

In the meantime, we have a Federal Opposition Leader who - aided by the propaganda of News Ltd - is fixated on bringing down the Federal Government by whatever foul means at his disposal, and we have one of our local Councils dominated by extreme-right conservatives who are spreading fear and misinformation about climate change, and trotting out opinions from the arch-conservative Heartland Foundation and the truly dangerous Citizens Electoral Council (who spout the rantings of Lyndon Larouche, whose theories include that AIDS was developed by the Soviets, and that Obama wants to put people in "gas ovens").

The politics of fear, smear, and hate are powerful, and we will have our work cut out trying to counter the hate and lies of our political enemies. We must continue working hard for the benefit of our area, with balance and openness, and not the partisan rancour of our opponents, and we must present a reasonable, rational alternative to the hysteria of the scare-mongers.

An inspirational talk

Signe, Danny and Bill managed to be at Parliament House for the event with Mme Ingrid Betancourt, a most amazing and inspirational lady. With an introduction by David Shoebridge, Mme Betancourt had a conversation with our own Senator Lee Rhiannon, where she gave us a small window into the terrible ordeal she faced as a captive of the Colombian revolutionaries FARC for six and a half years in the wild South American jungle.

Signe, Bill and Danny at Ingrid Betancourt talk

Her insights into human nature, and her belief that the people of her beloved homeland have given themselves up to the acceptance of corruption as a fact of life were heart-wrenching. Still, through it all, she remains optimistic that good will win in the end, and that the evils of greed and power that plague her land - and so many others - will fall to the better spirit of mankind, eventually.

Do yourself a favour and get hold of a copy of her book, "Even Silence has an End". It is a gripping read from the very first page. While our Federal Government is busily falling into lock-step with the appalling nature of the Conservatives on human rights - all in pursuit of a few cheap votes from pretty horrible, self-interested haters - we could all take a lesson from this remarkable woman who has faced more than most of us could ever imagine, and still has a belief in human decency.

The meeting schedule for 2011

One of the strengths of The Greens is the commitment to "Grassroots Democracy". Keeping with this belief, our Branch holds open meetings with a focus on what the group and our friends can do to address problems in the area.

We're holding our meetings for this year at the Liverpool Serviced Offices at Level 5, 33 Moore St Liverpool on the third Wednesday of each month, starting at 6:00pm.

You don't need to be a member of the Greens (though of course we hope we can make it attractive to you to join!) - if you are interested in doing things to help your fellow residents, come along and see if our activities fit with your views. Each month we look at the things that are the best and the worst of our area, and we examine a different Greens policy so that everyone can make their own minds up about what we're about, not rely on the lies of our political opponents to understand our positions.

The dates for our meetings for the year are shown on the left of screen. If you want to come along, please call 0403 139 825 when you arrive so we can let you into the secure building.

We are continuing a 'fast-decision-making' process, accessible to our members from the link on the left.

We still need more helpers to attack the problems in Fairfield and Liverpool. We can make a difference if we have the people-power to do it.

About us

We're currently a very small group in big area, but we're becoming more active and more involved, and we're looking to put our vision of a fair, socially-conscious society and environment firmly into the public view.

Recent anti-Problem Gambling campaign We can and have been successful in representing the views of our residents, but much more needs to be done, and the Greens need representation in Government serving this area.

More people need to get involved with grass-roots politics in our area. If we don't attract more of the passionate, intelligent people we have in Fairfield/Liverpool we will end up with more of the same dross from a pretty poor bunch of politicians.

It's well and truly time to put forward viable alternatives to some appalling local MPs and Councillors.

A strong Greens presence will put additional pressure on the major parties to be more open and accountable, and will protect against the unbelievable arrogance of the current State and Local Governments.

Our share of the vote at the last State poll rose in some parts of the area, despite a limited campaign and being heavily smeared by the major Parties. We have a strong base from which to grow for the future, and we can and will become more and more successful by doing the things we do best - stand up for the rights of those who need it most.

If you are a Facebook user, you can join our online FLG group here.

Local Group focus

We're attempting to reach out to the local community. We need to establish a strong healthy network of contacts to form the foundation on which the the work leading up to the next election will be based. The network will have three tiers: Local member Ariel Sattore with Senator Lee Rhiannon

A strong cooperative relationship with other Greens NSW branches (particularly those that are geographically close to Fairfield/Liverpool Greens) so that we can share ideas and engage in joint activities. This is important because there are some issues that geographically span multiple Greens NSW branches that should be tackled in a coordinated manner
A healthy participation by Fairfield/Liverpool Greens members, by making their participation easier and more fulfilling.
A direct engagement with diverse sections of the community, by working with them individually to determine policy direction, and rally support for the Greens in the population in general.

Newly affiliated, rearing to go!

An inspirational talk

The meeting schedule for 2011

About us

Local Group focus

Meet your Local Greens