Central Coast Greens Charter

The general principles of the Central Coast Greens are:

1. Ecological sustainability

a. To maintain bio-diversity, to preserve wilderness areas, to end degradation of natural ecosystems and to protect plant and animal species from extinction.
b. To reduce the pollution and degradation of land, water and air and to strive to end resource depletion.
c. To transform the nature of work and consumption so that they are safe, socially useful and environmentally benign.

2. Social equality and economic justice

a. To support every person’s right to a life of purpose and dignity and to the satisfaction of such needs as housing, food, community support and personal development.
b. To eliminate the impact of all hierarchical, oppressive and overly competitive institutions within and beyond Australia so that the values of a caring and rights-based society are held in the highest regard.
c. To recognise that people are capable of generous, caring, tolerant, empathetic and socially responsible actions if given the chance in a society where the structures embed those values.
d. To remove inequalities based on gender, sexual preference, race, creed or nationality.
e. Self-determination and land rights for Australia’s original inhabitants.
f. Respect for and recognition of the value of Aboriginal and ethnic cultures, leading to a truly multicultural Australia.

3. Grassroots democracy

a. To democratise society and the economy through the evolution of decision-making powers from private industrial interests and parliamentary institutions to workplaces and local communities.
b. To create a democratically structured public sector, and small business and cooperative sectors of the economy which own and control resources to an extent which does not compromise ecological sustainability and social equality.
c. To recognise the right of people in communities to assert control over all matters that affect their lives through processes that maximise community participation.
d. To support the diversity in culture and opinion that exists in our society and to promote a responsible and diverse media that informs and reflects this diversity.

4. Peace, disarmament and non-violence

a. To develop a culture of non-violence and to remove the threat of war and social violence.
b. Implicit in a policy of non-violence is a program of universal disarmament, both nuclear and conventional.
c. To work towards the peaceful resolution of conflict and the development of tolerance, co-operation and mutual respect.
d. An independent foreign policy for Australia and a defence orientation that is non-offensive and self-reliant.