Campaign Platform 2023

The Central Coast Greens contact with potential volunteers has provided an opportunity to canvass concerns from the community about election issues. The issues raised can be grouped under two pillars; social justice, including grassroots democracy, and the environment.

The cost-of-living crisis is obvious and concerning residents in the Central Coast community, with community pantries operating at capacity.

The Central Coast Greens will campaign strongly for:

• More social housing - If rents were not absorbing so much of the population’s budgets, and there was more social housing and affordable housing provision, we wouldn’t see this pressure on food pantries. Building more affordable homes has to take precedence over significant real estate developments.
• Making developers pay - Levies need to be raised from property developers to fund social and affordable housing. Affordable housing close to work is necessary to retain our teachers, nurses and first responders.
• Improving the pay and conditions of teachers, nurses and first responders – This is urgently needed to reflect the importance of their work. The Greens are currently the only party to actively support nursing ratios.
• Free public transport across the coast – To encourage more people to use public transport, reducing the volume of traffic on the roads and easing parking issues. Supporting residents struggling with the cost of living to travel for work or study and helping the environment.
• Making TAFE free – Together with free transport removing the challenges to provide important education opportunities for our youth.
• A Green New Deal to provide more jobs in renewables and improve recycling to create a true circular economy.

The Central Coast Greens will campaign to restore local democracy:

• Local elections as soon as possible - In 2020 the state government decided to sack all of our democratically elected Councillors and Mayor, and to appoint an Administrator. One man has been responsible for making all decisions about the Central Coast since 2020, and the LNP state government has said they will not hold elections until the next council elections in September 2024.
• Community voice on de-amalgamating the Council - The amalgamation of two councils, Gosford and Wyong, has proven to be a mistake, with the community reeling from increased rates and reduced services. The Greens will listen to the community to understand what they want.

The Central Coast Greens support community environmental activism against state government plans:

• Proposed Wamberal Sea Wall - at Wamberal, plans have been introduced to build a concrete sea wall to prevent beachfront erosion. This has been rejected by the community, who recognise that a sea wall will do nothing to prevent erosion and that further research is required.
• Regulation of pollution from power stations - There is a community push to regulate discharge and leachate and reduce pollution from power stations at Vales Point and Eraring. The discharge of toxic coal ash from these power stations is causing evident health concerns in the community.
• Logging in our State Forests - Despite community representations at parliamentary commissions in May 2022 logging continues in Ourimbah state forest.