The Grafton Loop of the Knitting Nannas Against Gas is hoping that the upcoming federal election will result in a parliament that deals effectively and in a cooperative manner with the major issues facing our nation. We want a government that is firmly focused on our long-term national interest.

The Nannas have quite an extensive wish-list for our next Government.  At the top of this list is effective government action on climate change. 

We need to cut emissions much more drastically by 2030 to have any chance of limiting the disastrous impacts of climate change that we are now experiencing so regularly. 

As gas is as dirty a fossil fuel as coal, we want the folly of the “gas-led recovery” ditched and government subsidies (taxpayer grants!) to gas projects such as the Beetaloo Basin dropped pronto. Instead of encouraging the development of new gas or coal projects or the expansion of existing ones, our government should be developing with industry a just transition plan for those workers whose jobs will be lost as the world decarbonises. Obviously, it also needs to expedite the expansion of renewable energy and encourage the development of new renewable technologies. But it should not waste any more money on that “pie in the sky” nonsense of carbon capture and storage so beloved of the fossil fuel dinosaurs. And that’s just a few of our hopes on the climate front.

Also close to the top of our list is the need for an effective federal integrity commission which has very sharp teeth. In the interest of the health of our democracy, this body needs to be able to investigate public servants AND politicians and to hold open hearings. We need a government that is much more open to scrutiny and answerable to the community.

And there’s more on our wish-list. We’d like to see reform of political donations laws, improvements to health, education, aged care, and unemployed support. But I won’t enlarge on these matters now.

Leonie Blain

On behalf of the Grafton Nannas