This week: GetUp decides to go easy on pro-coal Labor MPs
“Left-wing activist group GetUp has admitted it will not campaign against pro-coal Labor MPs like Joel Fitzgibbon over climate change policy and instead remain focused on the Coalition despite insisting it is a non-partisan organisation”.
Source: AFR.com
August 2017: Shorten was a founding board member of GetUp!
Bill Shorten was a big union donor to GetUp! when it was established, giving about $100,000, possibly more, to the left-leaning activist group. The revelation follows the [former] federal Labor leader’s persistent refusal to make any comment over what support he provided to GetUp! when he was in charge of the Australian Workers Union. Mr Shorten was a founding board member of GetUp! when it was launched in August 2005 as an ‘independent, grassroots, community advocacy organisation’ to campaign on progressive issues.
Senior sources from GetUp! and Mr Shorten’s former union have confirmed he was personally behind an AWU donation of about $100,000 and “the only union” to provide seed funding among four big donors when GetUp!’s co-founders sought start-up capital.
Source: The Australian
In the Federal 2019 election, Templeman (pictured), won by only 0.4%.
Two candidate preferred (TCP) for Macquarie (NSW)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Margin | Status | |
| RICHARDS, Sarah | Liberal | 48,290 | -371 | 49.81% | |
| TEMPLEMAN, Susan | Labor | 48,661 | 371 | 50.19% | Elected |
Templeman only won on Greens preferences:
| Candidate | Party | Votes |
| RICHARDS, Sarah | Liberal | 43,487 |
| LIU, Kingsley | Greens | 8,870 |
| TEMPLEMAN, Susan | Labor | 37,106 |
| KEIGHTLEY, Greg | Animal Justice Party | 3,611 |
| PETTITT, Tony Bryan | UAP | 3,877 |
Source: AEC Tally Room
In April, Candidates spoke at a forum in Springwood to discuss the Warragamba dam. Liberal candidate Sarah Richards was MIA.
New environmental laws promised at Macquarie candidates forum in Springwood
Both Labor and Greens candidates promised a new Australian Environment Act and establishing a federal environmental protection agency.
Templeman said:
“We know raising the wall has significant environmental impacts for the Blue Mountains that need proper consideration but have been totally ignored by the NSW government. Nor have we been given transparency around the other options and the main focus appears to be to justify increases in housing across the flood plains of the Hawkesbury Nepean”.Mr Liu described the proposal to raise the dam wall as “reckless and ignorant”.
“We should not be building on Sydney’s best farmland, destroying our food bowl and the natural flood controls provided by wetlands, bush and farms”, he said.
Source: Blue Mountains Gazette
The map shows the Warragamba dam, which is mostly located in National park.
Comment:
- The Labor party must choose sides – they are either in favour of coalmines and dams or they are not.
- Officially supporting mining in public while funding Getup! behind the scenes is hypocrisy
- The ALP consistently tries to centralise control. The Environment is a state responsibility