Sandra Bayley The Greens candidate
Lives in St John’s Wood member of Transition towns movement
Sandra is a doctor (GP at Alderley).
Husband Doug.

The candidate answered these questions in an interview when she was at the Ferny Grove Markets:
Q1. Do you accept that CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions are changing the climate?
A1. Absolutely. Is there a stronger word than that?

Q2. Are you aware that the current concentration of atmospheric CO2 is 387 parts per million?
A1. It is 392 ppm. I heard from the senior scientist from the Hadley Centre who I spoke to last week. It’s going up by 2-3ppm/year.

Q3. What do you understand to be a safe level of atmospheric CO2 concentration?
A1. To be strictly true it’s the level at which the atmosphere was before we started tampering with it 287 ppm. The planet was in balance then.

Q4a. What do you understand to be a safe level of increase in global average temperature (over pre-industrial levels)?
A4a. Certainly not 2 degrees. 1degree to 1.5degrees possibly. Currently it’s 0.87 degrees global average. 4degrees in the Arctic. One degree in Australia and we’re already in trouble. 0.5 degrees possibly. Nature is incredably adaptable but within a limited range.

Q4b. Where do you stand on the debate about whether the current climate change has primarily anthropogenic causes or not?
A4b. The changes go well beyond thepattern of natural variation. Our emissions play a big part.

Q5. What do you understand to be the consequences of exceeding 2 degrees increase in global average temperature (over pre-industrial levels)?
A5. a. Sudden extreme unpredictable weather events that create havoc.
b. Unpredictable weather to the extent that food production is threatened.
c. Much dryer in certain areas.
d. Extinction of further species – for example koalas won’t survive west of the Great Divide.
e. Serious vector-born diseases (ex. by insects)malaria dengue-fever invading areas previously free of them
f. Vastly more heat-related effects on humans
g. Economic crises resulting from scarcity (in combination with peak oil)
h. Wars over food and water.
i. Further evaporation – we are already the dryest inhabited continent on Earth – causing evaporation of the scarce water we have left.

Q6a. If you were elected what specific policies would you promote in the face of this information?
A6a. The Greens’ policies are on their website.
Sandra would prioritize attention to the climate crisis.
a. phasing out fossil-fuel industries
b. subsidizing and supporting renewable industries
c. population.
If I were PM I would say something like: “I’m sorry to have to speak to you this way but we are in deep trouble. We need to understand how critical the situation is with our environment and climate. We have created for ourselves a very comfortable life in general. Unfortunately we have done this at the expense of the environment that nurtures us. We have been slow to understand the seriousness of what we have done but now that we do understand and the science is absolutely clear that the pollution from our lives has altered the composition of the gases in the atmosphere and that is what is causing global warming. This is bigger than a world war and we simply must work together to rectify the damage that we’ve done and my government is going to keep you closely informed both of what we need to do and the progress we’re making. We need to all be on board with this and by that I mean every government every business every community and every individual. We don’t expect you to do this alone and we will support you in your efforts.”

Q6b. What efforts have you taken to fully inform yourself about oil and other critical resource supplies and their future time-line of availability and likely cost rises?
A6b. Read and listen.

Q6c. What do you do to ensure you are informed of the risks to Australia in relation to debt and global financial stability?
A6c. Listen.

Q6d. What is your position on economic growth?
A6d. Economic growth will need to plateau out to a steady state. We can use different criteria for measuring success and manipulate different variables to create growth such as efficiency measures. Nicholas Stern Dick Smith – they’re all saying it.

Q7a. What is your position on population growth through immigration in light of the figures which show that Australia’s population growth is overwhelmingly driven by immigration particularly temporary immigrants?
A7a. The Greens were till recently the only party proposing that we develop a sustainable population plan. Currently our population is increasing in Australia by 300000/year. Of that about 6.6% are refugees. Of our immigration 0.1% are boat people. The Greens favour a reduction in skilled migration because we are siphoning them off from other countries who desperately need them. The Greens favour an increase in refugee intake from 13000 to 20000.

Q7b. What is your position on the introduction of nuclear power stations into Australia?
A7b. We are the sunshine capital of the world. Let’s go solar.

Q8. How would you promote local health initiatives?
A8. The Greens prioritize
a. local primary health care
b. prevention.
We have a health crisis in Australia because people aren’t understanding how to look after themselves and our hospitals are overloaded with people who can’t find health solutions close to their homes.

Q9. What would you do to promote health literacy locally?
A9. Obesity has recently overtaken cigarette smoking as the leading cause of preventable death. We need to address obesity on a local scale through health centres which attract people to learn about not only obesity but health in general. We’re competing against a lot of misleading food information (ads junk food ads to kids). Ban them on TV.

Q10. What would you do to support carers locally?
A10. Financial social emotional support.

Q11. What is your position on food sovereignty for Australian ownership of Australian food assets and Australian food security?
A11. I support Australian ownership of Australian food assets and Australian food security.

Q12. What do you know about where the food we eat here comes from and what food miles it covers to reach us?
Q12. It is our right to know where our food comes from and to support Australian farmers and encourage people to think about how far the food they buy has travelled and the environmental costs of such travel.

Q13. What is your position on Coal Seam Gas mining on the Darling Downs food bowl?
A13. Absolutely opposed to mining rights on farming land.

Q14. What education resources would you promote for skilling and reskilling the local population for transition to a future where fossil fuel energy resources are constrained?
A14. a. Schools should be renewable energy powerhousese.
b. Their rooms should be used optimally for all groups in the community to be educated and to learn more about living sustainably.

Q15. Environment: How will you go about ensuring that all bio-regional refugia are identified in this area?
A15. A link with state and private mapping efforts and coordinate local experts.

Q16. What support would you provide for local communities to look after the eco-systems in their local areas?

Q17. What protection will you offer us over our right to collect use and own rain falling on our properties?

Q18. What support will you offer local communities to instal community power-generation?

Q19. What support will you offer for retrofitting our homes for maximum energy and water efficiency?

Q20. What do you see as the security and defence issues arising out of the global instability around climate change and demand on oil and resources and population growth with pressure from developing countries for standard of living rises?

Q21. What position will you take on defence and security?

Q22. What employment support will you offer local communities such as our to develop local-living economy solutions for business and employment?