The Greens candidates for the seats of Cronulla, Miranda and Heathcote at the March 28 state election have been named.
Create a free account to read this article
or signup to continue reading
Mick Nairn, a firefighter stationed in the shire, will contest Miranda.
Nathan Hunt, a client service representative in the freight forwarding industry, is standing in Cronulla.
Natasha Watson, who has been at the forefront of the fight against coal seam gas exploration in the Woronora catchment, is the candidate for Heathcote.
Campaigns will focus on the environment, including coal seam gas, overdevelopment, climate change, corporate donations to political parties and other local concerns.
Mr Hunt has lived in the Cronulla area for 20 years, after growing up at Caringbah, Miranda and Yowie Bay.
He said he would be highlighting government cuts and privatisation of public services by the Liberal government and the closure of the Cronulla fisheries research centre.
"I am worried about local job losses throughout the shire, the lack of any future planning from the state government and cuts to local health and nursing services," Mr Hunt said.
Mr Nairn, who have lived in the shire for eight years, said climate change needed to be addressed.
“We need to protect our natural resources and ensure that our rivers, bushlands and greens spaces remain intact,’’ he said.
Mr Nairn said public services should be kept in public hands, and not sold for profit.
‘‘I also want to see the recent train service cuts to Jannali, Como and Kogarah restored, and genuine community consultation for any future local development decisions.’’
Protect nature
Natasha Watson has had more than 20 years of experience in marketing and business.
For the same period, she had been a volunteer for WIRES, the wildlife rescue and rehabilitation service.
Ms Watson said that as Otford Protection Society president, she had campaigned at local and state government level in key environmental and planning matters.
In 2010, she had ‘‘ uncovered and revealed the covert plans by Apex Energy and Ormil Energy to explore for coal seam gas in Sydney’s drinking water catchment and residential areas’’.
Ms Watson, who moved from Cronulla to Otford in 1998, said she would ‘‘continue to fight to for the preservation and prosperity of our northern Illawarra and Sutherland region’’.
‘‘I believe it should be treasured, protected and promoted for tourism,’’ she said. ‘‘This would not only help to retain the healthy green corridor of the Royal National Park and waterways, but also promote prosperity and job creation in its vastly untapped potential.’’
Ms Watson said public transport needed to be improved through ‘‘re-tweaking’’ the train timetable and fixing parking shortages at stations.
‘‘A particular bugbear of the Heathcote electorate is the continual illegal dumping along our roadside and bushland tracks,’’ she said.
Are you attracted to the policies of the Greens?
