Janet Rice
Please come on over to my Greens web page janetrice.greens.org.au
Saturday 18 May 2013 at 7:36 pmPlease come on over to http://janetrice.greens.org.au
This site is currently not active. Please come on over and have a look at what's happening on my Greens website, as my campaign to be the next Greens Senator for Victoria is in full swing.
Footscray 2020
Saturday 02 February 2013 at 9:47 pm
Photo by Leon Rice-Whetton
I've just read a fabulous photo essay about Footscray which has inspired me to post a piece I wrote a year or so ago, giving my vision of Footscray 2020. I'd love your thoughts!
Footscray 2020
Footscray! Where else would anyone want to live! I’ve been here for 30 years, and I can now truly say that Footscray is finally realising its potential.
Above all what makes Footscray is its friendly and diverse people. People stop and chat on the streets, admire each other’s gardens, swap home grown fruit and vegetables, and look after each other’s kids and elderly parents. Street parties abound and are institutions – some have been going now every year for over 20 years.
I love the Footscray shopping centre with its range of shops catering for rich and poor from all corners of the world. We’ve got the Vietnamese, African, Middle Eastern and Indian shops and fresh food and bargains that Footscray has always been known for, and a range of other shopping has been added over the last decade, including bookshops, and shops to spend up big in. Footscray’s restaurants continue to impress, and there’s a great range of cafes and bars, some with live music, some just a great vibe. Some of the African bars and cafes keep on being ‘discovered’ by people from out of town. And anything you can’t get in Footscray, it’s just a short fast tram ride to Highpoint. Home delivery services are subsidised by Council too, which means there’s not a problem of needing a car to bring something home.
The long awaited redevelopment of the Grand Theatre in Paisley St is just amazing. It makes great use of its frontage onto Madden Square. The magnificent theatre space has been restored and we now have cinemas back in Footscray!
(more) Janet | ¶ | default | No commentsHelping those who need our help
Tuesday 11 December 2012 at 08:44 am
Photo Refugee Action Collective
It was International Human Rights Day yesterday. The Refugee Action Collective in Melbourne held a forum which I spoke at, about the Pacific Solution Mark 2. They showed a harrowing documentary which had been made by the BBC in 2002 about the Howard refugee policies, including the Tampa and the inhumane conditions on Nauru. Well worth a watch - particularly to reflect on what the Gillard Government is doing today. Lucy Honan from RAC gave an excellent speech bringing us up to speed on the current conditions on Nauru, which underscored how we haven't moved on from the oppressive and racist policies of a decade ago. My speech is attached and below
(more) Janet | ¶ | default | One commentLet's go to a clean, green, caring, sharing economy
Friday 26 October 2012 at 10:34 am
I'm speaking at the National LETS conference this weekend, about transitioning to a new economy, and the role that LETS (Local Energy Trading Systems) can have in that. Here's the speech, and the presentation
Hope you enjoy it. (Photo: A permablitz in Alexandria, Sydney, Image from milkwood.net)
Janet | ¶ | default | No commentsWhere the rubber hits the road: transport and planning in growth areas
Monday 03 September 2012 at 7:01 pm
I had a most enjoyable evening last week giving a presentation to the Friends of Banyule about transport and planning in growth areas. We had lots of interesting discussion afterwards too, ranging from the transport needs of the elderly and people with disabiilities, the need to have a much greater use of public transport in the northern growth areas in order to reduce traffic through Banyule and reduce the pressure for the North East link, and the need for Melbourne wide campaigning on sustainable transport and planning.
My presentation is here - I'd love to hear your thoughts. What for example do you think about my proposal for a one third/ one third/ one third mode share between walking and cycling, public transport and private car travel?
(more) Janet | ¶ | default | No comments Friday 10 August 2012 at 11:59 amBuilding a positive, sustainable, equitable future.
Edited version of talk to the Fabian Society 8 August 2012
(Some wonderful young kids I met in Senegal in March this year- our Greens fair go extends across the world)
I’ve got a confession to make tonight. I want to share with you my initial inspiration for my years of dedication to The Greens. Thank you Graham Richardson.
I was a forest campaigner back in the 1980’s. You might remember forest protest actions in East Gippsland at Brown Mountain on the edge of the Errinundra Plateau in the lead up to the federal election due in early 1990. Labor was positioning itself as the greenest thing since Kermit, and having forest protesters making the headlines didn’t fit. Richo who was Federal Environment Minister got involved pretty quickly, and negotiations began to find a resolution between us, the state and federal governments to get us off the front page. After some long hot days of negotiations we struck a deal – there would be a moratorium on logging whilst a study was done to determine whether there were ‘prudent and feasible alternatives’ to the logging of these magnificent heritage forests.
We knew that any study which had sensible terms of reference would find that of course there were prudent and feasible alternatives. It all rested on the definition of prudent and feasible though, so that had to be clearly defined before we agreed to stop protesting. A letter from Richo to the Victorian Minister defined it in a way we were happy with, I remember the phone call from him telling me ‘Don’t worry Janet, those national estate forests will never be logged’. We pulled up stumps at the protests, sat back and waited for the March election.
(more) Janet | ¶ | default | No commentsIt's just not cricket
Tuesday 24 July 2012 at 12:36 pm
I've been pondering on the power of the resource industries around the world, including and particularly in Australia.
The resource companies are on a very good wicket. They have no intention of retiring.
And our bowling isn’t troubling them at all. Every so often they face a tricky ball like the carbon tax, which
with a bit of fancy footwork they have been able to defend. OK, a few less fours in that over, but nothing to worry about.
We do a bit of sledging, telling them that this is just the beginning of a much more powerful attack that's going to start soon. They laugh.
They know the Government has ensured the wicket is as flat as it is, has set the rules of play, and is sitting back enjoying the game.
(more) Janet | ¶ | default | No commentsForests forever
Friday 20 July 2012 at 11:58 am
On the eve of the Melbourne by-election, I've just been reading some media articles from 1990 when I was Coordinator of the East Gippsland Coalition. These are from the time of the protest actions we held at Brown Mountain on the edge of the Errinundra Plateau. (This is the same area where the Supreme Court last year found that logging should stop because the area is home to the endangered Long Footed Potoroo.)
These articles are a great reminder of the rich history of the fight for our forests (which went back a long way prior to 1990 too).
Our protests in the lead up to the 1990 federal election were powerful enough to bring the federal and state Labor governments to the table to forge an agreement to stop logging for 3 years, to give the state government a chance to see if there were 'prudent and feasible alternatives' to logging. On this basis we stopped the protests. (There was $20 million of federal money given to the East Gippsland timber industry as part of this deal too by the way.)
Of course there were 'prudent and feasible alternatives', but a devious misinterpretation of what the terms 'prudent and feasible' meant lead to the consequent state government study finding that no, there were no alternatives, and that logging in these high conservation forests should be permitted. In short we were lied to and manipulated in order to get us out of the way in the lead up to the election.
The experience galvanised me into throwing myself into forming The Greens in Victoria, and the rest is the proverbial.
(more) Janet | ¶ | default | No commentsParticipatory Budgeting - An Introduction
Friday 29 June 2012 at 12:47 pm
Orcamento Participativo Assembly and mata drinking, Porto Alegre, Brazil 2008
I've just been reflecting on Participatory Budgeting. I've taken considerable interest in it for a number of years, including being very fortunate to join Deb Foskey on study trip prior to the Global Greens Congress in Sao Paolo in Brazil in 2008, looking at how Participatory Budgeting - Orcamento Participativo - worked in Porto Alegre, renowned as the birthplace for much modern practice of PB. I prepared a presentation at the time, outlining the basics of it which you can download here. There's heaps of stuff on the web if you want to know more, but this gives you a quick 5 minute overview of what it's all about.. Drop me a line if you'd like to know more.
(more) Janet | ¶ | default | One commentThe four pillars of The Greens
Monday 25 June 2012 at 12:03 pm
I had the privilege this morning of speaking to Year 10 students at Huntingtower School in Mt Waverley about The Greens. They are studying politics, and this morning had representatives from Labor, the Liberals, the Nationals as well as myself to speak to them. I met first with some of the students who are going to be representing The Greens in a student parliament later in the week. They were very tuned in and knowledgable, and I'm sure are going to do The Greens proud.
I was pleased to see state MP Gavin Jennings as one of the Labor speakers, as Gavin and I go back a long way, from when he was a Ministerial advisor to Joan Kirner, and I was a forest activist. In fact the pivotal East Gippsland forests campaigns, that directly led to me throwing my energy into forming The Greens in 1990, involved Gavin in that role. I spoke about those campaigns in my talk - I don't know whether Gavin had realised before today what a key role he played in the impetus to form The Greens in Victoria.
(more) Janet | ¶ | default | No commentsSubmission to Melbourne Bicycle Plan
Sunday 03 June 2012 at 7:05 pm
I've just written a submission to the City of Melbourne's draft Bicycle Plan. Here it is if you'd like to have a read, and maybe be inspired to write one yourself.
The draft Plan is pretty good as it is; my suggestions would make it even better! You can email your submission to bicycle.plan@melbourne.vic.gov.au.
Janet | ¶ | default | No comments‘Overcoming the fear of the [urban] wild. Planners, politicians and the populace connecting with, exploring, and embracing nature.’
Friday 18 May 2012 at 7:38 pm
I had the great pleasure today of talking at a ‘mini seminar’ organised by Victorian Child and Nature Connection at the Botanic Gardens in Melbourne. The theme of the seminar was ‘Nature, Cities and Urban Planning; How do our kids connect?’
My talk was entitled ‘Overcoming the fear of the [urban] wild. Planners, politicians and the populace connecting with, exploring, and embracing nature.’; and if you want to know more you’ll just have to have a look at my presentation and notes (in two parts here and here. It's almost as good as being there today! (No not quite, because you don’t get to meet an amazing array of great people, or to network in the sandpit!)
The presentation by the way features lots of fabulous photos from my fabulously talented partner Penny and son Leon.
(more) Janet | ¶ | default | No comments Used tags: natureLetter to Ted
Wednesday 21 March 2012 at 7:31 pmI met our Premier Ted Baillieu a number of times when he was Opposition Leader. I have written to him today about the proposal to export billions of tonnes of brown coal from Victoria
Dear Ted,
I know I don't know you well, nor you me; but what I did know of you before you became Premier I liked. I know we have significant political differences, but I felt you were a man with an open and flexible mind, a willingness to listen and learn, and a passion and commitment to do the best for Victoria.
I am writing to you in that spirit tonight. There have been a number of actions that your government has taken that you won't be surprised to learn that I strongly disagree with, for example your positions on wind power and forestry.
However it was yesterday's news about the proposal to export billions of tonnes of brown coal that has prompted me to write to you today.
I urge you to not allow this to occur. Please, can I ask of you, as a man with an open mind, to ensure you are fully aware about the dangers of climate change. Avail yourself of the expertise available to you from world leading climate scientists at CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research right here in Melbourne. Read for example the OECD Environmental Outlook to 2050 report that was released today that outliend a conservative estimate of what is in store for our planet if we continue on the path we are on.
Janet Rice
Sunday 26 February 2012 at 7:19 pmJanet Rice is The Greens Victoria Lead Senate Candidate for the next federal election. She was elected by a vote of all Victorian Greens members in February 2012. A biography of Janet can be found here. For more details see Janet's CV
Janet | ¶ | default | No commentsExcited, humbled and proud
Sunday 26 February 2012 at 12:50 pmI am so excited, and simultaneously humbled and proud about having been preselected as The Greens Victoria lead Senate candidate for the next federal election. It''s such a privilege to have been voted into this position and to now have the opportunity to work with you, campaigning for election and for a fairer and more sustainable world.
It was such a tightly contested preselection, with twelve incredibly talented candidates standing; a month of Meet the Canddaites meetings, and lots more getting out and about meeting members around the state. Over the last six months I travelled (mostly by train and bike) to Warrnambool and Werribee, Castlemaine, Ballarat, Beechworth, Berwick, Broadmeadows and beyond! And that was on top of a big campaign of email, blogs, facebook, twitter and old fashioned phone calls.
So to win the vote is exciting and just a bit daunting. I will be campaigning hard and long starting immediately to return the confidence the party has placed in me- and get elected! It's going to be a big job - no taking it for granted - of us working together to achieve great things! On top of the Senate seat, we have to re-elect Adam Bandt in Melbourne, and wouldn't it be wonderful to get a Green elected in Batman and maybe other seats too!
Lots of people deserve lots of thanks:
- thanks to the other candidates for putting themselves up before the members. It was a massive effort by everyone. It was so refreshing to be part of a respectful process, where all the candidates managed to get along and care about each other: doing politics differently, in stark contrast to the battles for power in the old parties. As so many people have said over the last month it's such a pity that we can't all be elected.
Standing for The Senate
Friday 10 February 2012 at 3:56 pmI'm currently standing for preselection as The Victorian Greens lead Senate Candidate. See
- my senate preselection blog here
- my nomination statement here
- the statements of my four nominators here, and
- statements from over twenty Greens members and others who are supporting me here
No Rob No!
Friday 10 February 2012 at 3:13 pm
Tiger Quoll , increasingly rare in East Gippsland. Photo by Sean McClean
I've just written to Rob Oakeshott about his motion to allow the burning of wood from our native forest for energy to count as renewable energy.
My letter to Rob is below. Please join me in writing to him via GetUp
Dear Rob,
I feel I know you. I along with millions of other Australians watched and cheered when you decided to support the Gillard government after the last election. I thought - here's a man of integrity, who does what he knows is right, and stands up for what he believes in.
I can't believe the news I heard today that you plan to break your support of the multi party agreement on climate change in such a key way in support of burning our native forests for energy.
Rob, this is not renewable energy. This is trashing our forests - our carbon sinks , propping up an unsustainable industry that otherwise would have to face up to the news that its on its way out.
(more) Janet | ¶ | default | No commentsFacilitation and consensus decision making
Thursday 19 January 2012 at 8:31 pm
I spent this evening working with The Greens Victorian Communications and Election Campaigns Commitee (VCECC) running some training in facilitating consensus decisions. After some introductory work, we worked through an item on the VCECC budget, with me facilitaitng, giving a commentary about what I was doing as I went, then reflecting on the proicess at the end. It went well, with some decisions made, some insights into good facilitation techniques, and a realisation that we were only scratching the surface. I've offered to come back in March to do some more work with them. I distributed two papers that I had prepared last year for the Melbourne Greens School - why-work-collaboratively.pdf, and What do Facilitators do? ; and prepared a fresh paper just for them - here it is hot off the press: facilitating-consensus-decisions-january-2012.pdf
Image: Principles of Facilitation, from a workshop of the Victorian Facilitation Network, 2011
(more) Janet | ¶ | default | No commentsSenate nominations closed today
Friday 13 January 2012 at 9:04 pm
While I was out enjoying myself in the wilds of Tasmania today*, back in Melbourne today was the day that nominations for lead Senate candidate closed. I submitted my nomination before I left for Tassie -you can read it and the statements of my four nominators here.
* It was a fabulous walk up Black Bluff, beginning with a traverse through amazing rainforest ( king billy pine, celery top pine, huge myrtle beech, ) to a spectacular waterfall, then a steep climb including scrambling up rockfaces and through thickets of scoparia and teatree up onto an alpine bluff with jagged awesome rock faces, then onto a gorgeous alpine tarn.
(more) Janet | ¶ | default | No commentsOf tunnels, trains and trucks
Wednesday 14 December 2011 at 7:36 pm
So we're back talking about road tunnels for Melbourne. I heard Ted Baillieu tell us on telly tonight that the east west tunnel was important so we would cope better when the Monash Freeway was stuffed up like it was yesterday. $10 billion plus so as to avoid a day of disruption. Not a good deal I reckon, compared with the serious inroads we could make into Melbourne's transport woes by investing money like that into rail to Rowville, Doncaster, Melton, and Mernda.
I wrote quite a bit about the proposed East West link when it was proposed in 2008. I could have written it yesterday - nothing has changed. Here's a speech for example that I gave at a public meeting in Brunswick, and some analysis of what to do with trucks - how straightforward it would be to reduce port related freight movements by 40% for example, by getting containers on rail, and having fewer trucks travelling empty or half full.
(more) Janet | ¶ | default | No comments Used tags: freight, transport