Sustainable Regions

The Greens (WA) believe that our regions underpin the wealth and prosperity of Western Australia. They provide our food, water, the materials for our homes, the energy we consume, our mineral wealth and employment. We have relied first on agriculture and now on mineral resource extraction. We have over cut our forest, over cleared land, damaged our water catchments and depleted our soils.

Our future prosperity relies on restoring and recovering our depleted land, streams and ecosystems. The Greens (WA) believe we must build a new foundation based on renewable wealth and ecologically sustainable management. We can replant our catchment lands and power the state using renewable energy generated in regional areas. A new ecological industrial revolution based on biotechnology awaits us. Imagination, vision, enlightened political and community leadership and programs will put us on a path to sustainability.
 

Goals
The Greens want:

• vibrant regional economies and healthy communities
• fair sharing of wealth between town and country
• decentralised renewable energy generation and infrastructure
• revegetated landscapes
• restoration of soil and water resources
• clean, safe, and secure food production

Initiatives
The Greens (WA) will initiate and support legislation and actions that:

Water Catchments

• replant the six critical South West water catchments - Collie Warren, Tone, Denmark Hay, Donnelly.
• establish and implement community-based farm forestry programs
• integrate trees into traditional agriculture to produce sawn timber, bioenergy feed stocks, woodchips and fibres
• establish an interconnected network of native vegetation/waterway corridors throughout the catchments landscape

Native Forest Recovery

• end destructive logging, mining and burning practices in native forest
• shift the forest products industry to agro-forestry and plantations on cleared agricultural land
• establish a South West native forest recovery program to restore the full potential of our remaining native forest ecosystems to provide clean air, water, carbon sinks and natural heritage values
• secure the protection of our remaining native forest in conservation reserves to maintain and protect biodiversity and water catchments
• World Heritage listing of our South West native forest and South West ecosystems

Wheatbelt Rejuvenation

• establish the region as the renewable energy hub through a network of solar, wind, geothermal and bio-energy production facilities
• utilise Carbon Trading and Mandated Renewable Energy Targets in a development plan to drive investment in renewable energy and tree farming in rural regions
• expand oil mallee and other native vegetation planting across 20% of the Wheatbelt to reverse salinity, restore degraded land and provide feedstock for bio-energy
• restore and upgrade regional rail, road and power distribution networks
• promote climate and energy economic initiatives to revitalise and repopulate regional towns and communities
• develop the potential of soil carbon to enhance viability of Wheatbelt agriculture
• invest in research and the development of other sustainable future farm industries

Re-powering the South West

• make our regional towns, farms and communities renewable energy producers for the State
• guarantee profitable feed in tariffs for all renewable power sources
• faciltate rapid connection of renewable energy technologies to the grid
• rebuild and strengthen the electricity grid to pump energy from the regions to the cities
• establish an agency to coordinate and facilitate the rapid uptake of energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies
• immediately halt the construction of new coal fired power stations
• use Carbon Trading and Mandated Renewable Energy Targets to drive investment in renewable energy and energy efficiencies

Cool Homes, Towns and Cities

• retrofit all homes with best practise water and energy fittings and appliances
• provide rebates for hybrid and electric cars
• establish high-speed passenger rail links between population centres and extend the freight rail network
• establish light rail/tram systems and extend cycle/walk networks in towns and cities
• adopt best practise water and energy standards for all new homes and all industry
• mandate solar and other energy efficient hot water services on all homes and business premises
• mandate best practise water recycling and conservation systems
• mandate 7 star energy and water efficient new homes to reduce energy use

Securing Food Supply

• support farmers to stay on the land
• re-establish food security by promoting local and regional food production and consumption
• establish best practise water and energy efficiency in agriculture
• ensure bio-security of the regions is maintained
• establish support programs for farmers to move to low energy intensive organic and biodynamic food production
• implement water conservation and recycling measures to reduce demand on water catchments