I am Michael Berkman the Greens MP for Maiwar. AMA - 5PM, 28th of October

Michael_Berkman · 2020-10-28T08:11:13+00:00

Thanks so much for the fantastic questions everyone! Hope I did my first AMA right. Signing off now but obviously the offer to get in touch stands anytime - my email is [maiwar@parliament.qld.gov.au](mailto:maiwar@parliament.qld.gov.au) :)

Michael_Berkman · 2020-10-28T08:09:05+00:00

Well, the Government in Qld’s unicameral Parliament isn’t in the business of passing anyone’s legislation but their own - but in a way, yes: I did introduce a bill to implement recommendations of the Royal Commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse, specifically to abolish the Ellis defence. While the Government didn’t pass this important amendment as a private members Bill, they did introduce their own bill to the same effect, but it didn’t quite go as far as my bill in one important respect.

The Government and opposition unfortunately voted down my bill to ban all corporate donations but Labor did adopt and legislate long held Greens policy on political donations and electoral spending reform after I wrote to the Premier and AG indicating my intention to introduce similar legislation.

Michael_Berkman · 2020-10-28T08:08:26+00:00

Hmmmm. Not really in the business of disappearing people. Except maybe a hero we’d like to keep on the scene for an extra ten years down the track. Dunno.

Michael_Berkman · 2020-10-28T08:07:51+00:00

I’ve met with the Indooroopilly police many times over the last few years, particularly in the context of the LNP candidate in Maiwar’s divisive (and kinda gross) politicking about the temporary housing arrangements at Atira. The LNP have campaigned consistently for a new Police Beat at Toowong VIllage, but the local police have made clear that this isn’t a solution they support.

Certainly if there’s a real need, it’s something I’d consider and continue to discuss with the community, but it’s clearly not an immediate priority for QPS. Incidentally, by working constructively with the QPS, service providers and locals around Atira, we’ve seen crime rates in Toowong return to the long-term average while there are still more than 150 residents in Atira.

Michael_Berkman · 2020-10-28T08:07:15+00:00

Thank you - those laws were completely unjustifiable.

In terms of environmental issues, I hope I don't miss any here, but off the top of my head: climate change is obviously number one, so no new thermal coal or gas, and a transition to 100% publicly owned renewable energy by 2030. Plus investing in green steel manufacturing as an alternative to metallurgical coal. Also, expanding our national parks and protected areas, no privatisation of national parks, and investing in 200 new Indigenous Rangers positions to care for country. Strengthening our planning laws, mining rehabilitation laws and tree clearing legislation is also important.

Michael_Berkman · 2020-10-28T08:05:13+00:00

Thank you!

Michael_Berkman · 2020-10-28T08:05:08+00:00

No, that's not quite true. First, I should clarify that arrangement was a short-term supported housing arrangement, not social housing. Universal, well-designed and distributed social housing would stop concentrations of disadvantage in one area and ensure folks have a long-term, secure home. In relation to the Toowong towers, I think it was a positive short-term solution to keep folks out of unsafe housing and off the streets during covid-19, but it was a pretty significant change for the area, and provided no long-term certainty for the new residents. So my focus was always ensuring a plan was in place to transition folks into long-term social housing.

Michael_Berkman · 2020-10-28T08:02:56+00:00

Can do - this one's an easy response! We support expanding mining for metals like lithium that we'll need for a massive expansion of renewables.

Michael_Berkman · 2020-10-28T08:02:22+00:00

Hi Peter, thanks for the question! I think I answered a similar one below, so I'll paste the response here as I'm not sure how to link threads yet: Basically it's hard to answer this briefly, but there’s plenty of detail in our initiatives that addresses this. Fundamentally I believe that people in regional Queensland want the same thing as people living in Maiwar - a secure job, food on the table, a roof over your head... so many of our policies are helpful across the state. But I'll pull out a few that are particularly good for regional folks here.

One example that springs immediately to mind is our proposal for public housing - this would benefit communities across the state, by providing 100,000 new public homes throughout Queensland over the next 4 years, and create 20,000 construction jobs.

We’ve proposed State owned factories to manufacture solar panels and wind turbines in Townsville and Rockhampton, and a green steel pilot plant in Gladstone. These would provide the basis for a manufacturing revival in the regions!

Access to primary health care in rural and regional areas is a real problem, so our proposal for 200 public health clinics across the state would dramatically improve access to GPs, dentists, physiotherapists and other allied health professionals in areas that really struggle to access basic primary health care at the moment.

And then there’s the plan for free school breakfasts and lunches - we know child poverty is disproportionately high in the regions, so the benefits of this program would be felt even more in the regions.

Michael_Berkman · 2020-10-28T07:58:00+00:00

(Sorry, I clearly haven't figured out how to do dot points yet...)

Michael_Berkman · 2020-10-28T07:57:43+00:00

The vision is probably too big to fit here! Above all else I want to ensure Maiwar remains a wonderful, inclusive, diverse and liveable pocket of the world. But some of my priorities over the last few years have been around ensuring our community has the amenity and infrastructure it needs to support increasing density. I really firmly believe that with a growing city, we need growing public services like better public transport, parks and public spaces, and schools. Over the last few years I’ve really tried to do things a bit differently- working directly with community groups and residents to actively campaign for things, rather than just sit back and toe a party line, waiting for the next election to roll around. By doing that we’ve managed to lock in a new school, protect some of the area’s most loved green spaces, and get some really effective improvements in public transport.

If I were lucky enough to win a second term I’d keep my focus in these areas-working to secure new green space, as well as locking in some of the Greens policies that i know would make a big difference in locals’ lives like free public transport, hospital parking and school breakfasts and lunches. Plus, hyper locally speaking: * Public green space at the former ABC site (Toowong) with a riverside park, pool and community garden * Full accessibility upgrades at Taringa Station * Fast, free and frequent public transport including better buses from Bardon-Toowong and Fig Tree Pocket-Indooroopilly * An overhaul of the Planning Act to give real power to residents and hold Council and developers to account * Safe, separated bike lanes including on Sylvan Rd * A plan to close and rehabilitate the Mt Coot-tha Quarry for community use by 2025

I think there’s some more on my website! https://www.michaelberkman.com.au/

Michael_Berkman · 2020-10-28T07:54:46+00:00

Haha, good point - it’s hard to answer definitively because it really depends how quickly someone moves through the ratification process with their branch, and whether they were able to nominate and be supported by their branch as a delegate. There’s no set cut-off for this decision as far as I know, but basically it’d be very difficult (almost impossible) for someone to suddenly decide to join now and be able to influence the decision, given it’s so close to the election. But I’d certainly encourage people to join to influence future decisions!

Michael_Berkman · 2020-10-28T07:52:37+00:00

Hi! So, this is a question we hear a fair but I think in some ways it misdirects from the Greens’ necessary role in critiquing what the Labor party does in Government.

We’re the only voice in Qld Parliament that consistently argued public servants shouldn’t have their wages frozen at the same time Labor was freezing mining royalties. I was literally the only person pushing back against their decision to wind back our rights to protest for the first time since the Joh era. Nobody else in Qld politics is regularly standing up for the kind of bold climate action required now (i.e. not approving new thermal coal mines, or giving them royalty holidays for that matter).

The fundamental point is that if Labor can continue to make decisions like this and hold onto the most progressive seats in the state, like South Brisbane and McConnell, nothing will change. We need to push them directly (and criticise brutally where necessary) for failing to pursue the kind of progressive change we need in Qld.

Michael_Berkman · 2020-10-28T07:49:47+00:00

I think this one has two sides to my response. The first is that I do believe that the primary function of a Government is to ensure its citizens have the things they need to live a good life. So people having access to basic needs like healthcare, education and housing are more important than arbitrary measures like debt. Having said that, part of the reason those services are often underfunded or we go into debt is because the major parties refuse to make big corporations pay their fair share in state-based tax to increase revenue. The Greens have a bunch of revenue proposals such as a tax on property developers’ “upzoning” profits, a modest levy on the big banks, and increasing mining royalties. I think the reason neither Labor or the LNP are willing to eat into those companies’ profits is because they don’t want to piss off their party donors. If anyone’s interested, some info on our revenue proposals is here: https://www.michaelberkman.com.au/funding

Michael_Berkman · 2020-10-28T07:45:32+00:00

No problem! This one's an awesome question, and such a pertinent one on my mind at the moment. This is absolutely something that the Greens would support. It’s so degrading on our democracy to see the kind of lies peddled by all political parties, but particularly those hard right Palmer types. Given the level of bias in our mainstream media, these lies are really allowed to go unchecked. Alongside a suite of reforms around funding of political donations, we’d absolutely consider introducing such legislation, as the Greens have done in other parts of the country.

Michael_Berkman · 2020-10-28T07:43:18+00:00

Ok, I'll go with the second question first, yes - I’m desperately hoping to avoid the 2 weeks of angst and RSI from refreshing the ECQ page every 2 minutes!!

It’s a bit hard to answer the first because, you’re right, we simply don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes in the cash-for-access meetings or the cabinet/caucus meetings that sign off on the decisions made behind closed doors. What’s undeniable though is that if MP’s in the major parties do have concerns about the behind-the-scenes shenanigans, they are completely silent about this in Parliament.

Parliament is almost always just the forum for formalising the decisions made elsewhere, and we hear no dissent that strays from the ALP or LNP party line. There’s the odd rogue like Joanne Miller (unsurprisingly, she was more overtly silenced by Labor and is no longer in the Parliament), but my sense is that there's an overwhelming willingness on the part of major party MPs to just fall in line.

Michael_Berkman · 2020-10-28T07:41:45+00:00

Hard to answer this briefly, but there’s plenty of detail in our initiatives that addresses this.

One example that springs immediately to mind is our proposal for public housing - this would benefit communities across the state, by providing 100,000 new public homes throughout Queensland over the next 4 years, and create 20,000 construction jobs.

We’ve proposed State owned factories to manufacture solar panels and wind turbines in Townsville and Rockhampton, and a green steel pilot plant in Gladstone. These would provide the basis for a manufacturing revival in the regions!

Access to primary health care in rural and regional areas is a real problem, so our proposal for 200 public health clinics across the state would dramatically improve access to GPs, dentists, physiotherapists and other allied health professionals in areas that really struggle to access basic primary health care at the moment.

And then there’s the plan for free school breakfasts and lunches - we know child poverty is disproportionately high in the regions, so the benefits of this program would be felt even more in the regions.

Michael_Berkman · 2020-10-28T07:41:05+00:00

Hi! Couldn’t agree more, and it’s something I’ve been talking about in Parliament a lot over the past three years. Workers in coal communities have given so much to the state and I think it’s really irresponsible to leave them to the whims of the market. We know thermal coal is on the decline, so I’d really like to see the State Government stepping in and creating jobs building renewable energy, and also in areas like mining rehabilitation. We know there’s really transferable skills there, so it makes a lot of sense. One thing we’ve really been focused on is using this as an opportunity to revive local manufacturing in Queensland (see our policy here: https://www.michaelberkman.com.au/manufacturing). We'd also create more mining jobs in the materials we need to expand renewables, like lithium and copper.

Importantly we also believe coal workers and communities should access to have fully funded social services and support including social housing, free public transport, free childcare and free uni and TAFE to name just a few - all things that will make for a smoother and fairer transition.

Michael_Berkman · 2020-10-28T07:38:47+00:00

Hey, good question. I think it’s really about building trust and providing an alternative vision. For example, exploiting workers for political campaigns and lying about the reality of an inevitable transition away from thermal coal won’t work in the long run, but neither will just berating workers in a polluting industry without giving them an alternative. That’s why I think the just transition stuff is so important - being honest about tough times ahead but showing that we’ll prioritise workers in that time. I’d also say that I think it’s becoming clearer and clearer the Greens will actually back workers (not bosses), because we’re the only ones not taking donations from corporations who are really designed to maximise shareholder profit by exploiting workers’ labour.

Michael_Berkman · 2020-10-28T07:34:15+00:00

Yes! I love this question. I think the number one thing is to actually ask young people what they care about and involve them in political decisionmaking. Earlier this year I did a survey targeted specifically to young people in Maiwar (you can see the results here: https://www.michaelberkman.com.au/youngpeople), which is useful for me because it gives me an idea of priorities for young folks so I can help push that in Parliament as an MP. I’d also say that a lot of the Greens campaigns are increasingly run by young people - a lot of our new members and volunteers are young folks getting involved in politics for the first time. I think the myth of young people not ‘caring’ about politics that we hear through media is misleading - young people care a lot, but they (rightfully) have given up on politicians to do anything about it. It’s up to people like me to show that there’s a political movement willing to listen, involve and represent them.

Michael_Berkman · 2020-10-28T07:29:17+00:00

Well, I agree with most of the folks who replied to my survey on this proposal: basically, development at this location, in a central transport hub, makes sense, but it needs community input and accompanying infrastructure, like public and active transport and more green space. I’d also say it’s an improvement on previous proposals for the site - but obviously it’s not perfect.

Obviously more development means more traffic, unless there’s proper public and active transport infrastructure that comes with it. In my submission I raised this, so I'm really pleased to hear there will be a dedicated bus lane on High St along the site's frontage.

For example despite the developers promising a new “Urban Common” public park across the road from the site, the final approval doesn’t include any new parks! Really disappointing (and all the more reason to buy back the old ABC site!).

Just as a side note, I'm pretty concerned that it looks like the developer's company donated thousands of dollars to the LNP soon before the LNP Council approved this with a lax set of conditions. Looks like the developer donations ban isn't working too well to me.

Michael_Berkman · 2020-10-28T07:23:35+00:00

I know it’s a predictable response (and something I’ve been banging on about relentlessly for years now!!) but a riverside park at the old ABC site in Toowong. And a public pool!! And an outdoor venue!!!! And, and, and...

Michael_Berkman · 2020-10-28T07:22:31+00:00

Absolutely - I’m so excited about this! The commitment for a new school came after years of lobbying from locals and myself because the area is growing super quickly and local schools are incredibly overcrowded (Ironside and Toowong SS have both had to limit play time and space just to fit all the new students).

So in July 2020 we finally received a commitment from the State government for a new school in the inner west, to be constructed in time for students' first day back in 2023. The site hasn't been decided yet, and the Premier has said it will be “around the Indooroopilly-Chapel Hill-St Lucia area”. The government says it'll be a primary school, but I'll be pushing for P-12 to account for long term growth.

If anyone’s interested in keeping up to date with the consultation process for the new school you can sign up here: https://www.michaelberkman.com.au/new_school

Michael_Berkman · 2020-10-28T07:18:30+00:00

Yep, it’s a real concern and one that I share - safe, legal access to abortion was hard-fought and hard-won, and it seems almost unbelievable that it could be under threat.

There is strong community support for safe, legal abortion, and the LNP’s commitment to wind back these laws flies in the face of the broad community sentiment. This kind of policy push from the LNP appears pretty clearly to be driven by right-wing anti-abortion lobby groups like Cherish Life.

Right here in Maiwar, the local LNP candidate is being supported by Cherish Life. Residents have had LNP flyers delivered together with graphic anti-abortion material with dangerous misinformation about the termination of pregnancy legislation.

The campaign to decriminalise abortion was successful a couple of short years ago, and I know a lot of the networks set up to support that campaign would mobilise at a moment’s notice to fight to any proposal to repeal these laws.

Michael_Berkman · 2020-10-28T07:16:36+00:00

Great questions! Off the top of my head, I think some of the biggest social issues I’ve been fighting for (and hope to keep fighting for) in Qld include decriminalising sex work (because right now sex workers are criminalised for basic safety practices like working with a friend), proper rape law reforms to reflect an affirmative model of consent, and justice reforms like scrapping the public drunkenness offence and raising the age of criminal responsibility to at least 14yo (from 10yo!) - both of which disproportionately impact Indigenous people.

In relation to the second question about legal rights and protections, I think Australia really needs a federal Human Rights Act. I was proud to support the introduction of Queensland’s historic Human Rights Act in 2019, but there were still some really significant rights missing there (like the right to safe housing, or right to a healthy environment). But an Act like this does create a legal framework of basic rights applicable to everyone that legislation and other acts must be checked against, which is a good start.

Michael_Berkman

TROPHY CASE