11th September 2006 - The Greens continue to build their voter base on the Gold Coast with nearly 17,500 voters giving them their first vote representing a 13% increase in primary votes since the 2004 election.

Half of those who voted for the Greens on the Gold Coast did not allocate preferences, with as many as 60% withholding preferences in Gaven.

"This result shows that Greens voters have faith that the Greens will eventually be represented in government on the Gold Coast and are not just a preference machine Gaven candidate" Glen Ryman said today.

With the election just days away, this is a good opportunity to let everyone read about why I got involved in politics, why I chose to join the Green Party and why you should be voting Green.

I joined the Green party because for me, there simply was no other alternative. The major parties have for the main part abandoned the majority and have adopted a corporate approach to running government.

That can look great on the balance sheet, but at the end of the day, whilst we always seek a fiscally responsible government, the true role of parliament is to provide us with the basic social fabric which binds us as a community.

Greens Candidate for Surfers Paradise and environmental scientist Dean Hepburn has called for the State Government and Gold Coast City Council to act quickly to defend South Stradbroke Island from the advances of predatory developers. "So far these authorities seem to be dragging their feet on protecting the stunning natural island known as South Stradbroke" he said.

According to a report on the ABC, a Gold Coast City Councillor says he has been approached by companies wanting to further develop Stradbroke Island.

"This island is the only place the golden wallaby can be found and is home to 160 bird species and 35 species of butterflies. Its current zoning of Open Space/ Nature Conservation is not adequate and the Island needs to be further protected under legislation, to prevent more resorts and other developments taking place. I call on the Government to quash rumours that they are in the process of extinguishing leases with a view to giving developers the go ahead" Mr. Hepburn explained.

7th September 2006 - Gold Coast Greens Candidate for Surfers Paradise, Dean Hepburn, called today for urgent action on the critical lack of hospital beds on the Gold Coast.

Mr Hepburn, who has worked in the health care industry for 15 years, said that Gold Coast residents could not wait for the Parkwood Hospital to be built and that urgent action needed to be taken to increase the capacity of the Gold Coast Hospital at Southport as a short term measure.

“With the strong growth in the population of the Gold Coast and no hospital planned for the high growth corridor from Coomera to Beenleigh there is an urgent need to increase the number of beds at our major regional hospital” he explained. “Even after the Parkwood Hospital is completed, the extra beds at Southport will still be needed” he added.

The Greens called today for "solar on every roof" as a way of increasing the security of the supply of electricity and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Most electricity in Queensland is generated using climate damaging coal fired power stations.

"With the huge amount of residential development on the Gold Coast, we are in a great position to reduce greenhouse emissions and costs to consumers by making a solar panel and PVCs (photo-voltaic cells) a requirement for every new home" said Julie-Ann Teluk, Greens candidate for Broadwater.

Gold Coast Greens Candidates for the State Election on Saturday today called for a major increase in support for carers of people with disabilities on the Gold Coast.

Greens candidate for Albert, Marella Pettinato, pointed out that despite the existence of a number of community care services on the Coast, most caring of people with disabilities and frail older people is still provided by family members.

"Many of these people are elderly or have disabilities themselves and the Government provides very little in terms of support or respite" she said.

Green candidates in the upcoming State Election have called for Daylight Saving to be introduced into the South East corner of Queensland.

“Apart from the obvious benefits of not being in a different time zone from our neighbours in Tweed Heads and northern New South Wales, there are energy benefits as well” said Mudgeeraba Greens candidate Gary Pead.

"Perhaps most important advantage would be the possible extra outdoor family time that parents would have to engage in outdoor activities with their kids after work, benefiting family life and reinforcing the government’s health strategy against childhood obesity.

The Greens have accused the Labor and Coalition Parties of putting revenue before the interests of the Gold Coast community.

According to the Greens Candidate for Surfers Paradise, Dean Hepburn, The high rate of development and low rate of new infrastructure on the Gold Coast has brought great suffering to the whole Gold Coast community.

'The major parties have willingly taken huge amounts of money from developers and the Gold Coast community but have not delivered adequate services with it' he said.

'Our health services, water supplies and transport system cannot cope and the other parties would have us believe that more development will enable them to provide the services. That's a lie. They will always be well behind and they don't care' .

Greens candidates for the State Election on the Gold Coast backed calls today for the use of recycled water to supplement drinking water supplies.

According to a recent news.com.au poll of nearly 4,000 people, three quarters of those polled said that they support the use of recycled water for drinking. Nearly as many also supported the use of recycled sewage for the same purpose.

Half of those polled also said that they thought that “recycled purified water” would be cleaner than the tap water they currently consumed. A big majority also said that they would prefer to drink recycled water than bear a steep increase in water costs.

Blood and offal flows freely in Gold Coast and other Queensland canals and rivers thanks to the continued inaction of our MP’s.

The Greens candidate for Surfers Paradise Dean Hepburn wrote to Premier Beattie two years ago yet all relevant state departments who responded have continued to pass the buck.

‘Both the Department of Environment and Department of Fisheries and Natural Resources said that throwing blood and offal into local canals and rivers wasn’t their problem’ said Mr. Hepburn, a consulting Environmental Scientist.

'I then wrote to Surfers Paradise Liberal MP John-Paul Langbroek who said he wanted to help but has since done absolutely nothing’.