The Green machine

GREEN'S candidate for Shellharbour Sonya McKay said she has put her hand up for the seat after witnessing a "current lack of genuine governmental leadership both in vision and planning as well as public participation in the decision making process".

Armed with a Law and Arts degree and TAFE qualifications Sonya McKay has been active in our community for a number of years. She has pursued a number of issues, in particular issues relating to the environment.

She said the state government's Illawarra Regional Strategy does not provide genuine sustainability and instead promotes the destruction of biodiversity and agricultural land.

She said she backs the United Nations comments made on climate change.

She said greater improvement needs to occur to tackle what the United Nations has noted as unequivocal climate change, which the UN is confident is man-made and caused by unabated pollution."

Sonya recently established the Illawarra Community and Environment Connection (ICEC) promoting environmental protection and genuine public participation.

A few of her priorities if elected include creating high employment and clean energy solutions to global warming through genuine action on climate change, scrapping the Shell Cove Marina, protecting state and federal workers rights by repealing work choices and saying no to job cuts and creating strong communities by investing in public education, health, housing, transport and welfare.

"If successfully elected I would immediately utilise my education and experience to work with fellow Greens parliamentarians to ensure sustainable planning that will see our children and future generations look towards a prosperous future. As a Greens representative I would pursue workers rights, and promote the public service in areas of health, eduction and transport."