The Greens – ¡No pasarán! – they will not pass
By now you will know that I will not be contesting Melbourne Ports at the next election. It has been the greatest honour to represent you over 21 years in Federal Parliament.
Michael Danby
Like the U.S. Congressman Charlie Wilson, I have shown you can have an impact on the national debate and change Australia for the better without sacrificing principle.
However, having won the marginal seat of Melbourne Ports for seven terms in a row, I do not want to see it fall in the next election to the Green Political Party, whose policies and candidates continue to face little scrutiny.
Unlike Labor or even the Coalition Government, the Green Political Party holds secret national and state conferences that cannot be observed by the media. The Green Party never face the risk of their economically extreme policies being put into practice, as they have never won government. So most of their policies and actual views are hard to pin down.
However, the Green Political Party has always shown their hand in Canberra when you look at their voting pattern on issues. What is demonstrable – and what is publicly available for your scrutiny – is the Green Political Party’s consistent voting against all measures that work to secure the safety of all Australians. Many parliamentarians, including myself, strongly believe in and argue for environmental, animal welfare, urban amenity and human rights concerns that the Green political party claims to stand for. However, WHILE THEY PROMOTE THESE VIEWS, THEIR AGENDA IS MORE EXTREME.
Until I published the attached hard-hitting ads, few knew that the Green Party had voted against every proposal in the Australian Parliament to protect the security of our nation against terrorist threats. My research for this claim is based on a vote-by-vote analysis by the Federal Parliamentary Library – a neutral and prestigious organisation – who, at my request, examined every vote of the Green Party on National Security and Counter-Terrorism legislation since the commencement of the post-cold war terrorist era (which began with the murder of more than 3000 people at the World Trade Centre in New York on September 11th, including 10 Australians who were amongst the victims).
Within Federal Labor, I have been influential in seeing that the Opposition does the right thing by Australia and votes for these measures that will protect your safety. National security and counter-terrorism laws have only been passed because Labor has been responsible. My friend Bill Shorten has always insisted that we amend and refine these counter-terrorism bills to allow sunset clauses, civil liberty exceptions and careful judicial oversight before we have voted with the Government. The recent confused nature of the Australian Senate has meant that Labor had to support legislation to achieve a majority to pass these security laws.
I conclude with a message to you as your parliamentarian who passionately advocates strongly for human rights and for our local interests. As mentioned, I will not be standing in the next election. My former Chief of Staff, Josh Burns, will be Labor’s candidate in 2019 and I heartily endorse him.
This ramshackle Coalition Government deserves to be thrown out. I have known Bill Shorten well since his student days when we became friends when I was the editor of the Australia-Israel Review. He and the Labor front bench and are worthy of forming our next government. I will, of course, urge you to support Labor. Yet given the Green Party’s record, you should not support them (Their strategy is to scrape past Labor in primary votes and use Labor preferences to skate into office). Anyone who says that if you vote Labor you must preference the Greens Political Party is wrong. You do not. How you vote is entirely a matter between you and the ballot box. I will be voting number 1 for Burns, however, I will not give my second preference to the Greens party extremists.
Remember that prior to the last Federal Election, the Greens Party Candidate refused to participate in a public forum, because this forum was hosted by the Australian Jewish News.
I thank you very much for your support over the past two decades. After these twenty years of enjoyable – and I hope you will agree effective and hard-working representation – I look forward to remaining active in our local community.
If you follow my suggestion about the Green Political party, as freedom fighters in the Spanish Civil War declared “¡No pasarán!” (They will not pass).
Michael Danby MP
Federal Member for Melbourne Ports
(Past Chair of Federal Parliament’s Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade: JSCFDT)
Just to highlight that the Greens have been in government at a state level (in coalition in Tasmania for example), and open themselves up to full scrutiny of the electorate.
The Greens have been leading on big issues like the banking commission (before the main parties even accepted it was a problem), the environment (representing a risk to Australia greater than any terrorist organisation), and on the corporate influence on politicians (to end vested interests).
Combating terrorism requires a sensible and strategic approach, not strip-Australians rights on a whim.
If people are unsure about Green polices, just follow this link – https://greens.org.au/
Greens supporter.
Too gutless to name yourself ?
Vote greens last