Proud to see local students acting on climate change

Students planning to participate in a national school strike this Friday calling for emergency action on climate change should ignore the Prime Minister’s patronising speech on the matter, said Member for Ballina Tamara Smith.

“The idea that schools and students should have less activism - how incredibly out of touch is the Prime Minister to suggest that young people are not activists in their own right?” said Ms Smith.

Media Release 22 November 2018

Member for Ballina Tamara Smith MP says the proposal by the NSW government to hold an inquiry into water mining in the Northern Rivers region is a pretense designed to fool residents into believing action is being taken.

“This inquiry is a smokescreen and it is very similar to what the Liberal National government did with Coal Seam Gas,” said Ms Smith.

Photo: Tamara Smith MP with members of the Richmond Valley Woodcrafters who have received a Community Building Partnership grant of $20,000 to purchase a Lucas mobile saw mill and other equipment.

Member for Ballina Tamara Smith today announced the electorate of Ballina has secured $330,000 in funding for a total of 19 projects through the NSW Government’s 2018 Community Building Partnership Program.

Member for Ballina Tamara Smith MP has today cautiously welcomed RMS changes to the Bruxner Highway intersection at Alstonville.

“However these measures are a band-aid for the real problem, which is that the intersection is not fit for purpose. A full interchange should have been built in the first place," she said.

A full time ambulance station for Alstonville will be considered by the Minister for Health says Member for Ballina Tamara Smith MP. 

“I have spoken to the Health Minister Brad Hazzard and he has agreed to look at the information I have provided to him about the need for an ambulance station in the Alstonville-Wollongbar area,” says Ms Smith.

Byron Shire residents have had their concerns about extreme levels of short term holiday letting ridiculed by Planning Minister Anthony Roberts in Parliament today, said Member for Ballina Tamara Smith.

“I asked the Minister for Planning during Question Time if the Liberal National government would allow Byron Shire Council to limit unregulated short term holiday letting to 90 days due to the negative impacts that holiday letting is having on the community,” said Ms Smith.

The NSW government has finally listened to households who want to invest in solar power to bring down their high electricity bills, says Tamara Smith MP, Member for Ballina.

“The NSW government is funding a solar program to help low-income households get a solar power system which will bring down their electricity bills long term and help the environment through clean energy generation,” said Ms Smith.

The Greens NSW have announced that they will introduce a Private Members Bill to amend the Anti-Discrimination Act next week. The Bill will remove the exemptions that allow private educational authorities and religious organisations to discriminate against members of the LGBTIQ+ community.

Greens Member for Ballina Tamara Smith is calling on the state government to deliver a long overdue ambulance station for Alstonville and Wollongbar as part of the increase in 750 paramedics and ambulance control centre staff over the next four years.

Greens call on Education Minister to hold the line for NSW

Greens Education Spokesperson and Member for Ballina, Tamara Smith MP today joined the NSW Primary Principals’ Association, NSW Secondary Principals’ Council, the NSW Teachers Federation and the NSW P&C Federation in calling on the NSW Education Minister Rob Stokes to hold the line on needs-based funding for schools. (see letter below)