CLIMATE change is still the biggest issue facing the community, according to Greens candidate for Eden-Monaro Catherine Moore, who has just ended a week of attending events in the electorate.
"It's been very inspiring to meet people concerned about some key issues important to The Greens and community groups, including the asylum seeker issue, putting a stop to hunting in National Parks, and the dominant theme of the past seven days, climate change," she said.
"The week began with the Clean Energy for Eternity-hosted Climate Commission forum in Bega, where Professor Lesley Hughes gave a sobering presentation on global warming. She highlighted the high number of records that have been broken over summer, a dire warning of conditions that are approaching much faster than was predicted.
"In 90 days, 123 records were broken across Australia, including the hottest day on record for Australia as a whole, seven days in a row over 39 C for Australia as a whole and a number of flood records."
After opening an exhibition of local art in Braidwood, she heard author Robin de Crespigny speak about her book *The People Smuggler* at an event hosted by Amnesty International and Braidwood Rural Australians for Refugees.
"We are so lucky in Australia to have very little concept of the sort of persecution suffered by people living under totalitarian regimes, yet the
Government and Opposition are unable to show humanity and compassion in their treatment of asylum seekers."
On Friday, Catherine joined a community rally of about 250 people who walked down the main street of Bega to deliver a request to the Liberal
Member for Bega to ensure that his government change the legislation that allows hunting in National Parks.
"We heard from one of the speakers at the rally that in New Zealand, where hunting is allowed in National Parks, someone is killed every nine months.
We need to properly fund National Parks workers to continue the established program of feral animal elimination, not endanger them and the thousands of visitors a year who are feeling more and more reluctant to visit Parks under legislation that allows hunting within them."
From Bega, Ms Moore travelled to Cooma, drawn there by events taking place over the weekend. The first was a presentation hosted by Climate Action Network Monaro from Michael Dunlop, biodiversity specialist from the CSIRO, whose message was similar to that delivered by Lesley Hughes in Bega.
Her visit to Cooma culminated with the celebration of Harmony Day at the Multicultural Festival held in the park again this year.
"It was great to catch up with an organic farmer, people from Cooma's University of the Third Age and others from past campaigns, including activists from the Monaro People for Peace No War campaign back in 2003.
