For a very long time Macarthur Greens were the only organisation representing environmental issues in outer South Western Sydney.
At the last council elections, two Macarthur Greens were elected to Campbelltown Council, Jayden Rivera and Teo Triebels.
A year later the Macarthur branch has become two, with the formation of a Camden-Wollondilly Greens.
In a media statement this week, the new branch say that the move was made to better promote the party’s policies and seek support in Camden and Wollondilly, now home to more than 200,000 people, and growing.
The new group will campaign from Warragamba in the north, south to Yanderra, east to Leppington, Mt Annan and Appin, and west deep into the Blue Mountains.
NSW state seats of Camden and most of Wollondilly, the federal electorate of Hume and parts of the Macarthur electorate all fall within the new Greens group’s boundaries.
In seats the new C-W Greens shares with surrounding Greens groups it will seek to work with those, during and between election campaigns.
Macarthur Greens will campaign mainly in the Campbelltown City Council area.
The idea to establish Camden-Wollondilly Greens grew out of feedback from polling booths during the federal election in May, says the Greens’ candidate for Hume in that poll, Steve Bruce, who is the new group’s secretary.
“Several members felt running election campaigns and community environmental actions in such a large area, stretching from suburban Sydney to semi-rural Bargo, was becoming too much for one organisation,’’ Mr Bruce said.
The process of dividing Macarthur Greens began at meetings in June, and received Greens NSW endorsement in October.
The Camden-Wollondilly Greens met in Picton to elect its office-bearers, said the convener of the new group, Victoria Waldron-Hahn.
“We called our members and guests together in Picton on October 4, after a bushcare session at Stonequarry Creek, then a brain-storming session on how to take the new group to our wider communities,’’ Ms Waldron-Hahn said.
“Our first annual general meeting of members followed.”
Ms Waldron-Hahn was Greens Party candidate in the NSW electorate of Campbelltown several times between 2003 and 2011, as well as in Campbelltown City Council elections.
“Our members see this new start as a way to effectively promote our party locally, and boost membership numbers, ahead of the next round of election campaigns,” she said.
“We are actively encouraging anyone in Camden and Wollondilly, who shares our party’s concerns, to join us.
“Real progress comes when enough people believe it’s possible to make a difference and decide to do something about it,’’ Ms Waldron-Hahn said.
“We Greens believe good economic management means taking care of our Earth – not treating our most precious resources like a giant business.
“Fighting climate change, easing pressure on our own region’s wildlife and our remaining forested areas, should be on the balance sheet.
“The Greens is now the only Australian party with an ambitious policy of cutting toxic pollution to net zero by 2050.
“The Liberals and Nationals have abandoned that target, and are constantly dithering on whether to abandon climate policy all together.
“We believe in social justice. All governments should give priority to alleviating poverty, and extend opportunity to all. Housing and other cost of living pressures are key issues for people living in Camden and Wollondilly.
“On the wider political issues, Greens are committed to peaceful and non-violent solutions locally, nationally, and internationally,” Ms Waldron-Hahn said.