Amanda Bresnan

Member of the ACT Legislative Assembly

bresnan@parliament.act.gov.au

Portfolio Responsibilities

• Health
• Transport
• Disability & Housing
• Ageing
• Multicultural Affairs
• IR
• Corrections

I joined The ACT Greens because of their commitment to pursuing long-term, positive solutions for the environment, economy and local community.

I am committed to working with you, to create a more sustainable future for the people of Brindabella. I am a passionate advocate for social justice, with a particular interest in the provision of general and mental health services. Since moving to Canberra over 5 years ago, I have been active in local women’s, refugee, and human rights groups, and I am a long term regular volunteer with the Canberra RSPCA. I graduated from Griffith University in Brisbane with an honours degree in environmental science, and am a former Acting director of Policy and Projects with the Mental Health Council of Australia.

Greens Member for Brindabella, Amanda Bresnan MLA, will introduce a motion into the legislative assembly on Wednesday to address the unacceptably high levels of wood smoke in the Tuggeranong Valley.

“Wood smoke pollution continues to be a problem in the Valley and the ACT Government must step up and expand on it’s commitment to the Wood Heater Replacement program,” Ms Bresnan said today.

“The tiny particles from wood smoke create a great deal of discomfort when breathed into the lungs. For people who suffer from respiratory and heart problems,  especially asthma,  this can be very serious.

“This motion recognises that wood smoke pollution is a serious problem and that the ACT has been lagging behind other states in addressing it.

“I acknowledge that the Government has been working  to  address the build up of wood smoke in Tuggeranong  through the Don’t Burn Tonight campaign and ACT Wood Heater Replacement Program.

“These programs have had some success,  but the Government hasn’t been active enough in promoting them or using them as a tool to educate people about the impacts of wood smoke.

“The Greens are calling on the government  to make air quality information publicly available , and we are pleased that the Government will look at making this information available on a daily or weekly basis.

“By providing information through more targeted education programs people can make more considered decisions about their heating, health and environment.

“The Greens are committed to addressing the health and environmental impact of excessive wood smoke in the  Tuggeranong Valley,” Ms Bresnan said.

The ACT Greens Corrections spokesperson, Amanda Bresnan, has today criticised the Government over the absence of an Official Visitor for inmates to make complaints to for over 4 months.

“The role of the Official Visitor is crucial to maintain the integrity and safety of our prisons,” Ms Bresnan said today.

“The Official Visitor is the first and most accessible point of contact for inmates.  Without an Official Visitor making routine visits, it is more difficult for inmates to bring up major complaints.

“It is incredibly disappointing that this important role was vacant for over four months, and we are concerned that many legitimate complaints may not have been lodged as a result.

“The Government needs to re-examine its procedures for staffing and replacing vital positions, as the delays that we have seen are unacceptable.

“We expect the Government to take steps to prevent this regrettable situation from happening again” Ms Bresnan said

The ACT Greens have welcomed Government moves to address drink driving and drug driving in the Territory.

“The Greens are strongly committed to improving road safety in the ACT.  With both the Labor and Liberal parties now proposing legislation for drug driving testing, we have an excellent opportunity to work constructively together in order to develop the best legislation possible,” Greens Transport spokesperson, Amanda Bresnan said today.

”There are some important and detailed questions to be resolved for drug driving legislation – the Assembly needs to resolve the practicalities of these questions, and avoid political posturing on this issue.”

“The question is how to best implement this policy which has broad community and political support.  In particular, we hope that the Government considers the drug driving enforcement model of Tasmania, which we consider to be the best practice model currently in place in Australia.

“We look forward to the community consultation process, and trust that the Government will ensure any new measures are based on the evidence of which methods work more effectively. 
 
“The ACT Greens welcome the opportunity to discuss legislative and enforcement measures, however we also need to look at education measures.  
 
“Lack of awareness of the effects of illicit drugs on driving ability is a major factor putting people under the influence of drugs on the road, Ms Bresnan said.