The overwhelming focus of the mainstream press has been on a detail of Thomson's overall population numbers reform proposal, which was to cut the automatic entry for New Zealanders to Australia. So far the Canberra Times and The World Today on the ABC stand out for showing public responsibility by looking beyond the New Zealand issue and at what Thomson actually had to say. It will be eerily fascinating to see to what new lengths the Murdoch and Fairfax Press will go to try to destroy this politician and confuse the electorate about his outstanding environmental and democratic courage on behalf of Australians everywhere. Where to from here? Kelvin Thomson will be the guest speaker at a Public meeting run by Sustainable Population Australia (Victorian branch)on Sunday November 29th at 3.00pm. Topic: Population reform- Political challenges, at Meeting Room 1 North Melbourne Library 66 Errol St. North Melbourne - Convenor will be Jill Quirk, President of SPA Victoria.

MP Kelvin Thomson "Melbourne's skyrocketing population and its implications for our environment and our way of life".
Australia's only parliamentary Environment and Population champion, Kelvin Thomson will be speaking at the Royal Park Protection Group AGM on Wednesday 11 November 2009, 7.15pm. If you can't make it on the 11th, there is another speaker meeting with Kelvin Thomson about overpopulation on the 29th of November.

This interesting letter about the experience of a citizen representing a group's appeal at VCAT vindicates the citizen, educates others about the VCAT attitude, and shows VCAT up.

Shortly after his lunch with the "Progressive Business Association" must have ended, Mr Madden, who apparently departed shyly out the back door, looked surprised to be intercepted and presented with the resolutions of the Bastille Day Rally against Urban Expansion and Rotten taxes by Julianne Bell, Rosemary West and Jill Quirk, acting on behalf of the environment and democracy.
See also: Unnatural Growth and Rotten Taxes and Animal Apocalypse

The public are finding democratic ways to combat the devastation of all they hold dear and threats to life itself, as Victoria's government closes its eyes and steps as hard on the growth-accelerator as it can. You may already know about the requisitioning of 50,000 ha for residential development and new roads and the government's intention to simply take away our green wedges and get rid of our wildlife and trees. Yes our democracy is being trampled along with everything else, but we have not entirely lost people power.

Today Victorian activist groups working together stopped legislation which could have defined any local councillor who may have previously actively opposed a particular development proposal as an 'interested party' and hence ineligible to vote. Demonstrators wore tape over their mouths on the steps of Victoria's Parliament.

See also: "Backdown on activist councillors", in The Age of 27 Oct 08, "Govt backflip on council conflict of interest legislation" on ABC on 29 Oct 08.