Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Dr Tim Read MP @timreadgreens.bsky.social · 2d

The graffiti in Fitzroy glorifying Hamas' Oct 7 2023 attacks is unacceptable and unproductive. It has instilled fear in the Jewish community, and does not represent the broader Palestine solidarity movement, which stands for peace and an end to all violence.

2 2 7

Dr Tim Read MP @timreadgreens.bsky.social · 22d

@australianlabor.bsky.social Now will you sanction Israel?

Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, major UN report finds

Israel has committed and is continuing to commit genocide in Gaza, according to the "most authoritative assessment" to date.

www.abc.net.au

6

Dr Tim Read MP @timreadgreens.bsky.social · 23d

Labor has allowed this corrupt system, where deals are done for cash, for far too long. People are elected for tiny votes and too many are left unrepresented.
It stinks and it's time to end it. 2/2

Victoria’s balancing act between abolishing preference harvesting and getting things done

The state government is increasingly likely to overhaul the way Victorians vote in the upper house – if they can balance their own reliance on crossbench MPs.

www.theage.com.au

1 2 5

Dr Tim Read MP @timreadgreens.bsky.social · 23d

Politicians shouldn't be able to control your vote. But in Victoria, their deals direct your upper house preferences, when voting above the line.
Only in Victoria.
Every other state and the Commonwealth has abolished group voting tickets which allow this. 1/2

1 3 5

Dr Tim Read MP @timreadgreens.bsky.social · 23d

If only Labor liked offshore wind as much as they like submarines...

Victoria’s renewables push suffers major blow as developers bail

The timeline for offshore wind has been delayed at least a year after uncertainty over financial support caused developers to pull out of a planned auction process.

www.theage.com.au

2 4

Dr Tim Read MP @timreadgreens.bsky.social · 26d

The healthworkers' open letter says: "The decision to cancel this Grand Round is not neutral. It sends the message that some children’s suffering is too uncomfortable to acknowledge."

3

Dr Tim Read MP @timreadgreens.bsky.social · 26d

The new CEO at the Children's Hospital has just cancelled an expert panel discussion on children and war.

Why would hospital admin step in and cancel an educational event, run by experts, at a hospital where many work in refugee health, about the impact of war on children?
1/2

‘Why should we ignore the children of Gaza?’ Hospital slammed for pulling panel on children in war

The Royal Children’s Hospital’s abrupt cancellation of the session has been met with dismay by doctors.

www.theage.com.au

1 3 5

Dr Tim Read MP @timreadgreens.bsky.social · 27d

What if we change our minds in a couple of years and decide (hear me out) that methane gas exports for another 45 years is a dumb idea in a climate emergency?
Would we have to pay them compensation if we cancelled it?

Australia news live: Labor approves extension of Woodside’s North West Shelf gas export project until 2070

Follow live

www.theguardian.com

2 4

Dr Tim Read MP @timreadgreens.bsky.social · Sep 4

Victoria's FOI regime is moribund and a Vic Parliamentary committee last year recommended a complete overhaul, including abolishing fees. The Gov’s response was frankly bland and almost 12 months on I would have expected an update on progress by now. (4/4)

3

Dr Tim Read MP @timreadgreens.bsky.social · Sep 4

Instead of charging people to make FOI requests, banning anonymous requests and allowing lengthier requests to be flatly refused, Labor needs to properly resource its institutions to do the jobs we've entrusted them with. (3/4)

greens.org.au/news/media-r...

Media Release: Government seek to make broken FOI scheme even more secretive | The Australian Greens

Labor has today announced sweeping changes to Freedom of Information laws that will make it significantly harder for Australians to access government documents, introducing upfront fees and new barrie...

greens.org.au

1 3

Dr Tim Read MP @timreadgreens.bsky.social · Sep 4

Our FOI systems are bad enough without federal Labor leading by this terrible example. (2/4)

1 3

Dr Tim Read MP @timreadgreens.bsky.social · Sep 4

The fish rots from the head, and this rotten move from our federal government is likely to embolden state governments to further weaken their own transparency institutions. (1/4)

www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09...

Labor plans to make it harder to access government information

A new proposal would introduce a fee for Freedom of Information requests and tighten the rules around the release of documents related to government deliberations.

www.abc.net.au

1 2 3

Dr Tim Read MP @timreadgreens.bsky.social · Sep 2

Let's hope Victorian Labor makes this happen. Public health must become a legitimate consideration in our planning laws, so we can stop fast food outlets proliferating in areas of disadvantage and in places where communities don't want them. www.theage.com.au/national/vic...

Fast food fight: Victoria considers blocking large chains in unhealthy hotspots

The Allan government is weighing up new powers for councils to reject planning applications on health grounds.

www.theage.com.au

1 3 4

Dr Tim Read MP @timreadgreens.bsky.social · Sep 2

If the education minister really believes that "our children deserve the very best education possible," he'll reverse Labor's $2.4 billion cuts to public school funding. (2/2)

4 10

Dr Tim Read MP @timreadgreens.bsky.social · Sep 2

Of course it's important to make sure public school teachers are qualified. But the real problem in Victoria is qualified teachers leaving the profession because we aren't paying them enough. (1/2)

www.theage.com.au/national/vic...

Teachers from one Australian state will be banned from Victorian schools

The state’s education recruitment policy will be changed to prevent underqualified teachers using a loophole in the nation’s mutual recognition agreement to step into classrooms.

www.theage.com.au

1 4 8

Dr Tim Read MP @timreadgreens.bsky.social · Aug 28

It was awful to hear of the death of a bike rider on Moreland Road earlier this week. My thoughts are with his family and loved ones.

This is the second death in just three months on Moreland Road; I'll be looking for information in the coming weeks to see how this could have been prevented.

1 6

Dr Tim Read MP @timreadgreens.bsky.social · Aug 17

We need many gigawatts of solar, wind and batteries to replace coal, and we still don't have the powerlines to connect them. We should be asking what's the hold-up? None of this will be cheap, but we face a climate emergency and we should act like it. 2/2

3

Dr Tim Read MP @timreadgreens.bsky.social · Aug 17

Weekend news reports described Victoria's planned shift from coal to renewables as "controversial". Burning brown coal in Victoria to at least 2035 should be controversial, given the worsening fires, floods, heatwaves, and even toxic algal blooms. 1/2

1 1 3

Dr Tim Read MP @timreadgreens.bsky.social · Jun 24

Amazing that scarce government funding is subsidising these schools that get nearly $150m in donations but public schools are still underfunded and we just can’t find the money to get them to the bare minimum. www.heraldsun.com.au/victoria-edu...

www.heraldsun.com.au

2 5

Reposted by Dr Tim Read MP

Gabrielle de Vietri MP @gabrielledevietri.bsky.social · Jun 24

Today is the first day of hearings for the Parliamentary Inquiry into the demolition of Victoria's public housing towers.

You can tune in live here www.parliament.vic.gov.au/watch?page=1...

Watch - Parliament of Victoria

www.parliament.vic.gov.au

1 2 8

Dr Tim Read MP @timreadgreens.bsky.social · Jun 22

Until Labor acts on gas and coal extraction, it’s just a front for the fossil fuel industry. 6/6

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Neither glib lines nor warm thoughts can hide the cynicism of Labor’s North West Shelf decision | Clear Air

Albanese’s commitment to the climate crisis appears too often to be built on the idea that being better than the Coalition is enough – but that’s not how it works

www.theguardian.com

1 9

Dr Tim Read MP @timreadgreens.bsky.social · Jun 22

Challenged on climate, Labor talks about renewables and batteries, hoping we won’t notice the massive fossil fuel projects cooking our planet. Just look at this visualization. 5/6

www.theguardian.com/news/ng-inte...

Revealed: the astonishing greenhouse gas emissions that will result from the North West Shelf project

The annual total dwarfs CO2-e from many other sources – including whole countries

www.theguardian.com

1 1 7

Dr Tim Read MP @timreadgreens.bsky.social · Jun 22

Pretending to do both is gaslighting.
Vic Labor is getting cold feet on the fossil fuel transition and approving new offshore gas, just as federal Labor are signing us up for seriously huge gas export projects. 4/6

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Labor accused of ‘gaslighting’ Australians on climate crisis as fossil fuel projects keep getting approved

‘They offer sympathy and then just go and approve massive fossil fuel projects anyway,’ one advocate says

www.theguardian.com

1 6

Dr Tim Read MP @timreadgreens.bsky.social · Jun 22

But Labor is “working with industry”.
Working WITH the fossil fuel industry, including gas heater businesses, is the same as working FOR them.
You either worry about global heating, marine heatwaves, rising sea levels, record floods etc, OR you “work with industry.” 3/6

1 1 6

Dr Tim Read MP @timreadgreens.bsky.social · Jun 22

The least disruptive way to wean homes off fossil gas, is to require new appliances to be electric. The climate crisis is driven by fossil fuels, so we can’t let people buy NEW gas heaters and hot water services that will burn gas for decades. 2/6
www.theage.com.au/politics/vic...

Government to consider changes to gas appliance ban

Debate on the controversial plan comes as efforts to prevent a gas shortage were boosted by the discovery of extra reserves.

www.theage.com.au

1 4