According to Ben Raue, the Greens candidate for the Werriwa by-election (former Labor leader Mark Latham's seat), the Macquarie Fields riots have demonstrated the failure of the major parties to address poverty in western Sydney.
"The actual car theft isn't the issue that is as concerning as the riots that have followed it. They demonstrate how the Labor Party's approach of harsh 'law and order' can't compensate for their failure to invest in social programs in disadvantaged parts of Sydney", Raue said on March 1.
"The major parties claim that our economy is strong, yet for many there simply aren't the job opportunities to allow them to participate and benefit from this economy.
"A growing divide between rich and poor is stark in Werriwa, where some have benefited from rising house prices and a booming economy, while others have been left behind by Liberal and Labor."
Raue said the Greens are calling for "our economic priorities to be re-examined, in order to ensure that everyone benefits from our economy, rather than just the well-off".
The Socialist Alliance is also be supporting the Greens' campaign in Werriwa.
From Green Left Weekly, March 9, 2005.
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