The Greens have preselected Randwick Mayor Murray Matson to contest Maroubra against Labor’s Michael Daley.

The long-serving Councillor has proven environmental and financial credentials having initiated both Randwick’s award winning Sustaining Our City Program and it’s first long-term financial plan in 2004.

Mayor Matson says that Labor is "politically paralyzed" and that the Coalition "is refusing to put its policies up for debate in the election". He elaborated,

"The Greens have shown that they can initiate reform at the local Randwick City Council level. We are now asking Maroubra voters to support us at the State level. Labor is politically paralyzed by infighting and the Coalition is not putting up any meaningful election policies as an alternative."

Matson will be supporting the upper house campaign of current Greens MP David Shoebridge, who is also another eastern suburbs Green councillor. He commented,

David Shoebridge said in support of Matson's campaign,

"Murray Matson is a strong and seasoned campaigner who has proven his commitment to his local community over many years. The Greens are now set to give the ALP and Liberal Party a run for their money in the Eastern Suburbs, from Vaucluse to Coogee and now onto Maroubra."

"I recognize that am the underdog against both the Labor and the Liberal candidate. But none-the-less I am going to strive raise genuine policy issues as will my fellow Green Councillor David Shoebridge of Woollahra Council who is contesting the upper house."

Matson and Daley are old political foes dating back to when they were both first elected as Randwick City Councillors in 1995.

Matson wrested control of the Council away from Daley’s right wing Labor faction in 2004 and as Mayor proceeded to force through financial, administrative and environmental reforms.

At the 2004 Mayoral Election night meeting Daley publicly stated that Matson would be a "squib" if he did not proceed to deliver the long-term financial plan that the latter had been calling for while in opposition. Matson responded to the challenge by delivering a financial plan which has since been studied by Councils around NSW. He commented today,

"When I first became Mayor in 2004 Randwick Council had a financial backlog of unfunded maintenance work on our roads, footpaths and other assets that was well over $100 million. Labor had allowed it accumulate for years because no one but the Greens challenged them on it. Since I became Mayor and introduced Randwick’s first long-term financial plan that backlog has been reduced to just over $50 million and gets smaller every year."

Matson and Daley (Labor’s former Deputy Mayor) also clashed over the introduction of the Sustaining Our City Program when the Labor Councillors voted against it.

Matson won through the stormy debate and the program has been used to finance popular environmental programs such as extending the Coastal Walkway, building gross pollutant traps in beach storm water pipes and starting energy-efficiency measures in both Council buildings and private homes.

Contact: Greens Candidate for Maroubra, Murray Matson 0411-524-057

Randwick Green Mayor and 2011 Greens candidate for Maroubra Murray Matson.