Greens putting forward alternative

GREENS candidate David Fletcher is determined to provide Riverina voters with an alternative at the August 21 federal election.With just five weeks to gather support, Mr Fletcher said his goal was to improve the Greens' share of the vote compared to the last election -something he said would be a challenge."It's difficult for us because there's a bigger field this time," he said.But he said he was excited about the next five weeks of campaigning."I'm feeling really good, I'm looking forward to the run in," Mr Fletcher said."Certainly I plan to get out and about on the streets of Wagga, Leeton, Narrandera and Tumut."He said it was important to put the Greens' message out there for voters."We want to contrast ourselves from the Nationals, Labor and Liberals, just to let people know they do have an alternative," he said.Mr Fletcher listed the economy, health, education and the environment as key issues he believed needed to be addressed to be successful in the election. "I think that the biggest issue, certainly in Wagga, is the hospital," he said."I argue for direct action, I think the time for being nice is over."We can't compromise on Wagga Base Hospital, it has to be brand-new and it has to be on a greenfields site."Mr Fletcher said another challenge for the Greens was the party's inability to splash around plenty of cash, but he expected the major parties to be spending up as the election approaches.