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The Greens have welcomed court proceedings against the Morrison Government for failing to apply national water laws when it assessed Adani’s North Galilee Water Scheme project, a key part of the Carmichael coal mine.
“The water trigger was introduced to protect farmers, landholders and community members by making sure the impacts on water supplies are rigorously assessed,” Greens Senate Leader and spokesperson on mining, Senator Larissa Waters said today.
“But the government won’t be assessing Adani’s pipeline project, despite the project sucking out 12.5 billion litres of water per year.
“During drought and a climate emergency, that’s billions of litres of water removed without any proper environmental assessment.
“Once again, the interests of farmers and our environment are being ignored in favour of Liberal Party donors.
“The Morrison Government may as well end the charade and have the Prime Minister report directly to the mining industry.
“The Greens stand with the community to stop Adani and clean up politics so we can protect our water resources and take action on climate change,” she said.

The Greens have called the Government’s failure to include not-for profits in the stimulus package reckless.
“Not-for-profit’s provide some of the most important services in our community including childcare, disability, community and aged care services and they can’t access the small business stimulus payments,” Senator Rachel Siewert said.
“I’m deeply concerned that we will see many of these services close their doors if they are not provided with assistance by the Government, these services will also suffer under the impacts of COVID-19 on our economy and community.
“What does this Government expect disabled and vulnerable people to do if the services they are relying on have to shut their doors because of the economic down turn?
“Why is it that the Government is willing to go above and beyond to protect jobs in mining and yet thousands of people employed by the not-for-profit sector are being hung out to dry.
“Once again the most vulnerable have been failed by this Government when they are most at risk.”
 

The Greens have repeated their calls for the Government to suspend the mutual obligation responsibilities of people on Centrelink payments that have such requirements, including those on Work for the Dole, CDP and the ParentsNext program.
“Fear of having their payment suspended or losing their payment will mean that people could make decisions that are counter to their health or other peoples,” Greens spokesperson on Family and Community Services Senator Rachel Siewert said.
“People are already struggling to get by, they don’t need the added stress of having a payment suspended because they don’t think they should be attending an appointment or a work for the dole site.
“Our first priority should be looking after people’s health and as we will surely move towards more people needing to isolate and socially distance, this Government still expects those on income support to be attending meetings and appointments?
“The Government should make it clear that they are putting the public health of the community first, including those on income support and suspend mutual obligation requirements.”

Greens leader Adam Bandt MP and health spokesperson Dr Richard Di Natale have called on the Morrison government and national cabinet to explain what actions are being taken to double the number of intensive care units and to secure adequate number of ventilators.
Medical experts have warned that the number of intensive care beds need to at least double if we are to have a chance of managing the corona crisis. The Deputy Chief Medical Officer has flagged that Australia is facing up to 150,000 possible deaths in the worst case scenario.
The Greens also want stronger leadership and greater clarity on the appropriate public health measures.
Adam Bandt, Leader of the Australian Greens said:
“The number of intensive care beds will be the key to how many people die in the crisis. The Morrison government needs to explain what it is doing to double the number of ICUs and what it is doing to secure adequate numbers of ventilators.”
“We also need clarity on social distancing, including in workplaces, schools, restaurants and other sectors.
Richard di Natale, Australian Greens Health Spokesperson said:
“Australia is facing an unprecedented public health threat with the outbreak of COVID-19.”
“As a doctor I know how important our intensive care resources, particularly ventilation, are going to be to provide the necessary care to those most critically in need and to minimise the number of deaths. This should be a top priority for the national cabinet and the Morrison government.”
The Greens are also calling for the government to put in place a minimum of 2 weeks sick leave for the 3.6 million casuals and other workers without leave entitlements; and a permanent increase to Newstart and other payments to support people on low incomes.

Australian Greens Disability spokesperson Senator Jordon Steele-John has called on the government to implement a comprehensive action plan to ensure that everyone in the community has access to the right information and the appropriate supports to get through the COVID-19 crisis.
“Many people across our communities, especially disabled people and others who are at risk, are feeling worried and uncertain about the impacts the COVID-19 crisis could have on them and the people they love,” Steele-John said.
“We need a better plan. Disabled people and their families, service providers and support workers have all been raising the alarm but the response has not been quick enough nor has it been accessible or inclusive.
“Disabled people who require daily support are worried that their services could simply be cut off if the crisis worsens.
“The government needs to urgently implement a comprehensive action plan that includes the following:

• Ensure all COVID-19 test clinics are accessible and inclusive.
• Ensure all hospitals have the accessibility equipment they need.
• Create a dedicated advice hotline for disabled people and families.
• Ensure all information about the crisis is shared in ways that are easy to understand and accessible for everyone (including the use of interpreters, Easy Read, and Language specific formats).
• Give support workers priority access to personal protective equipment at no extra cost.
• Increase the capacity of the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission so that the commission has the resources it needs to make sure service providers are meeting their support obligations and implementing effective safety procedures.
• Fastrack the National Disability Data Asset and utilise existing data to ensure that supports, funding, and equipment are delivered to high-risk areas.
• Provide targeted financial support to the disability sector to make sure that service providers and other support services can continue to support people through the crisis.
• Develop standby capacity that will allow rapid recruitment and expansion of the disability workforce sector by drawing on students of allied health including Occupational Therapists, physiotherapists and social workers.
• Provide financial resources to disability services so they can rapidly scale up their operations to support people during the closures of schools, day services and other programs.
• Ensure children with disability and their families have access to information and services to support them through the crisis.
• Increasing capacity to process Working with Children and Police checks so a new workforce can be mobilised quickly.