Category: Australian News

A bill to ban fracking and give farmers the right to say no to coal seam gas mining and fracking on their land was introduced to the Senate this afternoon for the sixth time by Greens mining and resources spokesperson and Co-Deputy Leader Senator Larissa Waters.
Senator Waters said:
“The Coaltion, led by the Energy Minister, is rolling out the red carpet for the gas industry and with Labor’s push to open up dirty natural gas drilling in the Galilee and Betaloo Basins there’s now even more urgency in giving farmers the right to say no.
“We are in the middle of a drought and climate emergency – we should not be opening new or expanding existing unconventional gas mines which threaten land and water when we have abundant renewable energy that is reliable, jobs rich and genuinely clean. Fracking just the Betaloo Basin would increase Australia’s emissions by 6.6 per cent according to the NT Government’s own report.
“The Greens have been campaigning against the polluting unconventional gas industry since 2010. Instead of expanding gas mining and fracking, the government should be driving a jobs and investment boom in clean renewable energy.
“We have energy alternatives which don’t threaten our climate, health, land, and that will create new jobs for workers and communities – CSG can frack off.
“Since 2011 the Greens have introduced this same bill to give landholders, including traditional owners, the right to say no to coal and gas, and to ban fracking six times now. Labor, Liberal and the National parties have previously voted against it.
“It is particularly shameful of the Nats who just this week have been claiming they stand for farmers’ right to farm yet they never back them against the fossil fuel industry which donates to their political party.
“This bill is a test for the Coalition on where they really stand on food security and the longevity of our rural communities.
“We have precious little good quality agriculture land in Australia and it should be protected from all other inconsistent land uses.
“Farmers should have the legal right to decide that they want to keep farming their land, rather than take the risk of possible long-term groundwater depletion or contamination from coal seam gas mining and fracking.”

A bill to ban fracking and give farmers the right to say no to coal seam gas mining and fracking on their land was introduced to the Senate this afternoon for the sixth time by Greens mining and resources spokesperson and Co-Deputy Leader Senator Larissa Waters.
Senator Waters said:
“The Coaltion, led by the Energy Minister, is rolling out the red carpet for the gas industry and with Labor’s push to open up dirty natural gas drilling in the Galilee and Betaloo Basins there’s now even more urgency in giving farmers the right to say no.
“We are in the middle of a drought and climate emergency – we should not be opening new or expanding existing unconventional gas mines which threaten land and water when we have abundant renewable energy that is reliable, jobs rich and genuinely clean. Fracking just the Betaloo Basin would increase Australia’s emissions by 6.6 per cent according to the NT Government’s own report.
“The Greens have been campaigning against the polluting unconventional gas industry since 2010. Instead of expanding gas mining and fracking, the government should be driving a jobs and investment boom in clean renewable energy.
“We have energy alternatives which don’t threaten our climate, health, land, and that will create new jobs for workers and communities – CSG can frack off.
“Since 2011 the Greens have introduced this same bill to give landholders, including traditional owners, the right to say no to coal and gas, and to ban fracking six times now. Labor, Liberal and the National parties have previously voted against it.
“It is particularly shameful of the Nats who just this week have been claiming they stand for farmers’ right to farm yet they never back them against the fossil fuel industry which donates to their political party.
“This bill is a test for the Coalition on where they really stand on food security and the longevity of our rural communities.
“We have precious little good quality agriculture land in Australia and it should be protected from all other inconsistent land uses.
“Farmers should have the legal right to decide that they want to keep farming their land, rather than take the risk of possible long-term groundwater depletion or contamination from coal seam gas mining and fracking.”

Australian Greens Senator for NSW, Dr Mehreen Faruqi, has welcomed the Senate passing her motion calling on the Federal Government to release its response to the Senate Inquiry into PFAS.
It has been more than seven months since the Senate Inquiry into PFAS contamination handed down its report, recommending that the Federal Government appoint a Coordinator-General to coordinate the national response to the PFAS contamination issue, undertake measures to improve participation in the voluntary blood testing program for PFAS, and assist property owners and businesses in the affected areas for demonstrated, quantifiable financial losses associated with PFAS contamination, including the possibility of buybacks.
Senator Faruqi, who sat on the inquiry and is an environmental engineer, said:
“When the inquiry into PFAS contamination handed down its report in Parliament almost seven months ago, I urged the Government to take concrete action and not leave communities hanging for many months. It’s really disappoints that they have not swiftly responded to this important matter.
“This is an extremely serious issue that affects thousands of people across the country, including in my home state of NSW around the Williamtown RAAF base.
“This issue has caused significant mental, emotional and financial stress for people and it is simply not fair. The Government needs to stop stringing them along and show them the respect they deserve.
“More than 3 years after the contamination was publicly revealed, the Federal government is no closer to resolving this issue and allowing people closure. They must urgently release their response,” she concluded.
The Motion:
I give notice that on the next day of sitting, I shall move—That the Senate:
1. Note that:
a.     The issue of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination has caused significant mental, emotional and financial stress for communities where PFAS have contaminated  land and water, including the communities around the RAAF base in Williamtown in New South Wales, the Oakey Army Aviation Centre in Queensland and RAAF Base Tindal at Katherine in the Northern Territory.
b.     It has been more 7 months since the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade tabled its report into the management of PFAS contamination in and around Defence bases and the Government has still not issued its response.
c.      Communities are waiting anxiously on the Government’s response to the key recommendations of the Committee, such as, the Federal Government appoint a Coordinator-General to coordinate the national response to the PFAS contamination issue, undertake measures to improve participation in the voluntary blood testing program for PFAS, and assist property owners and businesses in affected areas for demonstrated, quantifiable financial losses associated with PFAS contamination, including the possibility of buybacks.
2.     Calls on the Federal Government to release its response to the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade report into management of PFAS contamination in and around Defence bases.

The Greens will consider the Digital Platforms Inquiry report and its 23 recommendations handed down today from the ACCC.

“Social media and digital platforms have fundamentally changed the way that we receive and consume news and information. Australia’s hyper-concentrated traditional media environment is not helped by this concentrated digital environment, with too much power amassing in the hands of just a few key players,” said Senator Hanson-Young, spokesperson for media and communications

“Big corporate media giants have been getting away with too much for too long.

“Last election the Greens developed a comprehensive strengthening media diversity policy, which called for a Productivity Commission Inquiry into the role and strength of our regulatory bodies.

“This is an important report and we will consider and consult the on the recommendations thoroughly.”

The Greens will today introduce a Bill to stop drilling in the Great Australian Bight and move for World Heritage Listing following a groundswell of community support around the country.
“It is high time the Great Australian Bight was protected from drilling. It is the role of the Parliament to listen to the will of the people, and the people have made their view crystal clear,” Greens environment spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.
“Polls consistently show a vast majority of South Australians oppose drilling in the Bight, with thousands turning out to protest at paddle outs across the state and around the country.
“The government cannot be let off the hook on drilling in the Bight. The power to stop Big Oil is in the hands of politicians in Canberra.
“It is time we in the Parliament protect the Bight, the endangered species that call it home and the vibrant fishing and tourism industries that employ thousands of South Australians.
“This Bill will not only ban drilling in the Bight, it will set it on the path to World Heritage listing. The Bight is iconically Australian, it provides critical habitat for many threatened species, and it is part of our national identity. It deserves to be protected.”

Greens spokesperson for the public service, Adam Bandt MP, today commented on reports that the Prime Minister will make ‘immediate and sweeping reforms’ to the public service, warning that the Greens will fight to defend the public service from any attempts by an increasingly authoritarian government to weaken it.
“Without a policy agenda, this government seeks only to destroy,” said Mr Bandt.
“The Prime Minister’s words today are riddled with euphemisms that foreshadow an attack on the public service.
“The erosion of the public service has been steadily occurring under the old parties, through privatisation by stealth and relentless outsourcing.
“Now, emboldened by the election, the government looks to be preparing for a direct attack.
“The Greens will take up the fight to this government to defend the public service and will not allow the outcomes of the Thodey review to be a stalking horse to weaken the public service.”

At the Australian Greens National Conference last weekend, the Australian Greens moved and passed a motion declaring a climate emergency, and a motion calling on people to join in the September 20 climate strike. Greens Deputy Leader and climate change and energy spokesperson Adam Bandt MP said it was now time for other parties and parliaments across Australia to join the Greens by demonstrating their unequivocal recognition of the scale of the crisis facing us.
“A climate emergency requires an emergency response. It means putting the climate crisis at the centre of all policy and planning decisions and mobilising the whole of government and society to protect Australia’s people and ecology,” said Mr Bandt.
“The Greens have declared a climate emergency and now the Australian Parliament must follow suit.
“If our politicians refuse to acknowledge we’re in a climate emergency, we’ll never act with the urgency and speed required to avoid this existential threat.
“Even BHP has acknowledged the climate crisis. When a multinational mining giant and one of the world’s top polluters shows climate leadership, the Australian Parliament can no longer refuse to act.
“By the end of the year, we hope to pass a motion through Parliament acknowledging the climate emergency.
“The Greens are also proud to support the growing climate strike movement and the September 20 strike in Australia and across the world.
“Greta Thunberg and the students all around the world who have joined her are demanding action from politicians and there’s no doubt that the mob in power in Australia are failing them.
“Over the weekend, the Greens reaffirmed that we back these climate strikers all the way.
“The Greens are encouraging as many people, students or otherwise, to turn out for the global climate strike on September 20.
“We are running out of time. On September 20, we will speak truth to power about the climate emergency and push for the action that the science and the students are demanding.”

Farmers and rural and regional communities which have been suffering years of unrelenting drought will now have access to the tools they need to prepare for, manage and sustain their businesses with the passage of the Future Drought Fund legislation through the Senate today.
The Future Drought Fund will grow from $3.9 billion to $5 billion over the next decade, while facilitating a $100 million a year additional investment into drought resilience and preparedness, even in the good years, every year from 1 July 2020.
The Government is backing in our farmers, and we will always stand up and support our drought-affected communities. The Future Drought Fund is about more than just money – it is about giving our farmers the best possible tools to face drought, now and in the future.
Despite Labor’s attempts to stop the Government from establishing the Future Drought Fund, the Government has delivered on its election commitment to guarantee a sustainable source of funding for vital drought resilience projects in rural and regional communities.
A consultative committee will soon begin engaging with farmers and rural and regional communities to ensure the money is well spent when the additional funding becomes available from next year.
The Government will work swiftly to establish the Future Drought Fund Consultative Committee and put in place rigorous governance arrangements for the appropriate selection and prioritisation of projects.
Drought is a fact of life in this country. Our Future Drought Fund will ensure our farmers, who are among the best in the world and regional communities are better equipped to deal with its effects when it happens again.
The Future Drought Fund comes on top of the Government’s $2 billion in additional drought initiatives we have already previously announced.

At the Australian Greens National Conference last weekend, the Australian Greens moved and passed a motion declaring a climate emergency, and a motion calling on people to join in the September 20 climate strike. Greens Deputy Leader and climate change and energy spokesperson Adam Bandt MP said it was now time for other parties and parliaments across Australia to join the Greens by demonstrating their unequivocal recognition of the scale of the crisis facing us.
“A climate emergency requires an emergency response. It means putting the climate crisis at the centre of all policy and planning decisions and mobilising the whole of government and society to protect Australia’s people and ecology,” said Mr Bandt.
“The Greens have declared a climate emergency and now the Australian Parliament must follow suit.
“If our politicians refuse to acknowledge we’re in a climate emergency, we’ll never act with the urgency and speed required to avoid this existential threat.
“Even BHP has acknowledged the climate crisis. When a multinational mining giant and one of the world’s top polluters shows climate leadership, the Australian Parliament can no longer refuse to act.
“By the end of the year, we hope to pass a motion through Parliament acknowledging the climate emergency.
“The Greens are also proud to support the growing climate strike movement and the September 20 strike in Australia and across the world.
“Greta Thunberg and the students all around the world who have joined her are demanding action from politicians and there’s no doubt that the mob in power in Australia are failing them.
“Over the weekend, the Greens reaffirmed that we back these climate strikers all the way.
“The Greens are encouraging as many people, students or otherwise, to turn out for the global climate strike on September 20.
“We are running out of time. On September 20, we will speak truth to power about the climate emergency and push for the action that the science and the students are demanding.”

Greens climate change and energy spokesperson Adam Bandt MP today welcomed comments by BHP CEO Andrew Mackenzie, but expressed dismay that the head of one of the world’s most polluting companies appears to be taking the climate emergency more seriously than the Liberal and Labor parties.
Mr Bandt urged BHP to follow its strong words with real, durable action, noting that it was named one of the top 100 polluting companies in the world.
“BHP has joined the war on global warming,” said Mr Bandt.
“Multinational mining giants are now using the same language as the school strike for climate.
“I never thought I’d say the words that Liberal and Labor should take a leaf out of BHP’s book, but it sounds like BHP recognises the climate emergency as a clear and present danger, unlike the old parties.
“The Australian government must now follow the United Kingdom, France, Canada and others by declaring a climate emergency.”