Greens move to cap political donations

The Greens will move to get big money out of politics this week by introducing a bill to cap donations to political parties at  $1000 per year and to ban all party political donations from dirty industries buying influence: the mining, banking, gambling, alcohol and property industries.
Greens Senate Leader and spokesperson on democracy, Senator Larissa Waters, said the Greens bill could once and for all remove the influence of big money and start restoring integrity into our parliament.
“The community wants its democracy back. They’re sick of their interests being sold out to the highest bidder,” she said.
“Opposition leader Anthony Albanese yesterday for the first time showed support for the long-held Greens policy of capping political donations.
“Perhaps Albo realised the corrosive impact of big money on politics now Clive Palmer lost the election for Labor.
“Nonetheless, we welcome his support but donations caps must be meaningful and low.
“Democracy needs a meaningful donations cap of $1000 a year for all donors – individuals, unions and corporates – and a complete ban on donations from industries with a history of buying policy outcomes, like the mining, banking, gambling, alcohol and property industries.
“Massive donations to the old political parties have sold out community interests.
“The major parties have taken at least $1 million from the fossil fuel industry in the past year alone, making a total of $9.3 million that the fossil fuel giants have donated to the Labor and Liberal/National parties since 2012.
“Trust in politics is at an all time low and the best way to fix this is to stop selling our democracy to the highest bidder.
“With support from Labor and the crossbench, this bill could pass the Senate and pressure the Government to finally act,” she said.

Greens response to Norwegian oil giant Equinor's announcment it's scrapping plans to drill in the Great Australian Bight

Senator for South Australia and Greens Environment Spokesperson Sarah Hanson-Young said:
“This is a huge win for the community, the environment and SA’s tourism and fishing industries. It is good for the planet and jobs.
“The community who cherish our pristine coastline, the tourism industry that depends on it, and the fishing industry that relies on clean waters have all fought so hard against these environment-destroying plans. Congratulations goes to them.
“They have proven there was no social licence for an international oil giant to drill in our waters, and that people power can win.
“South Australians love our gorgeous Bight and we want it protected for future generations and the rest of the world to come and experience.
“What we need now is World Heritage protection. The Greens’ Bill for World Heritage Listing would give the Bight the protection it needs and deserves from any other oil and gas companies proposing to put it at risk. I call on all other Members of Parliament to back it.
“This decision also shows this is the beginning of the end of fossil fuels. Opening a new fossil fuel basin in the middle of our ocean was always madness. Moving to net zero emissions by 2050 means we must reduce pollution now, not give the green light to new polluting projects.”

WORLD LEADING SPATIAL DIGITAL TWIN LAUNCHED IN NSW

Urban planning and infrastructure across Western Sydney will be transformed, with the NSW Government today launching one of the world’s largest Spatial Digital Twins.
Minister for Customer Service Victor Dominello said the NSW Spatial Digital Twin, delivered in partnership with CSIRO’s Data61, will provide 3D and 4D digital spatial data and models of our built and natural environments, that will improve planning and community engagement.
“The Spatial Digital Twin will allow us to better plan infrastructure, precincts and communities by providing real-time information and visualisation of buildings, roads, hospitals, schools and libraries, even before construction begins,” Mr Dominello said.
“A picture paints a thousand words – being able to visualise a project before it starts means we can plan for and predict future outcomes. The interactive tool includes 22 million trees with height and canopy attributes, almost 20,000km of 3D roads, and 7,000 3D strata plans and 546,206 buildings.
“Western Sydney is an economic powerhouse with a pipeline of projects underway including the aerotropolis. This new tool will be a game changer for all stakeholders by enabling projects to be digitally planned before shovels hit the ground.”
The digital workbench will allow all parties to visualise both historical data whilst also preparing for future infrastructure by using above and below ground modelling from data obtained through water, energy and telco utilities.
The Spatial Digital Twin will initially support the Western Sydney City Deal covering the councils of – Blue Mountains, Camden, Campbelltown, Fairfield, Hawkesbury, Liverpool, Penrith and Wollondilly.
It will continue to be developed in collaboration with local, state and federal government agencies and industry partners to expand its capacity beyond just Western Sydney.
To access the Digital Twin or for more information go to www.spatial.nsw.gov.au/what_we_do/projects/digital_twin

WILDLIFE FEELS RETURN AND EARN BENEFIT AFTER BOTTLES FOR THE BUSH SUCCESS

NSW Environment Minister Matt Kean has announced the Cans for Koalas recycling appeal as the new Return and Earn major donation partner, with the highly successful Bottles for the Bush appeal concluding.
From 24 February 2020 recyclers in NSW, QLD and NT will have the option to donate their 10c container refund by simply selecting Cans for Koalas on all Return and Earn reverse vending machines.
Mr Kean said the initiative from TOMRA would deliver crucial funding to WWF-Australia’s Wildlife and Nature Recovery Fund which is providing ongoing care to wildlife in the wake of the devastating bushfires.
“This initiative provides vital funding to help wildlife recover from the fires, including helping to restore habitats and support the recovery of our beloved koalas and other iconic species such as kangaroos, wallabies, kookaburras and honeyeaters.
“Bottles for the Bush has been a tremendous achievement and really demonstrated how the spirit of generosity can support our environment, with over $1 million raised for our official Return and Earn donation partners in just over two years.”
Ryan Buzzell, President of TOMRA Collection Solutions Australia is thrilled to be partnering with WWF Australia on this crucial initiative to support Australian wildlife.
“We’re hoping the Cans for Koalas drive will prove just as successful as our Bottles for the Bush initiative, demonstrating the giving nature of Australians.”
“It’s an excellent opportunity for our generous recyclers to continue to donate their 10 cent refunds to help another important cause,” Mr Kean said.
The campaign will run until Sunday 23 August 2020. To find your nearest return point go to cansforkoalas.org.au or visit returnandearn.com.au

SUPPORTING OUR SURF LIFE SAVING CLUBS

Surf life saving clubs in bushfire and drought affected areas across NSW will be prioritised for assistance, as applications open today for $4 million of funding.
Deputy Premier and Minister responsible for Disaster Recovery John Barilaro said surf life saving clubs are vital community hubs.
“During the recent bushfires, surf life saving clubs up and down our coastline became places of refuge, as thousands were evacuated,” said Mr Barilaro.
“These clubs and the amazing volunteers who run them don’t just save people from drowning, they perform a vital role in helping our community in times of crisis.”
Acting Minister for Sport Geoff Lee said grants of $30,000 to $350,000 were available from the NSW Government for upgrade, restoration and construction projects.
“Surf clubs are a crucial part of our society and we need to make sure we protect and upgrade their facilities to keep them modern and versatile,” said Mr Lee.
“When bushfires or drought affect a community, the surf club is often the focal point which unites people and gives them a safe place to share their stories in hard times.”
“The benefits of surf clubs extend far beyond the beach so it is important we help upgrade these facilities so they continue to play their important role for future generations.”
In recent years the program has supported the installation of disabled access ramps at Maroubra Surf Lifesaving Club, clubhouse renovations at Warilla-Barrack Point Surf Lifesaving Club and the refurbishment of Cudgen Headland Surf Lifesaving Club.
Chief Executive of Surf Life Saving NSW Steve Pearce said ensuring rescue facilities across NSW remained safe, accessible and secure was a top priority.
“Surf Life Saving Clubs are home base for our volunteers, and this investment allows significant upgrades to improve access for our 75,000 volunteers,” Mr Pearce said.
“With 129 clubs across the State, volunteer surf lifesavers performed 3800 rescues, 197,000 preventative actions and 10,000 first aid treatments last year.”
All NSW Surf Life Saving Clubs are encouraged to apply.
For details visit: www.sport.nsw.gov.au/clubs/grants/SCFP

SUPPORTING THE TRADIES OF THE FUTURE

The NSW Government is making sure we have a world-class TAFE and training system that delivers more qualified tradies for the workplaces of the future.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian has announced a Review of the system to be led by Mr David Gonski AC and Professor Peter Shergold AC.
“We want students to think of TAFE the same way they think of university, as a leading institution for furthering their education and gaining the skills of the future,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“For some new high tech and high-end jobs, TAFE could become a better option for students than university.
“We need more tradies in existing trades, but we also need to prepare workers in new areas like 3D printing, robotics and other technology industries to provide the jobs of the future in places like the Western Sydney Aerotropolis and the Sydney Tech Hub.
“This Review will consider initiatives like a HECS-style program for TAFE students, greater industry involvement in co-designing courses and making sure courses are as up-to-date as possible.
“In 2019-20, the NSW Government is investing $2.3 billion in the Vocational Education and Training sector to build a skilled and employable workforce, which includes approximately $585 million in funding from the Commonwealth.
“TAFE NSW is the largest VET provider in the country, with a budget of $1.85 billion in 2019-20.”
Some of the issues to be examined by the Review will include;

  • Opportunities to resolve current skills shortages to benefit the State’s economy
  • How TAFE NSW can better work with industry to meet future skills shortages
  • Better integration of secondary, vocational and tertiary learning opportunities
  • How findings can be implemented through exemplar projects, such as the Meadowbank Education and Employment Precinct and the Western Sydney Aerotropolis.

The Review will report to the NSW Government by July 2020.

New high-visibility unit hits the ground in the Hunter and Central Coast

Residents of the Hunter and Central Coast will see a more visible police presence on their streets from this month, with the commencement of a newly formed high-visibility police unit.
In January 2019, the NSW Government announced 100 new high-visibility officers to be stationed at five regions across the state. In the Northern Region, six officers will be posted at Newcastle Police Station to service multiple police districts including:

  • Newcastle City
  • Lake Macquarie
  • Port Stephens-Hunter
  • Hunter Valley
  • Tuggerah Lakes
  • Brisbane Water

The Northern High-Visibility Police (HVP) Unit is aimed at preventing, disrupting, and responding to crime by undertaking high-visibility patrols of crime hotspots, roads, transport networks, local neighbourhoods, and planned events.
The HVP Unit will proactively engage with individuals, groups and communities at risk of crime in an effort to build intelligence-driven data. The officers will be specifically trained in intelligence gathering, so they can proactively identify conflicts ranging from local level issues to more serious incidents.
Northern Region Commander, Assistant Commissioner Max Mitchell APM, said the high-visibility teams will be a reassuring presence on Hunter and Central Coast streets, playing a key role in disrupting crime and anti-social behaviour.
“High-visibility policing is a crucial element of regional policing – we want our communities to know we are there in numbers to protect and support them 24/7.
“Local policing is at the heart of any regional community, and the HVP Unit is designed to increase overall confidence for all members of the community, by addressing any concerns from retail owners, to visitors, to residents and workers.
“The Northern HVP Unit will have the ability to be deployed wherever our demand and need is. They are highly-skilled and available to engage with the public – we want you to come up and talk to them, tell them what is happening in your neighbourhood.
“By targeting crime with more boots on the ground and in a highly-visible manner, it’s hoped offenders will have second thoughts before breaking the law,” AC Mitchell said.
The HVP officers can be deployed to any areas of the Northern Region as deemed appropriate.
The Northern HVP Unit consists of one Sergeant and five Constables; the officers commenced their first foot patrols last week.

New high-visibility unit hits the ground in the Hunter and Central Coast

In January 2019, the NSW Government announced 100 new high-visibility officers to be stationed at five regions across the state. In the Northern Region, six officers will be posted at Newcastle Police Station to service multiple police districts including:

  • Newcastle City
  • Lake Macquarie
  • Port Stephens-Hunter
  • Hunter Valley
  • Tuggerah Lakes
  • Brisbane Water

The Northern HVP Unit consists of one Sergeant and five Constables; the officers commenced their first foot patrols last week.

Greens move to give climate victims the right to sue fossil fuel companies

Greens Leader Adam Bandt has introduced a Bill into the House of Representatives – Liability for Climate Change Damage (Make the Polluters Pay) Bill 2020 – which will make fossil fuel companies liable for damage from the climate crisis, granting climate victims such as recent bushfire survivors or tourism businesses affected by fires or reef bleaching the right to sue thermal coal, oil and gas companies for damages. Governments would also have the right to bring actions in their own right or on behalf of affected persons.
In Australia, regulators and lawyers have already advised that directors and companies may have climate-related liabilities, and in other countries actions have been commenced against fossil fuel companies for climate damage. This Bill will clarify the situation under Australian law.
Major fossil fuel producers and the owners and operators of coal-fired power stations will be liable for climate change damage. They will be liable in respect of all emissions since 1990 (when the first Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report was released and after which all emitters should have known the consequences of their pollution), or from any earlier time that the company had actual knowledge itself off the effect of its pollution. Companies will be liable in respect of the total emissions from their products, including Scope 3 emissions. Survivors of climate crisis events from 1 July 2019 will be eligible to sue polluters for damages.
Greens Leader Adam Bandt said:
“The world’s biggest polluters have known for decades that their products would harm life and threaten other businesses, yet they kept on selling them.
“Coal, oil and gas companies are decimating agriculture and tourism and wiping out homes and communities.
“The law made asbestos companies pay and now it’s coal, oil and gas’ turn.
“Fossil fuel companies are a direct threat to other Australian businesses and they should start to pay for the damage they have knowingly helped cause.
“The burning of coal, oil and gas has fuelled this summer’s devastating bushfires and floods, and worse is yet to come.
“When you do the wrong thing, especially when you knowingly do the wrong thing, there must be consequences.
“Coal, oil and gas are the tobacco and asbestos of our time.
“It shouldn’t be left to individuals, governments and other businesses to cover the costs of the damage fossil fuel companies have caused.”

Greens Bill bans all coal mines in Galilee Basin

Greens Senate Leader Senator Larissa Waters has today introduced a bill in the Senate to ban thermal coal mines in the Galilee Basin, effectively outlawing the Adani mine and Clive Palmer’s proposed coal mine.
She said opening up the Galilee Basin for thermal coal mining was a carbon bomb that would push global warming to unsafe levels and kill off the Great Barrier Reef.
“The Galilee Basin is a carbon bomb and in reality the science demands we don’t open up a single new coal mine,” Senator Waters said.
“We need to keep that Galilee coal in the ground and today I have a bill that will do just that.
“If the Galilee Basin were to be mined and it was a country, it would be the seventh largest greenhouse gas emitter in the world.
“Australia’s emissions continue to rise and millions of hectares of the country were burnt over Summer due to climate-fuelled bushfires. We desperately need a climate plan and that climate plan means getting out of thermal coal.
“We cannot afford to open up a new coal basin right when the rest of the world is embracing renewable energy and is transitioning towards an economy that can support workers and keep the planet liveable.
“It’s time we had a real jobs plan for Queenslanders, not fake promises of coal mines that we hope will never eventuate otherwise our climate is cooked.
“We need a genuine transition plan that supports coal-affected communities, re-trains them where that’s necessary and oft times it won’t be as those skills are transferable to other industries, especially clean energy or mine rehabilitation.
“Big coal is very generous in their donations to both the old parties, holding back action on climate change and renewable energy in this country for years.
“We must transition out of dirty polluting fossil fuels and towards the clean, jobs-generating export market future of renewable energy,” she said.