Category: Australian News

Greens Co-Deputy Leader and climate change and energy spokesperson Adam Bandt MP today introduced two private member’s bills into the House of Representatives that lay down a challenge to the old parties on the mining and export of thermal coal. The first would prohibit the mining of thermal coal in Queensland’s Galilee Basin, effectively outlawing the Adani mine, and the second would phase out the export of thermal coal entirely by 2030.
“As a country, we haven’t opened a new coal basin in 50 years and now’s not the time to start,” said Mr Bandt.
“The emissions from exported Australian coal exceed Australia’s domestic emissions. We cannot continue to profit off coal that is making global warming worse.
“It disgusts me that as Australia is simultaneously sweltering, drowning and burning, the old parties are even entertaining the prospect of new coal mines.
“The science demands that we stop burning coal. As the second largest thermal coal exporter in the world, Australia needs to act.
“It’s time to export sunlight, not coal. If Labor and Liberal cut their addiction to coal mining, we could start transitioning out of this dirty industry and towards the clean, cheap and promising export market of the future: renewable energy.”

Australian Greens Disability Rights spokesperson Senator Jordon Steele-John said today that it was not enough for the government to allow a motion calling for an urgent Royal Commission into the violence, abuse, exploitation and neglect of disabled to pass unopposed in the house of Representatives – they must vote in favour of it and take action.
“It is not enough to simply let this motion pass on the voices – Scott Morrison, and the government he leads, must  acknowledge the seriousness of this issue, vote for it and take action to immediately establish a Royal Commission,” he said.
“Contrary to the Attorney General’s comments on Insiders this morning, there is no added layer of complexity in taking action on this issue. If the Government was able to pre-empt the Four Corners investigation into the Aged Care sector by announcing a Royal Commission in record time, then they can do the same here and deliver justice for disabled people.
“Anything less is just empty politics as usual by the Morrison government. He has draft terms of reference in his inbox – what more does he need?”

Greens Co-Deputy Leader and climate change and energy spokesperson Adam Bandt MP today introduced two private member’s bills into the House of Representatives that lay down a challenge to the old parties on the mining and export of thermal coal. The first would prohibit the mining of thermal coal in Queensland’s Galilee Basin, effectively outlawing the Adani mine, and the second would phase out the export of thermal coal entirely by 2030.
“As a country, we haven’t opened a new coal basin in 50 years and now’s not the time to start,” said Mr Bandt.
“The emissions from exported Australian coal exceed Australia’s domestic emissions. We cannot continue to profit off coal that is making global warming worse.
“It disgusts me that as Australia is simultaneously sweltering, drowning and burning, the old parties are even entertaining the prospect of new coal mines.
“The science demands that we stop burning coal. As the second largest thermal coal exporter in the world, Australia needs to act.
“It’s time to export sunlight, not coal. If Labor and Liberal cut their addiction to coal mining, we could start transitioning out of this dirty industry and towards the clean, cheap and promising export market of the future: renewable energy.”

Australia’s Closing the Gap targets will be redeveloped in partnership with Indigenous Australians for the first time with a direct focus on education as the key to unlocking the potential of this and future generations.
The Prime Minister said the 2019 Closing the Gap report highlighted successes across the country but that refreshed targets were an opportunity to work together to accelerate progress.
“Today is a day to celebrate what so many people have helped achieve, but we cannot hide from the fact that on average at the moment Indigenous children do not have the same opportunities as other children growing up in our country,” the Prime Minister said.
“With only two of the seven Closing the Gap targets on track to be met, it’s time to refresh what we’re doing.
“There is hope. Together there’s nothing we can’t achieve.
“The original targets were well intentioned but developed without the collaboration and accountability for states and territories and without input from Indigenous Australians.
“We want a Closing the Gap framework that’s developed alongside Indigenous Australians with targets based on science. That’s why the partnership we took and agreed through the Council of Australian Governments late last year is so important. These things take time, and we are committed to getting it right.”
The Prime Minister said his focus through the refreshed targets would be on education as the key area that can drive generational change, kickstarted by a funding boost for a suite of Indigenous education initiatives.
“Education is the key to skills, to better health, to jobs,” the Prime Minister said.
“Our new suite of initiatives builds on the record investments we’re making from the high chair to higher education to ensure the next generation of Indigenous businessmen and women, academics and workers get the education they need to have a foundation for a successful life.”
The package includes:

• Teacher boost for remote Australia – Removing all or part of the HELP debt for 3,100 students to encourage more teachers to work and stay working in very remote areas
• Getting kids to school – Working community by community and school by school to invest $5 million in remote and very remote areas for projects that support and promote school attendance

Youth Education Package – $200 million extra support to give more Indigenous students the support and mentoring they need through their secondary studies
The Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Nigel Scullion said the new education measures were designed to build on the success of existing Government policies developed in partnership with local communities.
“We’ve seen huge success in working with Indigenous communities and organisations over the last five years, to deliver real and meaningful changes. The Indigenous Advancement Strategy has been able to double the number of Indigenous organisations delivering services to Indigenous people since its establishment in 2013,” Minister Scullion said.
“At the heart of our agenda has been getting children to attend school and stay at school. I’m pleased that with the Prime Ministers announcement today, we will be able to further increase our efforts and investment with remote communities.”
Minister Scullion also announced an additional commitment to the Indigenous business sector with the Indigenous Procurement Policy 2.0.
“The Indigenous Procurement Policy, better known as the IPP, has supercharged growth in the Indigenous business sector with 1,473 Indigenous businesses delivering 11,933 contracts worth over $1.83 billion since its establishment in 2015. This is a spectacular increase from the 30 Indigenous businesses winning just $6.2 million in contracts in 2012-13,” Minister Scullion said.
“So from 1 July 2019, the Indigenous Procurement Policy 2.0 will introduce a target of 3 per cent of the value of Commonwealth contracts are to be awarded to Indigenous businesses within a decade, adding to the existing IPP target that 3 per cent of the number of Commonwealth contracts are to go to Indigenous businesses.
“We are investing further in what we know, what the data shows and what Indigenous communities tell us, works.”

Australian Greens Senator for NSW and Spokesperson for Animal Welfare, Dr Mehreen Faruqi, has welcomed a ban on animal testing for cosmetics. A full ban is conditional on the Government enacting further measures outside Parliament, and Senator Faruqi has vowed to keep the pressure on the Government. The Greens have been at the forefront of pushing for a ban on cruel cosmetics for years, including introducing the first bill to ban animal tested cosmetics in 2014.

Senator Faruqi said:

“This is a great step forward for animals. Animals shouldn’t suffer and die to test cosmetics or other ingredients. I am proud that the Greens have been at the forefront of this campaign against cruel cosmetics.

“The Government had previously tried to pass a partial ban that would not have come close to ending animal testing. Thanks to the crossbench, the opposition and the Greens standing together, we have been able to extract commitments from the Government for a full ban. The Greens will be pursuing the Government relentlessly to ensure that it follows through with its commitments.

“Australia has lagged behind the world in banning animal testing which is both cruel and completely unnecessary.  People quite rightly expect that animals should not have to suffer significant pain and distress, and in many cases die, for cosmetics.

“I want to pay tribute to former Greens Senator Lee Rhiannon who introduced the first bill to ban animal testing for cosmetics and strongly pushed to protect animals from unnecessary and cruel procedures,” she concluded.

Australian Greens Senator for NSW and Spokesperson for Animal Welfare, Dr Mehreen Faruqi, has welcomed a ban on animal testing for cosmetics. A full ban is conditional on the Government enacting further measures outside Parliament, and Senator Faruqi has vowed to keep the pressure on the Government. The Greens have been at the forefront of pushing for a ban on cruel cosmetics for years, including introducing the first bill to ban animal tested cosmetics in 2014.

Senator Faruqi said:

“This is a great step forward for animals. Animals shouldn’t suffer and die to test cosmetics or other ingredients. I am proud that the Greens have been at the forefront of this campaign against cruel cosmetics.

“The Government had previously tried to pass a partial ban that would not have come close to ending animal testing. Thanks to the crossbench, the opposition and the Greens standing together, we have been able to extract commitments from the Government for a full ban. The Greens will be pursuing the Government relentlessly to ensure that it follows through with its commitments.

“Australia has lagged behind the world in banning animal testing which is both cruel and completely unnecessary.  People quite rightly expect that animals should not have to suffer significant pain and distress, and in many cases die, for cosmetics.

“I want to pay tribute to former Greens Senator Lee Rhiannon who introduced the first bill to ban animal testing for cosmetics and strongly pushed to protect animals from unnecessary and cruel procedures,” she concluded.

The Morrison government is leaving Australia in the slow lane when it comes to preparing for the electric vehicle revolution, say the Australian Greens, following Infrastructure Australia’s listing of a rapid rollout of a national electric vehicle fast-charging network as one of its top priorities.
“The Morrison government is sitting by while other countries zip past us when it comes to encouraging EV uptake,” said Senator Janet Rice, Australian Greens transport spokesperson.
“The world is experiencing an electric vehicle revolution that is transforming how we move people and goods, but Australian people and businesses need the government to show some leadership.”
“Infrastructure Australia says that electric vehicles are a “game changer” for improving national productivity and environmental benefits. So why isn’t the government doing more to get Australia on track?”
“It’s ludicrous that don’t already have a national charging network nor any plans for one.”
“The Labor party is no better, having endorsed a report of the Select Committee on Electric Vehicles that was short on detail and low on ambition.”
“The Greens’ policy to get Australia back in the race is to put $150 million towards a national fast-charging network, as well as ambitious targets and incentives to drive the uptake of electric vehicles.”
Other Infrastructure Australia priorities include large investments in rail network upgrades in Melbourne and preserving a high-speed rail corridor between Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.
“The Greens would give priority to funding public transport and fast tracking high-speed rail. In contrast, Liberal and Labor are prioritising spending billions on polluting tollways, leaving people packed like sardines on trains, trams and buses.”
“This report is the canary in the coal mine that we must start seriously investing in 21st century public transport for our cities immediately.”

Australian Greens Senator for NSW and Spokesperson for Animal Welfare, Dr Mehreen Faruqi, has revealed documents that show the Department of Agriculture had a role in editing and reviewing the review of its own culture. Senator Faruqi obtained the documents through an Order for Production of Documents into all draft versions of the “Review of the Regulatory Capability and Culture of the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources in the Regulation of Live Animal Exports”, known as the Moss Review.  Fairfax coverage of the issue is available here.

Senator Faruqi said:

“This was a review of the Agriculture Department’s culture and performance and the fact that they had a role in influencing the report is completely unacceptable.

“It is blatantly obvious that the Department did everything in its power to try and weaken the report’s recommendations. That is not a regulator interested in animal welfare, it is a regulator interested in defending the cruel live exports industry.

“Whilst the Moss Review was quite rightly deeply critical of the Department of Agriculture as the regulator of live exports, the level of Agriculture Department involvement, even down to the detail of suggesting track changes of the document is deeply inappropriate.

“Live export is inherently cruel. The reality is that it cannot be regulated to meet community expectations on animal welfare. The only solution is to shut it down,” she concluded.

The Senate today passed a Greens motion calling on parliamentarians to acknowledge the personal and professional harm caused by discriminatory treatment of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Australian Defence Force members.
“Until 1992, gay, lesbian and bisexual people were explicitly banned from serving in our defence forces,” said Senator Janet Rice, Australian Greens LGBTIQ+ spokesperson.
“While the ban was in place, hundreds of defence personnel were investigated and dismissed from their jobs because of their actual or perceived sexuality or gender identity. For many this had profound personal and professional impacts.”
“It wasn’t until 2010 that transgender people were able to openly serve.”
“Last year the Greens wrote to the Prime Minister and the Defence Minister urging the government to provide an apology and implement a redress scheme to those former ADF members who were dismissed from their jobs, but the Defence Minister declined.”
“The Senate passing this motion is an acknowledgement of the harm caused by discriminatory treatment of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender defence force members, but there is still so much more to be done. The Greens will keep pushing for an apology and a redress scheme for those affected. “
 
Motion
 
I give notice that on the next day of sitting I shall move that the Senate –
 
1. Notes that:
a.      Until 24 November 1992 gay, lesbian and bisexual people were explicitly banned from serving in the Australian Defence Force (ADF).
b.      Between 1953 and 1992 at least 489 men and 165 women in the ADF were investigated for being LGBT. Data provided to parliament in 1992 on discharges between 1987 to 1992 revealed 73 honourable discharges of lesbian, gay and bisexual people and 21 dishonourable discharges of LGB people across Army, Navy and Royal Australian Air Force.
c.       A recent report by ACU Associate Professor Noah Riseman indicates that LGBT personnel were subject to harrowing interviews that probed intimate personal details and surveillance of movements during and outside of service hours. These practices saw LGBT service members humiliated and intimidated, forcing many of them to resign their posts or be dishonourably discharged.
d.      Lifting the ban in 1992 ended the threat of dismissal for lesbians, gays and bisexuals, but it did not grant equal treatment to LGB service members. Many Defence members still kept their same-sex relationships a secret for fear of bullying or other persecution.
e.      Transgender people continued to be subject to policies until September 2010 that required them to discharge if they intended to affirm their gender.
2. Calls on all parliamentarians to:
a.       Acknowledge the personal and professional harm that these policies have caused
b.      Recognise that discriminatory dismissals on account of sexuality or gender identity — suspected or otherwise — continue to impact the mental health and wellbeing of some affected ex-service members.
c.       Celebrates the contribution of the LGBTQ people who bravely served in the ADF despite these discriminatory policies