GreensMPs

More Action needed to prevent Extinctions: Brown

RussellKelly — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 15:23:38 +1000

Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown says Australia must do much more itself, and to convince world leaders, to take action to reverse the trend towards ever-increasing wildlife extinctions.
"The release today by the United Nations of the detailed analysis of its Red List of Threatened Species reveals that numerous species on Earth are under serious threat."
"Not since the demise of the dinosaurs have we witnessed such an extinction crisis, with a third of amphibians, a quarter of mammals and one-in-eight birds threatened with extinction."
"In 2009, a new breed of dinosaurs is in charge," Senator Brown said.

Report shows life on Earth under serious threat

TimNorton — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 15:11:54 +1000

The latest international report on threatened species shows that life on earth is under serious threat from increased extinction rates.

"The report Wildlife in a Changing World gives an extremely sobering prognosis for our planet's wellbeing," said Australian Greens Senator Rachel Siewert today.

The release today of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, which is published every four years, comes just before the deadline world governments set themselves to evaluate how successful they were in achieving the 2010 target to reduce biodiversity loss.

"This IUCN report shows that the 2010 target will not be met, and that governments' current worldwide efforts to reverse biodiversity loss are not working," said Senator Siewert.

"Out of 44,838 species currently featured on the IUCN Red List, 16,928 are threatened with extinction. This equates to one third of amphibians, one in eight bird species and a quarter of all mammals found on earth. Even accounting for those species not yet known to us, this is a staggeringly large percentage."

"Australia is right up there near the top of the chart - with a staggering 788 species listed in the most threatened categories, including 40 known extinctions, 66 species critically endangered, 148 endangered and 519 listed as vulnerable."

"The analogy given by those in the IUCN should hit home for many world leaders who have just signed off on giant economic stimulus packages - the efforts put into saving the environment should at least equal if not exceed those put into bailing out the financial sector," she said.

"With our tourism, fisheries and agricultural industries and our Aussie way of life all threatened by environmental degradation and species loss, Australia is long overdue for an environmental stimulus package."

"Our nation leaders should not take this as an indication of our impending doom - far from it. It is time our governments, industry, communities and society in general recognise the fundamental importance of our biosphere, and act immediately to preserve our planet," concluded Senator Siewert.

For more information or media enquiries please call Tim Norton on 0418 401 180

Parliament says happy birthday to Burma’s democracy warrior

TimNorton — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 12:40:53 +1000

Australian lawmakers visit Dharamsala to meet Dalai Lama

TimNorton — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 12:39:57 +1000

Burke should explain to Parliament his copycat of Gunns' Pulp Mill Propaganda

RussellKelly — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 11:59:55 +1000

Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown has called on Forests Minister Tony Burke to explain to Parliament why he copied Gunns' propaganda in his major ministerial statement in the House of Representatives last week.
Analysis of Mr Burke's ministerial statement made in the House of Representatives revealed the extent to which the Federal Minister was repeating highly questionable claims about the pulp mill project.
"It appears he has simply parroted inflated Gunns' jobs propaganda – when in fact the proper independent role of a Minister is to carefully assess such claims, particularly when burning and pulping forests is a net jobs destroyer."
Senator Brown said that the closeness between the Minister's statements and those of Gunns called for a re-assessment of the suitability of the appointment of Gunns' chairman Mr John Gay to the Pulp and Paper Industry Strategy Group, announced recently.
"Minister Burke needs to get an independent, scientifically rigorous view of the value of Australia's forests – not one from vested interests who gain from their destruction."
Comparison of statements:
1. “At around $1.5 billion in capital expenditure, the proposed mill will be the largest ever investment by the private sector in Tasmania, and the largest ever by the forestry sector in Australia” (Gunns LTD) http://www.gunnspulpmill.com.au/factsheets/Facts_Update_Sep.pdf)

“At up to $2 billion in capital expenditure, the mill would be the largest ever private
sector investment in Tasmania, and the largest ever by Australia’s forest industry”. (The Hon Tony Burke, MP Wednesday, 24 June 2009)

2. “The project will add around $6.7 billion, or 2.5 per cent to the Tasmanian economy”.(Gunns LTD) http://www.gunnspulpmill.com.au/factsheets/Facts_Update_Sep.pdf)

“The mill will add an estimated $6.7 billion to Tasmania’s economy”. (The Hon Tony Burke, MP Wednesday, 24 June 2009)

3. “Construction of the Pulp Mill and flow-on investment will create some 8000 direct and
indirect jobs spread across the trades and other areas. A further 1500 to 1600 additional direct and indirect jobs will be created during the Pulp Mill’s operation”. (Gunns LTD) http://www.gunnspulpmill.com.au/factsheets/Facts_Update_Sep.pdf)

“Construction of the mill and flow-on investment would create some 8,000 direct and indirect jobs spread across the trades and other areas. Another 1,500 jobs would be created during operation.”. (The Hon Tony Burke, MP Wednesday, 24 June 2009)

Ex politicians' travel expenses

TimNorton — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 11:30:07 +1000

Bob talks to ABC's The World Today about retired politicians' travel expenses, and the need for an independent auditor.

Free flight ex-MPs need grounding: Brown

TimNorton — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 11:25:29 +1000

Garrett moves to save Christmas Island bat

TimNorton — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 11:24:29 +1000

‘Caring for our Country’: new benchmark for spin over substance

EloiseDortch — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 17:13:44 +1000

The Australian Greens have condemned the Rudd Government’s announcement today of national funding for natural resource management under Caring for our Country.

“Minister Garrett claims that the new funding process under Caring for our Country is 'transparent' and 'cuts red tape' – but the more than 1,300 applicants groups have no way of knowing why the vast majority of their projects were not successful and on what basis the 57 funded projects were selected,” the Greens’ Natural Resource Management Spokesperson, Senator Rachel Siewert said.

“Far from reducing red tape, this process has led to thousands of groups putting in hundreds of hours to complete complex business plans with little chance of success.

“The Minister’s claim that this has 'revolutionised' natural resource management (NRM) funding has in fact taken us away from a longer-term strategic planning approach, where regional stakeholders worked together to establish their priorities, to a short-term scatter-gun, individual grants approach where there is no consideration of what has gone before or how individual projects link up to achieve landscape-scale goals.

“Of the $404 million in funding, $57.5 million was dedicated to individual projects – of this, $19 million going to the camel eradication project, leaving just $38.5 million spread across 56 projects. These are the ‘winners’ from a total 1,300 applications, who together sought a total $3.4 billion.

“The amount allocated is less than half of the $122 million that was promised for project funding by the Minister’s Department recently in Senate Estimates – who also neglected to point out to the Senate Environment committee that this figure included funding quarantined for the Great Barrier Reef.

“West Australian NRM projects have been largely overlooked in the current funding round, with a total of $60 million out of $404 million – equivalent to 14.8 per cent of funds to cover one-third of Australia's land mass.

“I am disappointed that the biggest biodiversity threat to biodiversity across southern WA has been overlooked with no funding set aside to tackle the alarming spread of Phytophthora dieback.”

For more information or media enquiries, call Eloise Dortch on 0415 507 763

Living with detention debt in Australia: video of refugee delegation in Parliament Thursday 25/06/09

GemmaClark — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:49:37 +1000

Check out this video by GetUp about the delegation of refugees who visited Parliament House last Thursday, as the legislation to abolish detention debts passed through the House of Representatives. I look forward to voting to repeal this cruel policy when the legislation reaches the Senate in the next parliamentary sitting. Thanks to GetUp for providing the opportunity for federal parliamentarians to meet with Mr and Mrs Shams and Mr Isrith, hear their stories, and see the human faces of this disgraceful element of Australia's recent immigration policy.

Sarah