Dutton’s refusal to answer questions about Manus death beneath contempt: Bandt

Greens Deputy Leader and MP for Melbourne, Adam Bandt, said Peter Dutton was beneath contempt for refusing to explain his government’s failure to notify a refugee’s wife that her husband had died on Manus Island earlier this week.

“Someone died on Tuesday morning under Peter Dutton’s watch. Although the government had time to leak information to the press that afternoon and arrange a negative story, they failed to notify his wife,” said Mr Bandt.

I want to thank Lee Rhiannon for her many years of dedicated service to the people of New South Wales and to the Greens during her time as an elected representative.

Lee has devoted her life to fighting for a better world and particularly to giving a voice for communities fighting oppression across the globe.

Lee has made a significant contribution in improving our democracy through political donations reform, as well as advancing animal welfare.

News today that the European Union and Australia are set to commence free trade agreement negotiations are notable for what is non-negotiable – specifically, any inclusion of investor-state dispute settlement provisions.

“These negotiations are an opportunity for Australia to break with the past and improve how trade deals are done. Australia should follow the EU’s example by committing to making the process more transparent and dropping our insistence on including insidious ISDS clauses,” Australian Greens trade spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.

Greens urge Labor to change tack and block Turnbull tax cuts in Senate

After Labor last night voted in the House to support Turnbull’s tax plan in full, Greens Deputy Leader Adam Bandt today said that the Greens wanted to stop the government’s assault on egalitarianism and that Labor should help.

“The Greens want to stop the Liberals’ assault on egalitarianism but right now, Labor’s complicit in these attacks,” said Mr Bandt.

“Every time Labor joins in the tax cuts arms race another piece of Whitlam’s welfare state dies.

The Liberal Government has refused to rule out further cuts to the ABC and does not know the name of the Indigenous nation it is planning to place yet another memorial to Captain James Cook on, it was revealed in senate estimates today.

Australian Greens communications and arts spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young asked Minister Mitch Fifield and his department what Indigenous nation the monument would be erected upon during Senate estimates this morning.

Research by the Salvation Army showing the average Newstart recipient has just $17 a day to live off after accommodation expenses should not be ignored by the Turnbull Government and Shorten’s Labor party, Australian Greens Senator Rachel Siewert said today. 

“$17 a day after accommodation expenses is obscene. Members of our community are foregoing food and safety because the Government won’t exercise political courage to lift the appalling low payment. At the same time Government is pursuing tax cuts for the wealthy. 

Responding to the latest political funding scandal that links a major donor to the Coalition and Labor with international bribery allegations, Greens democracy spokesperson Senator Lee Rhiannon called for real donations reforms to be in place before the next election, including caps on donations from domestic sources.

Billionaire Chau Chak Wing, a generous donor to the Liberal and Labor parties, has been alleged to be an unindicted co-conspirator in an FBI bribery case. 

The death of a Rohingyan refugee who was in Australia’s care on Manus Island is another preventable tragedy that is a direct result of the bipartisan policy of cruelty, Greens Immigration Senator Nick McKim says.

“This man sought Australia’s help, and suffered years of deprivation for daring to ask,” Senator McKim said.

“His death is a direct result of political decisions of the Labor and Liberal parties.”

“He faced the impossible choice of indefinite detention, or returning to face ethnic cleansing in Myanmar.”