The Australian Greens condemn the Chinese Government’s plans to enact sweeping new national security laws in Hong Kong, with Leader of the Australian Greens Adam Bandt today offering solidarity to protesters who have resisted months of recriminations.

“As Hong Kong activists have said, this is a dangerous prospect for Hong Kong and if implemented could be a knockout blow for Hong Kong’s one country, two systems arrangement.  It is an attempt to silence Hong Kong and its brave and vocal pro-democracy activists," Mr Bandt said.

Greens Leader Adam Bandt has pledged to fight the government’s gas push laid out in the Technology Road Map Discussion Paper released by the government today.

Mr Bandt also said the leaked COVID Commission push for a gas-rush shows the corruption of process the government is using to develop a plan for manufacturing.

“We need to be ending Australia’s addiction to toxic methane gas not feeding it,” Mr Bandt said.

“Coal, oil and gas are the primary cause of the climate crisis. We can't solve the climate emergency and economic crisis by pouring gas on the fire.”

Greens Leader and MP for Melbourne, Adam Bandt, said that Minister for Government Services, Stuart Robert, had potentially lied to him in writing over the Minister’s closure of a Centrelink office in the electorate of Melbourne, and that in the absence of an explanation, Bandt would be moving a censure motion when the Parliament resumes.

Australian Greens Industry spokesperson Senator Mehreen Faruqi has responded to a leaked report of the COVID Commission’s Manufacturing Taskforce, which prioritises gas expansion as the way to rebuild manufacturing and create jobs.

Senator Faruqi said:

Australian Greens Education spokesperson Senator Mehreen Faruqi has said that up to 30,000 university jobs will be lost if the federal government does not provide a new funding package for universities and extend the JobKeeper payment to university workers.

The Greens support the National Tertiary Education Union’s National Day of Action (NDA), taking place today, which calls on Education Minister Dan Tehan to step up on university funding and save thousands of jobs.

Senator Faruqi said:

Wednesday, 20th May, 2020

Australian Greens Disability Rights Spokesperson Senator Jordon Steele-John has called on the South Australian Premier to reconsider the appointment of David Caudrey to lead the task force investigating the death of Ann Marie Smith, citing “unacceptable conflicts of interest”.

“The tragic death of Ms Smith must be investigated by a truly independent task force led by disabled people, not by individuals with links to the very systems at fault,” Steele-John said.

The Greens have backed a community call to retain free childcare in light of the Education Minister’s strongest indications yet that the government would revert back to a fee-paying model, potentially as early as next month.

Senator Mehreen Faruqi, Greens spokesperson for Education, said:

“Free childcare has been a huge step forward for access to childcare for families. It should be made permanent.

“The government may think it will save money by going back to the fee-paying model, but we know the social and economic benefits of free childcare are enormous.

Greens Environment Spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young has re-iterated the Greens call for the Australian Government to push for a global ban on the trade of wildlife, after the Agriculture Minister’s comments today on wildlife wet markets.

Senator Hanson-Young said:

“The Agriculture Minister and the PM can wax lyrical about an investigation into wildlife wet markets all they like, but if wildlife continue to be traded for consumption and other purposes, a health risk will remain. 

Tuesday,19 May 2020

Young people will be guaranteed a job, secure income, and free education under a new Greens recovery plan to build ‘a better normal’ and restart the economy after the coronavirus economic shock.

The vision for a debt-financed recovery reaffirms the government’s role in responding to the crisis, and rejects the austerity approaches offered by the Liberal and Labor parties, charting a course for a government-led recovery that extends Australia’s social services, instead of slashing funding for education, healthcare, and the environment.

The Greens have pledged to make Australia’s rivers and lakes swimmable again, under their Covid-19 Economic Recovery plan, that’s good for jobs, the economy and the environment.

The Swimmable Lakes and Rivers Pledge would see iconic rivers and lakes across the country restored and clean enough to swim in within the next decade.

It is one of the job-rich projects under the Greens Next Gen Guarantee which would see young people guaranteed a job and secure income to restart the economy and build a better normal after Covid-19.