The Greens have announced a policy to reform the political system, clean up politics, and strengthen democracy. At the end of a bruising political year where the government remained unrepentant despite scandal after scandal, it’s clear a new approach is needed to restore public confidence in democracy.

The Greens today rejected Labor’s ‘take it or leave it’ approach to climate, saying people wanted parties to work together on something as important as climate, and that now that the likely reality of a power-sharing Parliament was dawning on everyone, Labor should not let their idea of the perfect be the enemy of the good.

Lines attributable to Leader of the Greens Adam Bandt MP:

“Liberal and Labor now seem to agree on one thing, which is that the Greens will be the most powerful party in the next Parliament. 

The Greens today repeated their call to kick out the Liberals, but slammed Labor’s weak climate targets and promise that “not one coal fired power station will close due to Labor’s policy” in the face of urgent global demands for climate action, saying the more we hear about Labor’s climate policy the worse it gets.

Labor’s Chris Bowen today also confirmed that under Labor’s policy:

Greens Leader Adam Bandt MP has criticised today’s climate announcement, saying Labor has given up on climate.  

Labor’s target is not consistent with the science of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees, the goal set out in the Glasgow Climate Pact. Labor now joins the Liberals with targets that have given up on the science, given up on Glasgow and given up on the climate. 

Disabled person and spokesperson for Disability Rights and Services Senator Jordon Steele-John has announced the Australian Greens have released a plan to improve the lives of 4 million disabled people across the country.

Australian Greens Spokesperson for Disability Rights and Services Senator Steele-John said:
 

“On International Day of People with Disabilities, The Australian Greens are confirming their commitment to centering the needs and voices of disabled people.

It is Australia's shame that the Liberals are propping up coal, oil and gas by funnelling endless taxpayer dollars to these dirty industries. The world is moving away from digging up fossil fuels, but the Liberals are pouring tens of millions of dollars of public money in, to frack the Beetaloo basin and plunge us further into the climate crisis.

The Greens say today’s move by the Coalition and Labor to reaffirm their dodgy deal to permanently axe Senate motions represents one more nail in the coffin for democracy and transparency.

The decision makes permanent the temporary arrangement between the Liberals and Labor in June which eliminated motions that ask the Senate to form an opinion, replacing them with two-minute statements.

Greens deputy leader and spokesperson on democracy Senator Larissa Waters said:

Labor has signed on to the government’s anti-democracy agenda by voting for new legislation designed to silence critical voices from the nonprofit sector.

The Electoral Legislation Amendment (Political Campaigner) Bill was rammed through the Senate tonight without debate and without going to inquiry, passing after a dirty deal between Labor and the Liberals. 

I rise to speak to the Autonomous Sanctions Amendment (Thematic Sanctions) Bill 2021. I would like to associate myself with the remarks made by my colleague Senator Janet Rice. Senator Rice eloquently expressed the position of the Greens. We support this bill, but Senator Rice will be moving amendments, hopefully, to make this bill stronger.