With the European Union finally laying out their timetable for implementing carbon tariffs, the Greens have said that the Liberals’ repeal of the carbon price has put Australian exporters at risk, calling for the reintroduction of a carbon price and the lifting of 2030 emissions targets to protect exporters.

Under the EU’s plan, from 2026, exporters of high carbon goods like steel, aluminium and fertiliser will need to pay for their pollution in order to sell into the European Union. Other countries that use Australian inputs may also be subject to tariffs.

The Australian Greens have slammed the government’s changes to support measures for the NSW lockdown, saying that the paltry concessions are a wasted opportunity that will leave people in poverty and risk further evictions. 

Despite acknowledging that existing support levels are too low, the additional scraps announced this afternoon are too narrow, and too miserly to protect people.

The Greens have welcomed the release today of the Nowhere To Go report by Equity Economics, which finds that a significant build of social housing would support thousands of women and children fleeing family and domestic violence.

The report underscores the urgent need for a massive expansion in public and community housing, which the Greens continue to advocate for.

Senator Mehreen Faruqi, Greens spokesperson for Housing, said:

The Greens are calling on the Federal Government to commit to funding a pay increase for aged care workers saying the Government should have done this in the recent budget.

The Greens say today’s awarding of $21 million of public money to a private corporation to frack the Northern Territory will turbocharge climate collapse, threatens groundwater and goes against the wishes of Traditional Owners.

The money, taken from the $50 million Beetaloo Basin slush fund created by the Coalition and supported by Labor, will be given to Imperial Oil and Gas to drill three new gas wells.

Thursday 1 July, 2021

Australian Greens Disability spokesperson Senator Jordon Steele-John said it was outrageous that less than 1 in 5 disabled people, and our support workers, in phase 1a and 1b had been vaccinated, more than 4 months after the rollout begun.

Senator Steele-John said the Morrison government should have made a plan to vaccinate disabled people and disability support workers in April when it was revealed that less than 10 per cent had been vaccinated.

The Greens say the Government need to address continuing uncertainty over the vaccine roll out. There are supply, delivery and hesitancy issues plaguing the rollout that need urgent attention and actions in the face of the delta variant.

The Government’s failure to mandate Australia’s recycling targets is to blame for any recyclable items sent to landfill because of tomorrow’s introduction of a waste export ban. 

Greens spokesperson for Waste and Recycling, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson, said the waste and recycling sector’s concerns about tomorrow’s change were not new. 

“The recycling industry has been very clear in voicing its concerns and demands in the lead-up to the national waste export ban, and the Environment Minister chose to ignore these. 

Wednesday 30 June, 2021

Australian Greens Disability spokesperson Senator Jordon Steele-John said projections in the 2021 Intergenerational Report (IGR) did not support the Morrison government's claims the NDIS was growing unsustainability nor justify cuts to the scheme.

Senator Steele-John said the Morrison government were not being transparent with the community about claimed 'cost blowouts' in the NDIS.