Tuesday 20 October 2020

Australian Greens Disability spokesperson Senator Jordon Steele-John said today it was unacceptable that the Attorney General would not introduce privacy protections to the Disability Royal Commission, garuanteeing witnesses confidentiality beyond the life of the Commission, until mid-next year.

The Prime Minister picked a dud when he put BHP’s Olympic Dam on his list of 15 major projects for fast-tracking through Australia’s environmental laws, the Greens say, after the company again abandoned its expansion plans.

Greens Senator for South Australia and Spokesperson for the Environment Sarah Hanson-Young said:

“The Prime Minister made a big fanfare over choosing Olympic Dam as one of his pet Covid recovery projects.

“He picked a dud.

“Again, more about the press conference, not so much the substance.

The Greens have condemned the Government’s reintroduction of the discriminatory remote work-for-the-dole scheme Community Development Program (CDP) that disproportionately impacts First Nations peoples. 
 
"It’s very disturbing to hear anecdotal claims from employment providers saying that the increase to income support is leading to more drinking and anti-social behaviours”, Greens spokesperson on Family and Community Services Senator Rachel Siewert said. 
 

The Greens condemn the Morrison Government for failing to include a gender lens in the Budget, instead leaving it to a non-profit women's organisation to do their homework for them. 

"Women are once again mopping up after the Morrison Government by applying a gender lens to the Budget, something which should have been done by government itself," said Greens Leader in the Senate and spokesperson on Women, Senator Larissa Waters.

The Greens are backing a High Court challenge to fight for South Australia's water and the Murray-Darling Basin if the Federal Government won't deliver it on time.

Greens Senator for South Australia and Environment and Water Spokesperson Sarah Hanson-Young said:

"South Australia needs to stand up to the upstream states to save the Murray-Darling and fight for our state and our environment.

"If the Federal Government won’t deliver the water needed and promised we should fight for it in the High Court.

Greens Leader, Adam Bandt, says the Liberal Party's continued excuses for not having a National anti-corruption body have become utterly farcical.

“More leaked talking points, more excuses. The Liberals have spent thousands of words justifying why there's still no Federal ICAC, when it would only take a vote in the House to implement the Greens bill that has already passed the Senate,” Bandt said.

The Commonwealth DPP’s decision to rule out charges against ABC journalist Dan Oakes is welcome but the lengthy ordeal should never have arisen in the first place, the Greens say.
Greens spokesperson for Media and Chair of the Senate Inquiry into Press Freedoms, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said:
“This case was designed to have a chilling effect on the media by a secretive government.
“Mr Oakes’ reporting was always in the public interest and the fact it’s taken so long for the AFP and CDPP to reach this conclusion highlights our laws are broken and need fixing.

Australian Greens Housing spokesperson Senator Mehreen Faruqi has said that AHURI’s Renting in the time of COVID-19: understanding the impacts report, released today, has shone a light on the struggles of renters during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Senator Faruqi said:

“Renters are doing it very tough. The findings of this report confirm many of the fears we’ve had for renters throughout this crisis. Many are earning less, living precariously, and being refused rent reductions.

The Greens are again urging the Morrison Government to do more for the Arts and Entertainment Industry after a report released today shows two out of every three jobs in the live entertainment sector have been lost this year. 
Greens Spokesperson for the Arts Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said:
“The Arts and Entertainment Industry was completely ignored in last week's budget despite being the hardest hit by Covid19.
"These latest figures confirm the crisis the Industry has been telling the Government it is in for half a year now.