The Senate has today voted against an increase to the woefully low Newstart and Youth Allowance payments by $110 a fortnight.

“I’m extremely disappointed that the Senate did not support my Bill to increase Newstart by $110 a fortnight. It is well recognised that the payment is too low”, Senator Rachel Siewert said today.

“I’m also very frustrated that the Labor party today sided with the Government to vote against an increase of the woefully low and stagnated Newstart and Youth Allowance payments by $110 fortnight.   

The Australian Greens are going to haul each and every one of the Northern Australian Investment Facility's directors before the Senate committee until the rampant conflicts of interests surrounding their board are resolved, Greens leader Dr Richard Di Natale said.

"We can’t spend $5 billion of taxpayers money without having complete assurance that everything is above board and today’s hearing shows that the board has advanced the Adani project against their own investment rules," Di Natale said.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s decision to commit Australian troops to a possible war against North Korea puts Australia at risk and shows why Parliament needs to urgently pass a war powers act and renegotiate the alliance with the United States, said leader of the Australian Greens Dr Richard Di Natale and Greens Defence Spokesperson Sen. Peter Whish-Wilson.

Australian Greens Senator and LGBTIQ spokesperson, Janet Rice, has joined Australian Marriage Equality in a challenge to the validity of the postal plebiscite in the High Court.

"I’m pleased that the movement for equality has put forward strong legal challenges, and I’m honoured to be a part of these. The postal plebiscite would subvert the will of the Parliament after the Senate again rejected legislation for a plebiscite. LGBTIQ Australians and their families will be hurt by this expensive, divisive, non-compulsory, non-binding postal plebiscite,’ said Senator Rice.

Australian Greens Senator Rachel Siewert has welcomed commencement of discussions with the Federal Government over funding for a Custody Notification Service (CNS). 

“I'm very pleased to see the WA Attorney General’s interest in introducing a Custody Notification Service (CNS) in WA to drive down Aboriginal deaths in custody in the state”, Australian Greens Senator Rachel Siewert said today. 

“The Custody Notification Service operating in NSW has effectively stopped Aboriginal deaths in custody in New South Wales (NSW) since implementation in 2000. 

The Australian Greens are urging everyone, particularly young people, to check that their enrolment details are up-to-date or to quickly get themselves on the roll so they have the choice of voting in a postal plebiscite on marriage equality if one goes ahead, said Australian Greens leader Dr Richard Di Natale and Greens LGBTI Spokesperson Sen. Janet Rice.

Tuesday 8 August

Senator RHIANNON (New South Wales) (21:21): I recently returned from a self-funded fact finding trip to Palestine. As well as visiting Australian aid projects in the West Bank, I met with organisations and Palestinians living inside the 1948 borders of Israel. This was a very informative visit. I do thank Union Aid Abroad and EuroPal for their assistance.

Andrew Forrest is trying to use similar shock tactics to those of the previous Howard Government to scare people into supporting the cashless welfare card, Australian Greens Senator Rachel Siewert said today.

“We are seeing a worrying ramp up of Andrew Forrest’s cashless welfare card campaign that uses children, violence and fear just like the Howard Government did in 2007 over the NT Intervention.

A Greens motion has succeeded in the Senate which forces the production of documents regarding the postal plebiscite. This order compels the government to divulge the details and legal advice relied on in making their decision to proceed with postal plebiscite.

The Senate motion has decreed that these documents be produced by 11:50am tomorrow, Thursday 10 August 2017.

‘This order will start to peel back the veneer of the government’s shonky, illegitimate and ludicrous plebi-survey,’ said Senator Janet Rice, Greens LGBTIQ spokesperson.

Greens Treasury spokesperson, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson, responded today to the Commonwealth Bank’s record profit announcement.

“The announcement of a $10 billion profit by Commonwealth Bank is emblematic of what is wrong with the Australian economy.

“Despite having a record of bad behaviour as long as your arm, CBA is making record profits and paying their executives millions and millions while ordinary Australians watch their wages freeze and the cost of housing spiral out of control.