As the Glasgow climate summit looms and the government’s woeful 2030 targets come under the spotlight, Greens Leader, Adam Bandt MP, has said so-called ‘moderate Liberals’ are having an internal debate about whether to go over the climate cliff head first or feet first, advocating 2030 and 2035 targets that are out of step with the science and won’t fix the government’s problems with the US, UK and other countries.  

The Greens have today tabled legislation to extend and reinstate the temporary visas of people who were stranded overseas because of international border closures.

“Tens of thousands of temporary visa holders, including people with established homes, jobs and in some cases partners in Australia, were overseas when Australia’s international borders closed due to Covid-19,” Greens Immigration Spokesperson Senator Nick McKim said.

The Covid outbreak at the Park Hotel detention facility was a preventable crisis that is a direct result of Government negligence, the Greens say.

“The Liberals were warned repeatedly that this would happen, but because of their cruel indifference they left people in cramped and unsafe conditions,” Greens Immigration Spokesperson Senator Nick McKim said.

“These are people who have been locked up for over eight years and were in Australia for medical treatment. It is a complete failure of duty of care at every possible level.”

Australian Greens Education spokesperson Senator Mehreen Faruqi has welcomed the publication of the Senate Select Committee on Job Security’s second interim report, and called for its recommendations to be implemented.

Senator Faruqi, who is a Committee Member, said:

It's true: a day can be a long time in politics. Friday 1 October was a long day for the then Premier Gladys Berejiklian, who resigned from her position as the first woman ever elected Premier of New South Wales when it was revealed that the New South Wales Independent Commission Against Corruption would investigate her. We've had similar days before in New South Wales politics. Liberal Premier Barry O'Farrell resigned a day after giving evidence to ICAC in April 2014 about that bottle of Grange.

I rise to speak on the Select Committee on Job Security's second interim report, on insecurity in publicly funded jobs. The Greens welcome the tabling of this interim report, and generally we concur with the recommendations as well. During this inquiry, we have engaged with witnesses from a huge range of industries, organisations and parts of our community. I too thank the members of the committee, but especially the committee secretariat, without whose excellent work we would never be able to produce such insightful reports.

The Greens says today’s second interim report from the Select Committee on Job Security shows that the Morrison Government’s ideological mission to outsource the public sector has seriously undermined the Australian Public Service’s ability to deliver services and provide effective policy advice.

Greens deputy leader and public sector spokesperson Senator Larissa Waters said:

“Under the Morrison Government we’ve seen the public service gutted and billions handed out to massive multinational consultancy firms and labour hire companies.

Leader of the Australian Greens Adam Bandt MP has said that the first ramifications for Australia’s climate delays are starting to show, with the EU ambassador warning that Australia may face carbon tariffs if Scott Morrison doesn’t stump up to Glasgow with strong 2030 targets.

“With no 2030 ambition, Scott Morrison’s going to Glasgow empty handed and he’ll return with carbon tariffs,” Mr Bandt said. 

“By cowardly submitting to Barnaby Joyce over 2030 targets, Scott Morrison has put a target on Australia’s back, exposing our exporters to carbon tariffs.