Leader of the Australian Greens, Adam Bandt MP, and Greens Senate Leader and Queensland Senator, Larissa Waters, have said the success of the Queensland Greens at last night’s election showed the increasing momentum for progressive change, following on from major gains in the ACT last month, putting the party in strong contention for further Senate and lower house seats at the next Federal election.

The Minister for Social Services has confirmed today during an Estimates hearing that the Government plans to extend the Jobseeker coronavirus supplement past December but would not confirm the amount and when we will see the legislation.

The Government needs to be clear about what they have planned for the Jobseeker payment and supplement. 

It’s unfair that Australians have had to wait to know whether there will be an extension and now uncertainty about the rate post December 31 will cause a huge amount of concern.

The Greens have called the Government's decision to recommence ‘debt raising’ against income support recipients a disgrace.
 
We are in a recession and a pandemic and instead of giving Australians certainty about their future and ensuring they won’t be living on $40 a day come December this Government is choosing to create more anxiety and fear in our community by chasing people for debts at a time in their life when many are at their most vulnerable. 

Australian Greens Animal Welfare spokesperson Senator Mehreen Faruqi has said that commercial horse racing is a cruel industry that cannot be trusted or fixed, following reports that retired racehorses continue to be slaughtered for pet food at knackeries in NSW.

Senator Mehreen Faruqi, Greens spokesperson for Animal Welfare, said:

“The gambling-fuelled racing industry cannot be trusted or fixed. It’s time is up. We have to shut it down.

The Greens have announced they’ll move for a moratorium on koala habitat clearing to save the national treasure from extinction.

The legislative move would block decisions by Environment Minister Ley like the approval yesterday of a quarry at Pt Stephens which will destroy 52ha of critical habitat for the endangered species. 

Greens Environment Spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said:

“Koalas are a national treasure and yet we have an Environment Minister not just failing to save them but signing their death warrant.

Wednesday 28 October 2020

Australian Greens Peace and Disarmament spokesperson Jordon Steele-John has called for Defence to make both the Crompvoets report, and the Department's response, public amid disturbing and shameful allegations of murder and torture were reported today in the nine newspapers.

Australian Greens Animal Welfare spokesperson Senator Mehreen Faruqi has said that the federal government has done an extraordinary and devastating backflip on reducing stocking densities for cattle within the new Australian Standards for the Export of Livestock (ASEL). The new Standards are due to come into effect on 1 November.

Senator Faruqi said:

The Australian Greens stand with the Kashmiri community on 27 October as they commemorate Black Day. Kashmir is a disputed territory and it is now over a year since the Indian Government revoked its special status and further eroded Kashmiris’ right to self-determination.

The Environment Minister Sussan Ley has signed a death warrant for koalas by approving the extension of the Brandy Hill quarry near Port Stephens today, the Greens say.

Greens Environment Spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said:

“It defies logic that an Environment Minister would approve the destruction of critical habitat for the koala, a species facing extinction in NSW.

“Sussan Ley has signed a death warrant for the koalas that call this place home.

Greens Spokesperson for Communications Senator Sarah Hanson Young responded to the Morrison Government’s terms of reference for an investigation into Australia Post:

“This investigation is supposed to establish whether this publicly-owned essential service is acting in the best interests of its shareholder – the Australian taxpayer - and yet the enormous pay packets and bonuses pocketed by executives don’t get a mention in the terms of reference.

“No one working in the public service should be taking home multi-million-dollar salaries and paid bonuses.