(15:46):

I move:

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

(i) the New South Wales Liberal-National Government has granted amnesty to hundreds of farmers who cleared land illegally before the disastrous new land clearing laws came into effect; figures show land clearing rates more than doubled in the year prior to the introduction of new laws and tripled in the year after,

(ii) the decision comes after big cotton farms used their influence on the NSW Minister for Energy and Environment and the Minister for Agriculture to lobby for prosecutions to be dropped,

The Australian Greens condemn in the strongest possible terms Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s announcement that he plans to annex nearly a third of the Occupied West Bank should he win the Israeli election next week, said Leader of the Australian Greens Dr Richard Di Natale.

“Should Netanyahu have the opportunity to proceed with this plan, it will annihilate the peace process. This announcement is devastating for the Palestinian people, and for Israelis who want to live in a peaceful democratic state,” Di Natale said.

I rise to speak on the Criminal Code Amendment (Agricultural Protection) Bill 2019, which should really be called the 'ag gag bill'. Let's have no doubt that this is nothing but an 'ag gag bill'. The Greens will be opposing this bill because it is a terrible and unnecessary piece of legislation. You lot seem to have completely missed the fact that almost every state and territory already has trespass and incitement laws. On first reading, you can tell that this bill is just the government's embarrassing and poorly thought-out kneejerk reaction to a handful of incidents.

Federal Members of the crossbench in the House of Representatives will join with John Hewson AM, former Liberal leader, to call on the Parliament to declare a climate emergency, with MPs and Senators exercising a free vote so that the motion can pass. 
 

Imagine seven million people in a landlocked valley confined to their homes, their phones dead and their internet blocked. They're up against the nationalist government of a mighty power, its army, and its media. Imagine that, and you get a small sense of the crushing injustice of the situation in Kashmir—the crushing helplessness; the frightening reality that is everyday life for Kashmiris.

Senator FARUQI (New South Wales) (18:47): I seek leave to table a document.

The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Leave is not given, Senator Faruqi. If you can just give a brief outline of what the document is and circulate it—yes, Minister?

Senator Seselja: We haven't seen this document.

Senator Siewert: Yes, you have.

Senator Seselja: Well, I haven't, and the leader hasn't.

Senator Siewert: The whip has.

Senator Seselja: Until we know what it is, the usual courtesies—

Senator Siewert: We have shown you—

I rise to speak to this matter of utmost urgency. The climate collapse our world is experiencing is a threat like no other. The Australian government's inaction in the face of this is nothing short of criminal. A little more than a week into spring, unprecedented fires are raging in New South Wales and Queensland, destroying our rainforests, habitats and homes. Inaction on this climate crisis has put one million of the world's species at risk of extinction. In Australia, the Murray-Darling is close to the brink of collapse.

I move:

That the Senate—

(a) notes that the first week of September was Early Learning Matters Week, which highlights how early childhood education supports the well-being of our children, families and society; and

(b) supports a well-resourced and accessibly early childhood education system with professional pay for staff.

HANSARD LINK

The Greens have called for an urgent moratorium on water barons and non-water users buying up water while the Murray-Darling Basin remains in crisis and farmers and communities fear more mass fish-deaths this summer.

Senator Mehreen Faruqi, the Greens’ Spokesperson for Animal Welfare, has welcomed the Government’s decision to adopt Greens’ amendments to the Inspector-General of Live Animal Exports bill 2019. The amendments insert a much needed focus on animal welfare into the bill, which had previously been completely missing.

The amendments change the objects of the Act to introduce a requirement to consider animal welfare and amend clause 10 of the bill to specifically provide that the Inspector-General must consider the welfare of animals as part of their reviews.