Greens climate change and energy spokesperson and Acting Leader, Adam Bandt MP, today said that Angus Taylor’s apparent refusal to convene the COAG energy council is more evidence that this government does not care about climate action whatsoever.
 

The Greens have called for the process to select a nuclear waste site to be halted, and an independent, expert panel to take over, amid deep concerns about the sidelining of the community and Traditional Owners.

Australian Greens Senator and Housing Spokesperson, Dr Mehreen Faruqi, has called the Assistant Minister for Community Housing, Homelessness and Community Servicer, Luke Howarth MP, completely out of touch for his comments around putting a ‘positive spin’ to homelessness and housing stress.

Senator Faruqi said:

“Minister Howarth is completely out of touch if he thinks there is any way to positively spin the number of people who are homeless. What an incredibly insensitive gaffe.

The NSW Government has released the draft Greyhound Racing Regulation 2019, which will replace the Greyhound Racing Regulation 2018.

While we all want to see an end to the Greyhound racing industry, we must ensure that as many lives as possible are saved by enacting stricter regulations while this cruel activity is allowed to continue. The greyhound racing industry are trying to roll back even the modest animal welfare gains that have been put in place since the backflip.

The Greens have called for an immediate freeze on money for Murray-Darling water projects until the Auditor-General can review payments and water recovery.

I move:

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

(i) the Royal National Park in New South Wales has enormous heritage value, including being the first national park in Australia, as well as one of the first in the world, and

(ii) it has been six years since the Federal and New South Wales State Governments committed to nominating the Royal National Park for World Heritage status; and

Australian Greens Senator and Spokesperson for Education, Dr Mehreen Faruqi, has responded to today’s release of the 2018 Higher Education Accommodation and Financial Stress Survey that shows high levels of student financial and psychological distress.

The survey found:

The Greens have praised the South Australian Liberal government for continuing the state's leadership on the environment with a ban on single-use plastics. They will continue to work toward a ban on single-use plastics at a national level with a Bill to be introduced to the Senate.

The Australian Greens have today announced updated portfolios, as decided at Monday’s meeting of the Australian Greens Party Room.
 
“Someone needs to stand up against Scott Morrison’s regime of failed trickle-down economics, or we’ll end up living in a dog eat dog society like Trump’s America,” Opposition Leader Senator Di Natale said.
 

I’m honoured to be the new Greens spokesperson for International Development. As someone born in the Global South taking on this role, I am looking forward to bringing a new perspective.

Global poverty is the result of colonialism, structural inequalities, and grossly unfair neoliberal trade and debt systems. We must look at overseas aid as a global justice issue.

I am inspired by the words of Uruguayan author Eduardo Galeano, “Poverty is not written in the stars; underdevelopment is not one of God's mysterious designs”.