Intergenerational Report ignores global warming and must be rewritten by PBO
The Greens say the Abbott government has destroyed all credibility in the Intergenerational Report process by ignoring global warming and with partisan politics. The Greens will move in the Senate to require the Parliamentary Budget Office to rewrite this and all future reports.
"There's nothing new in this report and it ignored global warming. It is pure politics and utter rubbish," Greens Leader Christine Milne said.
"It must be rewritten by the independent Parliamentary Budget Office in order to restore credibility to the Intergenerational Report process.
"This is an election pamphlet, not a serious economic document. It is an insult to the intelligence of the parliament, the media and the public.
"Typical of the Coalition government's born-to-rule ‘we know better' attitude, Joe Hockey is treating Australians as children, trying to disguise politics and ideology as serious economics.
"The report tells us nothing. There is no actual information here. Journalists will emerge from a two-hour lock up with nothing to report on except focus group messaging and talking points.
"Pure spin, pure politics, utter rubbish," Senator Milne said.
At the next opportunity the Greens will move in the Senate to amend the Charter of Budget Honesty Act 1998 to require the Parliamentary Budget Office to rewrite the 2015 report and that all future intergenerational reporting be the statutory obligation of this independent body.
"Who knows, the PBO might even be able to deliver future reports on time," Senator Milne said.
Referral to Senate inquiry
"In the meantime, the Greens will seek to refer the report to a Senate inquiry to debunk its partisan claims."
Global warming ignored
"Global warming has been ignored. All that's here is a regurgitation of the government's current and almost non-existent global warming policy.
"The report supposedly looks forward to 2055, but in 50 years people will look back at this report in the same way we now look at tobacco industry's lies from the 1950s.
"Big polluters are making a lot of money out of global warming and the destruction that will come with it. This report says nothing about it.
"You can't have true intergenerational reporting without examining global warming and pollution from fossil fuels.
"You also can't just quarantine global warming to an environment section. Global warming will impact on everything from agriculture to public health and migration and population."
No new direction: blinkered to revenue opportunities
"If the report was supposed to provide new direction and purpose to a flailing Prime Minister and government, then Joe Hockey has seriously let down Tony Abbott.
"There is no new direction here, just spin and the same blinkered focus on protecting the big end of town that ultimately doomed the budget."
First Australians ignored
"Closing the gap is relegated to one paragraph. The First Australians have been ignored, again. What a sad reflection on this narrow-minded and mean-spirited government."
