I rise to speak to the Australian Greens Fair Work Amendment (COVID-19) Bill 2020 that I introduced in the Senate during the last sitting. This bill will protect all workers during the crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic. We are living through unprecedented times—I don't know how many people have said that or how many times, but it is true: COVID-19 is drastically changing our way of life. This is a global health crisis with no-one left untouched by its impacts. This is a difficult time for all of us, there's no doubt. This is a strange time. This is not a normal time.

Tasmanian Greens Senator Peter Whish-Wilson today calls on the federal Environment Minister Sussan Ley not to weaken environmental conditions that protect Tasmanian devils for the benefit of mining company Venture Minerals. This comes as peaceful protesters disrupt mining activities at the controversial re-opening of the Riley Creek Mine in the Tarkine. 

“I have formally written to Sussan Ley to ask why she is considering weakening federal environmental protections at the request of a mining company. 

172,000 tourism businesses across Australia are just two weeks away from going bust, the Covid19 Senate Committee has heard today, prompting the Greens to call on National Cabinet to come up with an urgent plan for the tourism industry including a cash injection and national approach to border restrictions.

Greens Spokesperson for Tourism Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said:

With the Liberals needing Senate support for their plans to slash JobKeeper payments to low-income earners, the Australian Greens have described Labor’s approach to JobKeeper cuts as two-faced, urging Labor to stop playing double games and instead fully abandon the opposition's plans to support the Liberals' cuts.

Australian Greens Education spokesperson Senator Mehreen Faruqi has said the federal government’s move to punish students who struggle to find their feet at university is all about saving money, and nothing to do with ‘putting students’ interests first’.

Senator Faruqi said:

“There’s no doubt some students struggle at university, but choosing to punish rather than support them makes no sense.

Despite the conduct of politicians having declined year on year and public confidence in democracy bottoming out, both major parties have rejected the need for binding, independently enforced parliamentary standards proposed by the Greens.
 
Responding to today’s bipartisan recommendation of the Finance and Public Administration Legislation Committee to oppose the Greens Parliamentary Standards Bill introduced in October 2019, Greens Leader in the Senate and spokesperson on democracy, Senator Larissa Waters said:
 

Wednesday 12 August 2020

Australian Greens Youth spokesperson, and Australia's youngest Senator, Jordon Steele-John has called for greater engagement with young people to help shape our recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Today is International Youth Day and the theme for 2020 is Youth Engagement for Global Action, which seeks to highlight the need for greater engagement with young people to enhance formal institutional politics and process at the local, national and global level.

Greens Healthy Oceans spokesperson, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson, today comments on an inquiry hearing in which Tasmanian and Victorian fishermen describe 'troubling times' as their industry struggles in the aftermath of seismic testing by the oil and gas industry.

"What we heard today is that consultation processes have broken down, compensation schemes are still to be enforced, testing permit terms are set by the oil and gas companies themselves and there are huge gaps in research.

Australian Greens Education spokesperson Senator Mehreen Faruqi has said that the government is hopelessly divided on the Job-ready Graduates Package, with the Minister for Regional Education today publishing a statement referring to a “glaring and potentially detrimental design flaw” of the package. Senator Faruqi has also criticised the six day time period allowed for public consultation.

Senator Faruqi said:

“Andrew Gee is right. These enormous fee hikes will harm regional students and don’t serve the interests of regional communities.