Following Energy Minister Angus Taylor’s announcement of a taskforce to consider propping up the Liddell coal-fired power station, Greens climate change and energy spokesperson, Adam Bandt MP, has vowed the Greens will block any public money being used to keep the coal-fired power station open longer. The station is scheduled for closure in 2022/23, but Minister Taylor this morning refused to rule out using public money to support Liddell and keep it open longer.
 
“The coal-loving bullies in the government are slowing down the transition to renewables,” said Mr Bandt.

Greens climate and energy spokesperson, Adam Bandt MP, has said the latest IPCC climate report released today is a giant SOS for our forests and land, particularly in Australia.
 
The IPCC’s Climate Change and Land: an IPCC special report on climate change, desertification, land degradation, sustainable land management, food security, and greenhouse gas fluxes in terrestrial ecosystems report released in Geneva says that reforestation, protection of forests and a shift away from unsustainable intensive farming systems is critical to solving the climate crisis.

Greens public sector spokesperson Adam Bandt has responded to the High Court’s decision in Comcare v Banerji, saying the law may need to change to ensure freedom of speech.
 
“The Greens are deeply concerned about the impacts of this decision,” said Mr Bandt.
 
“This threatens public servants’ ability to participate in modern life.
 
“Free speech must be protected and if we now have to change the law to ensure public servants can have a private life while still being apolitical at work, we should look at that. 

Australian Greens Senator and Education Spokesperson, Dr Mehreen Faruqi, has commented on reported details of university performance-based funding measures. Senator Faruqi is a former academic with the University of New South Wales. 

Senator Faruqi said:

“The Government’s plan to tie measly funding increases to misguided performance measures is just the latest episode in their storied history of undermining higher education in Australia. It is just another excuse to not fund higher education properly. 

Australian Greens climate change and energy spokesperson, Adam Bandt, responded today to the push from Federal Energy Minister, Angus Taylor, for Victoria to lift its onshore gas moratorium, saying more gas won’t fix Australia’s energy problems and will make climate change worse.
 
“While renewables are pulling electricity costs down, gas is driving costs up,”  said Mr Bandt.
 
“Lifting the fracking ban in Victoria will just see more gas sold offshore to the highest bidder while making global warming worse.”
 

Greens energy spokesperson Adam Bandt has responded to the announcement that Australia is looking to access millions of barrels of oil from the United States’ Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
 
“If we want to take real action on fuel security, we need to look past fossil fuels and instead get serious about embracing electric vehicles,” said Mr Bandt.
 
“Instead of acting to drive the shift to electric vehicles, the government spent the last election running a scare campaign.”
 

02/08/19

Greens energy spokesperson, Adam Bandt, responded to the announcement that AGL will submit to government pressure and keep Liddell power station open longer, saying the decision would make global warming worse. 

"The coal bullies in the governent are slowing down the transition to renewables," said Mr Bandt. 

"We're in record drought, the Arctic is burning and we should be phasing out coal, not forcing it to stay open longer." 

Australian Greens Senator and Spokesperson for Animal Welfare, Dr Mehreen Faruqi, has condemned the Government passing the Criminal Code Amendment (Agricultural Protection) Bill 2019 through the House of Representatives. The Bill is likely to be considered by the Senate at the next sitting in September.

Senator Faruqi said:

A bill to ban fracking and give farmers the right to say no to coal seam gas mining and fracking on their land was introduced to the Senate this afternoon for the sixth time by Greens mining and resources spokesperson and Co-Deputy Leader Senator Larissa Waters.

Senator Waters said:

“The Coaltion, led by the Energy Minister, is rolling out the red carpet for the gas industry and with Labor’s push to open up dirty natural gas drilling in the Galilee and Betaloo Basins there’s now even more urgency in giving farmers the right to say no.

Voting together, One Nation and the Liberal-National Government blocked the release of the Climate Change Action Strategy for the Foreign Aid Program.

The Motion

I move:

That there be laid on the table by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, by no later than 9.30 am on 1 August 2019, all draft and final versions, produced since July 2018, of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade's climate change action strategy for the foreign aid program.