With the news overnight that Julian Assange has been denied bail, Greens Foreign Affairs spokesperson Senator Janet Rice has called on Prime Minister Morrison to act to ensure his wellbeing, and signalled that she will seek to involve the Australian Senate to act on his behalf.

Senator Rice said:

“I call on Mr Morrison to show some courage and pick up the phone to speak directly to both UK Prime Minister Boris Johnston to ensure Mr Assange’s wellbeing; and to US President-elect Joe Biden to drop the charges against him.

Greens Leader, Adam Bandt, says there is no excuse for the Morrison government to do anything other than provide an Australian citizen safe passage home, with assurances that he can live and work here freely.

“It’s time for Scott Morrison to fight for an Australian citizen whose work exposing war crimes has subjected him to an extraordinary campaign of persecution from the United States,” Bandt said.

“Australia’s meek pandering to the Pentagon on the rights of one of our citizens reflects poorly on our sovereignty and diplomatic independence.

Greens Leader, Adam Bandt, says Australia is now the only OECD country to rule out raising its 2030 emissions target, as the Morrison government’s climate policy doesn’t just put lives at risk but damages Australia’s international standing and reputation too. 

With the events of the weekend and the UN Climate Ambition Summit, 31 of the 37 members of the OECD have now committed to raising their 2030 climate ambition. Of the six remaining, only Australia has ruled out raising its 2030 target.

The Greens have today called on Scott Morrison to apologise to Australia’s wine growers and other producers, saying Morrison’s mistaken decision to align himself so closely with Donald Trump has contributed to rising tensions with the Chinese government.

With the Prime Minister now on the defensive, it appears that Morrison is starting to acknowledge his approach has failed. 

Lines from Leader of the Australian Greens, Adam Bandt MP:

Exclude universities from the legislation

I move:

(1) Clause 7, page 9 (lines 6 and 7), omit paragraph (7) (e).

(2) Clause 7, page 9 (after line 12), after paragraph (h), insert:

(ha) a university established by, or under, a law of a State or a Territory; or

(3) Clause 10, page 11 (line 28), omit "paragraph 7(d), (e) or (f)", substitute "paragraph 7(d) or (f)".

Australian Greens Peace spokesperson Senator Jordon Steele-John has called for General's Campbell and Burr to resign to enable the recommendations of the Afghan Inquiry to be implemented free from any actual or perceived conflicts of interest, and facilitate ongoing investigations by the Australian Federal Police.

I rise to speak to the Australia's Foreign Relations (State and Territory Arrangements) Bill 2020. The Greens will be opposing this ill-thought-out overreach by the government, which comes before us after a rushed and insufficient consultation process. Senator Rice's contribution and dissenting report to the limited inquiry into this legislation reflect the broader terminal issues with this legislation. I want to highlight the impact it will have on the work of our universities.

Leader of the Australian Greens, Adam Bandt MP, and Australian Greens Peace Spokesperson, Senator Jordon Steele-John, will in the next sitting week of Parliament move a bill to require Parliamentary approval before Australian troops are sent to war. 

The release of the Brereton Inquiry into alleged war crimes committed by Australian SAS soldiers shows the importance of accountability over the decision to both deploy troops and their actions while overseas, the Greens say.

Australian Greens Peace and Disarmament spokesperson Senator Jordon Steele-John said there was no question now that Australian special forces committed war crimes in Afghanistan that are the result of a toxic warrior culture, facilitated by failures within the chain of command.

“The crimes outlined in the Brereton report - even in the limited detail we’ve been given so far - are horrendous and shameful,” Steele-John said.