I move: That the Senate— (a) notes that:

(i)   today is the 15th annual International Overdose Awareness Day, commemorating all those who have died or been seriously injured due to drug overdose, and

(ii)   six people lose their lives to preventable overdose in Australia each day; and

(b) calls on the Government to address the rising rates of harm associated with drug use by implementing and appropriately resourcing evidence-based harm reduction policies, including:

I begin by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land that we are meeting on, the Ngunawal people, and I want to pay my respects to their elders past and present. I want to acknowledge that their land was stolen and never ceded, and I look forward to a respectful dialogue in the 45th Parliament to achieve a just settlement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in this country.

Our Constitution says:

… the Senate shall have equal power with the House of Representatives in respect of all proposed laws.

Australian Greens Leader Dr Richard Di Natale has restated his party's intention to introduce laws to enable dying with dignity, in light of the police investigation into a Perth GP.

"Around Australia people overwhelmingly support the right of terminally ill people to end their lives on their own terms, and the law should reflect that," said Senator Di Natale, himself a former GP.

The Greens are calling on the Federal Government to support personal importation of an HIV 'wonder drug' that has just been denied listing on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, to protect those who are most at risk.

"We simply cannot leave Australians at unnecessary risk, when this drug gives us the chance to end HIV transmission in Australia," said Greens Leader Dr Richard Di Natale, a former public health specialist who has worked on HIV prevention in India.

Greens Leader Dr Richard Di Natale has attended the unveiling of Andrew Denton's new organisation Go Gentle Australia, and has committed to introducing Australia's first ever national Dying with Dignity laws during the upcoming term of parliament.

"Dying with dignity is a social justice issue, it's a human rights issue, it's a public health issue and it should not be pushed to the political margins," Senator Di Natale said.

"I welcome Andrew Denton's campaign to bring the need for euthanasia reforms into the spotlight.

With just four days left to vote, the Greens are calling on Bill Shorten not to cut Medicare-funded dental care and the Australian Renewable Energy Agency.

"Labor is walking away from two of the most significant achievements that the Greens helped negotiate during our time in multiparty government," said Greens Leader Richard Di Natale.

"10 weeks ago Bill Shorten was calling the Coalition's proposed changes to dental care a 'hoax' and 'the equivalent of cutting Medicare', but now Labor is joining with the Coalition to cut it.

Australian Greens Leader Richard Di Natale was joined by former leader Bob Brown and the Greens candidate for Melbourne Ports today to announce the Greens' plan for national Dying with Dignity laws.

"The Australian Greens are today announcing our commitment to introduce the first ever national Dying with Dignity laws during the next term of parliament," said Senator Di Natale.

Leader of the Australian Greens Dr Richard Di Natale has announced a new tax on sugary sweetened beverages to help tackle Australia's obesity epidemic.

"We have a major health crisis on our hands with over a quarter of Australian adults and children overweight or obese," said Senator Di Natale who was a general practitioner and public health specialist before he entered politics.

30% of the added sugar kids consume comes from sweetened drinks, contributing to weight gain and a risk of diabetes, in particular for kids.

“Conversations about dying can be difficult, but it’s something we will all have to face. Good palliative care can ensure we receive the care we want. The Greens will work to improve the palliative care system, so that individuals, carers and their families have the right support.

Speaking at a conference in Sydney this afternoon, Australian Greens Leader Dr Richard Di Natale announced a Harm Reduction Innovation Fund to invest in practices that reduce and prevent the harm caused by illicit drugs.

"The old ways of dealing with Australia's longstanding illicit drug issue just don't work. We need to look beyond simply locking people up, to create clever, innovative ways to solve Australia's drug crisis."