Greens Industry spokesperson Adam Bandt MP today said the Australian auto industry has crashed because Labor and the Liberals have been asleep at the wheel. In February last year the Greens proposed a plan to allow new carmakers and component manufacturers to access the existing hundreds of millions of dollars allocated in the Automative Transformation Scheme if they were manufacturing vehicles or parts for electric or alternative fuel vehicles, or parts for renewables.  Neither Labor nor the Liberals supported the move.

Chair of the Senate Select Committee into the Scrutiny of Government Budget Measures and Greens Senator for Tasmania, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson, provides the following comments on the release of the Senate Inquiry Report into the CSIRO budget cuts.

Senator Whish-Wilson said, “What is clear from this entire debacle is that both the Australian Government and the CSIRO management has at no stage placed any value on the work being done by the CSIRO climate scientists.

Greens Senator for Tasmania and Chair of the Senate Select Committee into the Scrutiny of Government Budget Measures, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson, will use tomorrow’s hearing into CSIRO cuts to get to the bottom of the supposed final job loss numbers announced today.

Senator Whish-Wilson said, “Today’s announcement sounds like the Government has merely softened the blow for devastating job losses across the climate and environmental science functions within the CSIRO. The majority of the planned job losses will still go ahead.

Greens Senator for South Australia Robert Simms says Australian governments need to commit to using steel made in Australia for major infrastructure projects, to support the Australian steel industry and save workers' jobs.

It was reported today that structural steel made overseas has been used in the construction of South Australia's new Royal Adelaide Hospital.

The Australian Greens call on the Government to provide urgent mental health support to the Whyalla Community as part of any plan to assist in securing the future of the steel industry.

"My thoughts are with the 1100 steelworkers in Whyalla and 7000 across the country during this time of job insecurity. The Government needs to fight for this steelworks to continue operating to ensure Whyalla thrives into the future.

Greens Senator for South Australia Robert Simms is in Whyalla today attending a public hearing for the Senate Inquiry into the Future of Australia's Steel Industry.

"It is critical that steelworks like Arrium in Whyalla have the support they need to continue sustainable operations into the future. Arrium is a major employer in Whyalla and the loss of steelworks manufacturing here would be devastating for the community," Senator Simms said.

Australian Greens Senator for South Australia Robert Simms is calling on the Federal Government to back his bill currently before parliament to kick-start electric car production in SA, following news that hundreds of jobs will be lost from Holden in Adelaide's North.

"My thoughts are with Holden workers during this difficult time," Senator Simms said.

Australian Greens Senator for South Australia Robert Simms is calling on the Federal and South Australian governments to assist the mid-north of this state in transitioning to a clean energy future, providing jobs and security for the region, following the announcement that more than 1100 jobs are at risk in Whyalla.

Greens spokesperson for Antarctic issues Senator Whish-Wilson provides the following comments on the reported CSIRO job cuts:

“I am devastated to hear of the hundreds of jobs to be lost across CSIRO especially those 110 supposedly to be lost from the Oceans and Atmosphere division.

“The flagship for the Oceans and Atmosphere division is located in Battery Point, Hobart and is a critical component of Tasmania’s Antarctic and climate sector.

Australian Greens Leader Richard Di Natale was in the room to see Australia's Foreign Minister address the UN climate talks in Paris overnight, and says her message rung hollow.

"Minister Bishop can say the word 'innovation' as many times as she likes, but Australia isn't impressing anyone at the Paris climate talks," Senator Di Natale said.

"This conference is packed with the cleanest, most clever technology, but Australia is over here refusing to dump fossil fuel subsidies and pushing ahead with the Southern Hemisphere's largest coal mine in the Galilee Basin.