The Greens spokesperson on gambling, Senator Andrew Bartlett has called the federal government hypocrites who are using pokie addiction as an excuse to attack people on welfare, while refusing to stand up to the billion-dollar, predatory gambling industry.

“We have silence from the government following revelations that Woolworths tells their staff to spy on patrons, gathering personal information in order to trick them into putting more money into pokies.

It is deeply disappointing that the majority of senators have turned their backs on vulnerable Australians by voting down a motion calling for the phasing out of poker machines in pubs and clubs, the Australian Greens say.

“With hundreds of thousands of Australians at risk of harmful gambling addiction, it’s a travesty that senators, excluding the Nick Xenophon Team, have voted down a Greens’ motion to tackle predatory gambling.

The Australian Greens have slammed the Turnbull Government for allowing loopholes that gets Foxtel out of a blanket ban on playing gambling advertising during live sports, and broadcasters playing gambling ads during pre-game entertainment.

“Last year, the Government claimed they’d struck a deal with broadcasters to ban gambling ads during sport broadcasts. We now see the legislation to enforce this shows not all broadcasters are treated equally,” Greens media spokesperson Senator Hanson-Young said.

Peter Dutton's latest potshot at the judiciary shows an alarming contempt for the rule of law, Greens Justice spokesperson Senator Nick McKim says.

"Dutton's suggestion of 'public reflection' is a step towards the direct election of judges - an alarming proposition for someone with as much unchecked power as him."

"Judges and magistrates should be independent experts in the law, not populist politicians."

"This is a dangerous erosion of the rule of law, and Malcolm Turnbull should finally bring his out of control minister to heel."

The Greens share the deep concerns of civil liberties groups and media organisations about the scale and scope of the Government's foreign interference and espionage laws.

"This legislation risks criminalising a wide range of actions which are not only legitimate, but for the common good," Greens Justice spokesperson Senator Nick McKim said.

“These include medical and other academic research and public interest journalism.”

QLD Labor hoodwinking Cairns community over secretive $1bn waterfront development proposal

QLD Labor are hosting their farcical community consultation pop-up shop over the holiday break as a deliberate plot to strip the people of Cairns their right to have a say in the future of their own community.

The local community has a right to a fair and transparent consultation on the future of their city, yet as her first act as Minister for Tourism, Kate Jones will be pulling the wool over their eyes.

The government's ratification of the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment is welcome but the inspection regime must include Australia's offshore detention system, Greens Justice Spokesperson Nick McKim says.

"The government's decision to ratify OPCAT is an important and welcome human rights decision," Senator McKim said.

"It has the potential to improve conditions in, and oversight of, prisons and places of detention across Australia."

Queensland Greens Senator Andrew Bartlett has welcomed the decision of a Federal Court Judge in Brisbane today not to jail six Queensland residents who engaged in peaceful protests at the Pine Gap Military Base.

The Federal government and Attorney-General George Brandis tried to escalate their charges using a draconian Cold War era law and urged the Judge to jail the protestors.

"Today marks a failed attempt by the Attorney-General and the Federal government to stifle the Pine Gap protestors' freedom of speech and freedom to express their religious beliefs.

Labor and Liberal leaders have abjectly failed to make the case for today’s COAG decision to sign away yet another tranche of hard-won rights and freedoms, Greens Justice spokesperson Nick McKim says.

“Police and security agencies already have abundant powers to do their job and to arrest, interview and charge suspects,” Senator McKim said.

“The rights that the Labor and Liberal parties have eroded today are a crucial part of what set Australia apart from authoritarian regimes."