Australian Greens Senator for NSW, Dr Mehreen Faruqi, has said Labor and the Coalition have betrayed the Central Coast and Newcastle Community by voting down a Greens motion calling for genuine community consultation on Asset Energy’s plan to conduct seismic testing for gas.

I move:

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

   (i) Asset Energy and their project partners are planning to conduct further seismic testing for gas off the coast of Newcastle and the Central Coast in New South Wales,

   (ii) the Environmental Plan for the seismic testing is currently being developed and, once submitted, the community will have only 28 days to respond to the regulator, and

Greens Senator for South Australia and Spokesperson for the Environment Sarah Hanson-Young has welcomed the news Karoon Gas is relinquishing its exploration permit in the Great Australian Bight and called on Norwegian oil giant Equinor to do the same.

“Karoon pulling out of the Bight is a welcome and important move,” Senator Hanson-Young said.

“Turning the Bight into an oilfield will never get the green light from the community.

I move:

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

   (i) the Wallarah 2 Coal Project is a proposed longwall underground mining operation northwest of central Wyong on the New South Wales Central Coast,

   (ii) the proposed mine would produce 4 to 5 million tonnes per annum of thermal coal each year for 28 years, leading to more than 264 million tonnes of CO2 being released into the atmosphere, and

   (iii) the Wallarah 2 Coal Project poses a serious risk to the Central Coast's drinking water supply; and

The Australian Government’s push for liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a low-emissions fossil fuel has been exposed with a new report finding no evidence LNG  is any ‘cleaner’ than coal.

The Conservation Council of Western Australia’s Clean State report states an international review of LNG infrastructure found the threat to the climate from LNG is ‘as large or larger than coal’ when levels of methane emissions are included.

I, and also on behalf of Senator Waters, move: That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

        (i) the New South Wales Independent Planning Commission (the Commission) has rejected the development of the Bylong Valley coal mine near Mudgee in New South Wales, citing concerns about the long-lasting environmental, agricultural and heritage impacts of the proposed coal mine;

        (ii) the Commission raised serious concerns about the proposed mine, including groundwater contamination and the mine's contribution to climate change through greenhouse gas emissions; and

The Federal Environment Minister has again delayed the assessment of flora and fauna species’ threat status in a move that could determine the survival of these species, including the Australian Sea Lion, the Greens say.

The Environment Department’s website was quietly updated this week to show Minister Sussan Ley has granted extensions to 36 species currently being assessed for listing under the EPBC Act.

Greens Co-Deputy Leader Larissa Waters and Queensland Greens Member for Maiwar Michael Berkman have called on the Queensland Government to rule out a delayed royalty plan for Adani after the deadline for an agreement passed.

Greens Member for Maiwar Michael Berkman said: 
“This special deal for a coal billionaire is an immoral and stupid distraction. 

“Every day that Labor aren’t working on a detailed, well-funded transition plan for coal workers and coal towns is a day wasted. 

Greens Senator for South Australia Sarah Hanson-Young will tell Norwegian company Equinor, which plans to drill for oil in the Great Australian Bight, “you’re not welcome in SA” when she meets with representatives from the company in Adelaide today.

Senator Hanson-Young will also highlight the findings of The Australia Institute report released today, showing SA is unlikely to receive any noticeable benefit from tax payments as a result of oil and gas production in the Bight.

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.