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.

Greens Industrial Relations spokesperson Adam Bandt MP today joined Greens candidate for Grayndler Jim Casey to announce that the Greens will legislate to protect penalty rates. The Fair Work Commission is expected to make a decision about whether to cut Sunday penalty rates for retail and hospitality workers in the coming months.

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.

First, let me make an apology. I want to apologise to all the people who are listening on broadcast right now who have had to endure 20 minutes of vitriol, of nonsense from the Labor Party. The Labor Party are intent on frustrating the business of this parliament. We get that we have a Labor Party who are torn and divided over the issue of electoral reform. We understand that. We understand there is a big tussle going on at the moment within the Labor Party—there are those people who support electoral reform and those people who do not. That is a legitimate position to take.

It's of little surprise that Australia's business heavy weights have joined the Liberal Party's political attack on trade unions, said Greens NSW Senator Lee Rhiannon.

"Reports that big wigs at an elite corporate event, the KPMG Couta Boat Classic, condemned unions are to be expected," Senator Rhiannon said.

"Many corporate CEOs back the Turnbull-Abbott government attacks on unions in the hope that it will help them bring in bigger profits.