Transcript

Subjects: Afghanistan, marriage equality public service job cuts, mining tax, sexism

The Australian Greens today expressed their sorrow at the recent loss of lives and called for a thorough investigation into improving safety at sea practices and clarifying rescue obligations in law.

"There must be an urgent investigation into the continued delays in responding to distress calls from asylum seeker boats" said Greens' spokesperson for immigration Senator Sarah Hanson-Young in Adelaide today.

The Australian Greens have called on the government to make reparations to Indonesian children wrongly imprisoned as adults and bring in urgent legislative safeguards to stop such injustices happening again, after Senator Hanson-Young participated in the Detention of Indonesian Minors in Australia Senate inquiry in Canberra today.

TRANSCRIPT

Subjects: mining, increasing the humanitarian intake, health of asylum seekers in detention, environmental protections, Tony Abbott

TRANSCRIPT

Subjects: Olympic Dam, MRRT, renewable energy, humanitarian intake

FRAN KELLY: Resources Minister Martin Ferguson has said again this morning the mining boom is over. Do you agree?

Amidst increasing calls to ensure government has sufficient revenue to pay for programs that care for people such as Gonski, Denticare and the National Disability Insurance Scheme, the Greens will introduce a Private Member's Bill to peg the level of Commonwealth rebates to companies at the July 1 2011 level of state royalties.

The Western Australian Government should not waste taxpayer's money on supporting the Fortescue Metals Group court challenge to the mining super profits tax, the Greens said today.

Senator for Western Australia Scott Ludlam said it would be outrageous if the Barnett Government used public resources to help FMG dodge the tax.

Speaking on Meet the Press today, Greens Deputy Leader Adam Bandt has said the Greens will move to scrap the royalty rebate contained in the mining tax legislation.

Mr Bandt said that the Greiner/Brumby review of the mining royalties has confirmed the inherently flawed nature of the government's royalty deal with the big miners. If the rebate was retained, it would put the Commonwealth's mining tax revenue at the mercy of the States, Mr Bandt said.

"We will move in Parliament as soon as possible to remove this unsustainable deal on royalties", Mr Bandt said.