Environmental protection key Greens focus this election

Lauren Edwards Greens' Cowper candidate

The Greens’ are putting protecting and restoring our environment front and centre for the 2019 election campaign.

“The Government would have you believe that we face a choice between our economy and our environment,” Leader of the Australian Greens, Dr Richard Di Natale said.

“But we all know that in the long-term a strong economy and thriving community depend on a safe environment and stable climate.

“Climate change and the environment should be at the centre of this election campaign but the other parties are offering little more than half-hearted, half-baked policies. The Greens are the only party with a comprehensive plan to protect our environment and save our threatened species,” Di Natale said.

Greens environment spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said: “Our environment is at breaking point. 
Australians are crying out for a solution to our extinction crisis, to clean up the plastics in our oceans and to act on climate. They have been ignored by the Labor and Liberal Parties, but the Greens will act.”

“Greens in the Senate will hold the Labor party to its promises on the environment. Real action on climate change, including stopping things like the Adani coal mine and stopping drilling in the Bight must play a key role in preserving our environment.

“Nearly 2,000 of Australia’s native species are facing extinction. The Greens have a plan to bring them back from the brink, and help our unique wildlife and landscapes thrive. The Greens’ Nature Fund will protect Australian flora and fauna from invasive species, create new safe havens for threatened mammals and properly fund the development of recovery plans for every species at risk.

“Under The Greens fully-costed plan, the big polluters are held responsible with a price on carbon, for the part their industries have played in the degradation of our environment. The Greens’ Nature Fund invests $2 billion a year to save our threatened species, like the koala and the Australian sea lion.

“It will create a workforce of more than 10,000 qualified environment managers, including scaling up the number of Indigenous Rangers. This will be the biggest investment in biodiversity and protecting nature in our nation’s history.

“We’ve seen millions of fish die in our Murray Darling Basin, we’ve had the first confirmed climate change extinction, while successive Governments have cut conservation funding and refuse to hold big polluters to account. We need to get down to the business of restoring ecosystems, addressing climate breakdown and making sure we leave a thriving planet.”


Wednesday, April 17, 2019