Video: "You don't beat the Conservatives by adopting their policies," says Richard Di Natale | Insiders

Greens Leader Richard Di Natale responds to criticism that his opening address at the Greens conference spent too much time critiquing the Labor Party.

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Greens the real opposition as tax cuts pass

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Money for Murray-Darling must be frozen

River Murray

The Greens have called for an immediate freeze on money for Murray-Darling water projects until the Auditor-General can review payments and water recovery.
"Tonight's Four Corners shows the rorting of taxpayer funds for the benefit of big business is not a thing of the past - it's still happening. And it continues to harm rather than fix our most important river system," Greens water spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.

Liberals, Nationals and UAP cannot be trusted with our future

Threatened Koala in Cowper

Scott Morrison has been caught out spruiking his party's non-existent legislation on solving the extinction crisis. He does not deserve another term of Government, the Greens say.
"Scott Morrison has been caught out trying to mask the Government's inaction on the extinction crisis. The legislation he claims addressed the serious warnings outlined in the UN's biodiversity report this week does not exist," Greens environment and biodiversity spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.

Close The Camps: Adam Bandt

Will you be at the

 Rally for Refugees

Saturday MAY11
11:00

Jetty Foreshores, Coffs Harbour

"All of us, including people who are fleeing persecution or war-torn countries, have a right to live free from danger, to be treated with dignity and compassion and to be given help when we need it.


 

Australians are compassionate and fair. Looking out for others is at the very core of who we are.

 

Close The Camps

But our values are being betrayed by both the major parties, who, in an attempt to win your vote, have spent years locking up women, men and children in indefinite detention, 
separating families who have turned to Australia for help.


Labor created offshore indefinite detention and the Liberals doubled-down on it. Both the Labor Party and the Liberals support the detention of people in deliberately cruel and torturous conditions. They support turning around boats at sea and returning people to face persecution. People have died, been assaulted and endured psychological torment because of the choices of the old parties. Labor and the 

Liberals (and Nationals) have refused to act with basic humanity and compassion and people who need our help are suffering.

The Greens are the only party to have always stood against indefinite offshore detention.

You can read about our plan in detail here.
 

If you haven’t already, please support our plan to close the camps and please add your name to our campaign here.

Close the Camps

Can you also share the campaign on Facebook and Twitter?

Share on Facebook

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The Manus Island and Nauru detention centres must be closed, and every single man, woman and child detained there should be brought to Australia.

 
 With Bill Shorten on track to become Australia’s next Prime Minister, now is our chance to send a strong message that Australians want to see the Labor Party adopt a more compassionate approach to refugees and commit to closing the camps.


If we could close Manus and Nauru and bring these people here, we would. We need to kick out the conservatives, but we also need Labor to change. The next two weeks is our chance to show Labor that there’s only one decision they can make - ending offshore detention.  



Our plan will create a system that fairly and quickly helps people find safety, rebuild their lives with dignity and doesn’t punish them for seeking our help. 

Chip in $25

Adam

Greens Cowper candidate challenges parties’ climate policy statements

As a passionate believer in the need to take urgent and effective action to mitigate the worst effects of global heating, I despair at the climate action policies of the older federal parties.

 

Unlike Labor, The Greens won’t be claiming a strong climate action policy while promising a 1.5 billion spend on mining methane gas and not to review the Adani coal mine’s massive water allocation. Fossil fuels need to be left in the ground and mining employees should be transitioned to renewable industries which deliver more jobs not just promises of jobs.

The Greens won’t be effectively cutting climate action funding as the Morrison-McCormack government plans to do. The Liberal Party-National Party Coalition still has many climate change deniers hampering real action by those of its members who realise that climate change is real and deadly.

The United Australia Party hardly references climate change and has done a deal to preference the Liberal-National party coalition and its weak climate policies.

The Greens have a strong, detailed climate action policy that will deliver economic growth, retraining and jobs in renewable industries and a massive reduction in carbon emissions.

Cowper Division is one of the poorest electorates in Australia and will greatly benefit from The Greens approach to tackling the catastrophic effects of rampant climate change. Our coastal cities, towns, infrastructure and farms are vulnerable to sea level rise. Our forests and towns vulnerable to fiercer bush fires. Our water supply is dependent on flourishing, unlogged forests. Our agriculture is dependent on a stable climate.

The larger political parties promise a more prosperous economy, tax concessions, new hospitals, jobs and roads but by falsely claiming strong climate action all their promises will eventually come to nothing because of the massive economic impact of climate change. 

It will be our children that will suffer the most. 

Voters should vote Greens 1 but know their second and third vote matters.  A Greens Vote in the Senate will be essential to prevent climate denying senators from sabotaging real, effective climate action."

April 29, 2019

See also Lauren's Home Page 

It’s time to take our democracy back.

Clean up Australian politics

The Liberal, National and Labor parties have taken over $100 million from big corporations since 2012. 

They're incapable of delivering a better future for all of us because they are beholden to the property developers, big banks, and mining giants that hand them donations in return for secret meetings and favourable decisions worth billions, with no transparency or accountability.

Even the politicians get cushy lobbyist jobs when they leave parliament. Everybody wins! Except you.

It’s time to take our democracy back. The Greens will return integrity to politics, hold politicians and parties to account to ensure policies benefit all of us, not just those who can pay for a seat at the table.

Our Plan:

Ban political donations
We'll ban political donations from mining, property development, tobacco, alcohol, banking, defence, pharmaceutical and gambling industries, and limit all other donations to $1,000 per year. Until those bans and caps are in place, we’d ensure all donations above $1,000 are reported to the public in close to real time.

Shine a light on shady lobbying
We’ll ban MPs from becoming industry lobbyists after they retire, and make details of meetings between industry lobbyists and politicians publicly available.

Investigate and expose corruption
Root out corruption by creating a federal anti-corruption commission to investigate and prosecute politicians when they do the wrong thing. 

Defend democracy
We'll protect the rights of community groups, charities and not-for-profits to speak out about government policy, and be advocates for their communities.

From: greens.org.au

Back off Barnaby - National Party Woes

Darling Riverbed

Barnaby Joyce should be blaming his party's consistent backing of corporate cotton for his electoral woes, not water flowing into South Australia, the Greens say.

"Barnaby Joyce and the Nationals will defend their corporate cotton grower mates to the bitter end. They only have themselves to blame for their NSW election blowout, as much as they want to pin it on South Australia," Greens water and environment spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.

Taxpayer money wasted on failed water efficiency projects

The ANU scientific report into water efficiency infrastructure is another piece of scathing evidence showing the Murray Darling Basin Plan is failing, the Greens say.

"Billions of dollars that was meant to be spent saving the River has instead been handed to big irrigators and has left the environment in collapse. This report from the ANU is yet more evidence that the Plan to save the river is not working," Greens environment and water spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.

LNP fails Murray Darling Basin

A dry Darling River

The Liberal National Government has shamefully stopped the Senate from delivering vital water back to the Murray Darling Basin today.
"The Liberal National Government's refusal to lift the freeze on water buybacks is another nail in the coffin for our precious River. On day one of Parliament we could have done something to help our River, instead the Liberal National Party has failed it again," Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.

GREENS CRANKY IT'S TAKEN YEARS FOR NATIONALS TO REMOVE DAM PROPOSAL OFF THE TABLE IN CENTRAL WEST

Jeremy Buckingham MLC on Darling River bed

NSW Greens Rural Water spokesperson Jeremy Buckingham has welcomed the NSW Nationals caving into Greens and community pressure and taking the proposal for a dam at Cranky Rock off the table.
Mr Buckingham said the decision, made five months out from a tight State election, confirms the Greens' suspicion that the original Needles Dam and the Cranky Rock alternative were nothing more than 'back of the beer coaster' proposals.

Liberal and Nationals fail our NSW forests

Climate Council says Australia's greenhouse gas emissions rising

Dr Martin Rice
Acting CEO and Head of Research

Last Friday night, the Federal Department of Environment and Energy discreetly released news that deserved front page attention: 
 Australia’s greenhouse gas pollution levels have risen yet again. Worse, this is the third year running.

NSW Government delays crucial action to secure emergency water supply for Lower Darling River

NSW Greens Regional Water spokesperson Jeremy Buckingham today introduced a motion bringing the NSW Parliament's attention to the current dire state of the Lower Darling River and called for urgent action.

The NSW Government wrote to grazier Rob McBride promising that it would install two block banks on the lower Darling River. The letter states "...the NSW Government will fund the construction of an additional two block banks on the Darling River between Menindee and Pooncarie".

Gold plated roads in the city means regions miss out

Tamara Smith MP

The NSW Nationals have abandoned rural voters, with announcements this week that just $50 million will be spent on fixing blackspots on rural roads this year, while a mind boggling $16.8 billion will be spent on Westconnex in Sydney, according to Greens MPs.

Jenny Leong, Member for Newtown said that: “City voters don’t even want Westconnex. Our office has been inundated with phone calls, emails and submissions opposing WestConnex and the extension to their airport.

“We wish this exorbitant waste of money could be spent where it’s needed - saving lives on country roads.

“WestConnex is less than 40km of road but is costing an eye-watering $16.8 billion. What are they going to do, pave the road in gold?,” Ms Leong said.

In contrast, the Government announced recently it is spending just $50 million this year on road safety in rural areas.

Member for Ballina, Tamara Smith said, “It beggars belief that a Nationals Road Minister would spend more money on a kilometre of road in Sydney than on fixing blackspots in the regions.

“People are dying on our roads but The Nationals have funnelled billions into inner city roads, and abandoned the regions.

“Regional people represent a third of the population but nearly 70 per cent of the road toll according to government figures – isn’t it time the regions got the funding they need to reduce this horrendous imbalance?,” said Ms Smith.

 

Ombudsman report damns water compliance performance

NSW Greens water spokesman Jeremy Buckingham said today's Ombudsman's report Water: Compliance and Enforcement once again details how the NSW government downgraded and neglected water compliance until 4 Corners exposed its failures in July 2017. He backed the Ombudsman's recommendation that the rollout of meters for water users be fast-tracked to be completed before the current target date of 2023.

Brisbane Times: Nationals face loss of second north coast seat, poll shows

The Nationals are set to lose the north coast seat of Lismore at the next NSW election, polling suggests, compounding the party's loss of neighbouring Ballina to the Greens in 2015.

A ReachTel poll shows the Nationals primary vote at 32.8 per cent, Labor on 23.9 per cent and the Greens on 22 per cent. One Nation is on 6.8 per cent, others on 5.6 per cent and nine per cent are undecided.

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Greens condemn National Party attempts to revive River Red Gum logging industry

"Once again the National Party have shown that they are more concerned about 'logs for their mates' than protecting our precious River Red Gum Forests that are home to countless plant and animal species" said Greens MP and Forestry spokesperson, Dawn Walker.

"Former NSW Premier, Bob Carr previously described logging of River Red Gum Forests as 'vandalism' and it's clearly a sign of pure desperation that the Nationals candidate for Murray has caved in to the Shooters and Fishers Party by declaring support for reviving the destructive and unnecessary River Red Gum logging industry.

"Comments by National Party MPs in Parliament last week, including Minister Melinda Pavey who said that River Red Gums 'deserve to be a part of Australia's floorboards, cupboards and furniture' show why the NSW Government has absolutely no credibility when it comes to environmental issues.

Nationals should name locations for nutty nuclear power plant plan

The Greens NSW Energy spokesperson Jeremy Buckingham today slammed the National Party and NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro for raising the prospect of a nuclear power plant in NSW saying renewable energy is safer, cheaper, and more effective at combatting climate change.

“I challenge John Barilaro and Gladys Berejiklian to name which electorate, which suburb and which town in NSW they think a nuclear power plant should be built in,” Greens MP Jeremy Buckingham said.

“They also need to come clean with where they are planning to have a nuclear waste dump to manage the highly radioactive waste fuel that will be produced.

NSW Liberals and Nationals Refuse to Rule Out Preferencing One Nation

The NSW Liberals and Nationals have objected to a Greens NSW motion in the NSW Legislative Council calling on all parties to rule out preference deals with One Nation at the 2019 State election. Greens NSW MP and Multiculturalism Spokesperson, Dr Mehreen Faruqi MLC, has said that this is a worrying sign that the Liberals may do a deal with the far right party.

Dr Faruqi said:

“Today, the NSW Government had an opportunity to stand up against racism and bigotry but they chose not to.

“For the NSW Government to object to my motion calling on all parties to rule our preference deals with One Nation is a worrying sign that they may be prepared to sell out multicultural Australia by doing backroom deals.

Video: We need a National Integrity Commission - Scott Ludlam

The Greens have continued and continued and continued to call for a national integrity commission to tackle federal corruption. Labor, The Liberals and the National Party continue to block its establishment. We need a national ICAC.