Category: Australian News

The report of the Senate inquiry into the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) has been marred by the revelations that vested interests including RoundUp patent holder Bayer and industry body CropLife have collectively donated $139,000 to the Labor, Liberal and National parties in the 2017-18 financial year, say the Australian Greens.
“Exactly a year ago Bayer made a $22,000 donation to the Labor party and today, the Labor-controlled committee for the APVMA inquiry report states they have confidence in the APVMA’s review of glyphosate,” said Senator Janet Rice, Australian Greens agriculture spokesperson.
“The report calls the APVMA’s review of glyphosate ‘robust’, even though the agency decided not to conduct a formal reconsideration of the chemical despite the APVMA’s CEO agreeing that glyphosate is a probable carcinogen.”
“The ad-hoc nature of our current regime for chemical review, as demonstrated by the approach of the APVMA to community concerns about glyphosate, is clearly not up to the task of keeping our community and environment safe.”
“It’s also clear from the donations data released today that the independence of this Senate inquiry and indeed the APVMA is under a cloud.”
“We need donations reform right now, to ensure that big business can’t continue to shape outcomes at the expense of the best interests of the Australian people.”
“The Greens are calling on the Coalition government to immediately order an independent, transparent and science-based inquiry into glyphosate to give Australians certainty about its safety, and call on Bayer to release all internal science. We are also calling on the government to immediately introduce legislation to reinstate the APVMA re-approvaland re-registration scheme that was repealed in 2014.”
In the 2017-18 financial year, Bayer donated $40,600 to Labor and $42,540 to the Coalition, with CropLife donating $34,271 to Labor and $22,300 to the Coalition. Information can be found here.
The committee’s final report, including the Greens dissenting report, can be found here.

The political donations data released today revealing massive corporate donations to the major parties shows our democracy is for sale and donations reform is desperately needed, Greens democracy spokesperson Senator Larissa Waters said.
“Today’s data again shows the major parties are owned by the mining, gambling, alcohol, property and banking industries,” Senator Waters said.
“Just in the last financial year the major political parties have taken more than  a million dollars from the fossil fuel industry, almost two million from the gambling and alcohol industry, and tens of millions from the big banks.
“Millions of dollars of corporate donations have flowed from infamous companies like Adani ($50k), Santos ($182k), Woodside ($237k), and Tabcorp ($218k), and industry associations like the AHA ($1.09m).
“It’s no wonder we still have lax corporate taxation laws, tax subsidies for fossil fuel companies and no plan to transition to clean energy, no limits on predatory gambling, and alcohol advertising dominating our sports events.
“Millions from the big mining and gas companies is why we don’t have action on climate change despite having have just had the hottest month on record in Australia, flooding in Far North Queensland right now, and catastrophic bushfires in Tasmania.
“In the last six years there’s been more than $100 million in corporate donations to the big parties, and today’s data further increases that.
“Today’s data is just the tip of the iceberg with the millions of dollars donated since July 2018 remaining secret for 12 more months – well after the next federal election.
“The lack of transparency perpetuates a system where politicians represent their corporate donors, instead of representing the community and improving people’s lives.
“To add insult to injury, a third of all corporations didn’t pay tax last year – yet many could afford to donate generously to political parties.
“Our democracy is broken. We need to get the influence of big money out and start restoring integrity into our parliament.”
The Greens today announced their plan to clean up politics which includes:

• banning political donations from mining, property development, tobacco, alcohol, gambling, banking, defence and pharmaceutical industries;
• putting a cap on all other donations of $1000 a year;
• until those bans and caps are in place, making sure every donation over $1000 is listed publicly and disclosed in close to real-time;
• banning donations splitting and all donations from foreign entities;
• stopping all MPs from accepting lobbying jobs for five years after they retire, where a conflict of interest may arise;
• requiring politicians to tell the public when and why they meet with lobbyists;
• establishing a strong, independent federal anti-corruption commission to investigate politicians and governments; and
• protecting the rights of citizens and community groups to speak out, ensuring all of us are represented and able to participate in our democracy.

 
Link to full policy: https://greens.org.au/sites/default/files/2018-12/Greens%202019%20Policy%20Platform%20-%20Restoring%20Integrity%20to%20Politics.pdf 
Dirty Donations Campaign: https://greens.org.au/campaigns/dirty-donations 

The Greens are today launching their policy to clean up politics and end the corrupting influence of big money on our democracy, so we can create a future for all of us.
Ahead of the Australian Electoral Commission 17/18 donations data release later this morning, Greens spokesperson for democracy Larissa Waters said:
“In the last six years the Liberals and Labor have taken more than $100 million in political donations from big corporations like mining and gambling companies, the big banks and wealthy property developers. We’ll learn today how much that has increased in the last year.
“The return on investment is donors get one-on-one access to government ministers, and decisions that protect their corporate profits. Then some of those pollies get cushy lobbyist jobs when they retire.
“It’s no wonder that 85% of Australians believe most politicians are corrupt.
“The major parties make decisions that prioritise the profits of their big donors. The rest of us are left with cuts to health, education and social services, rising costs of housing and energy bills, and a growing gap between rich and poor.”
 
The Greens’ plan would break the stranglehold corporations have on our democracy and restore integrity to politics, by:

• banning political donations from mining, property development, tobacco, alcohol, gambling, banking, defence and pharmaceutical industries;
• putting a cap on all other donations of $1000 a year;
• until those bans and caps are in place, making sure every donation over $1000 is listed publicly and disclosed in close to real-time;
• banning donations splitting and all donations from foreign entities;
• stopping all MPs from accepting lobbying jobs for five years after they retire, where a conflict of interest may arise;
• requiring politicians to tell the public when and why they meet with lobbyists;
• establishing a strong, independent federal anti-corruption commission to investigate politicians and governments; and
• protecting the rights of citizens and community groups to speak out, ensuring all of us are represented and able to participate in our democracy.

“Until we get transparency into the system and big money out of politics, we won’t get the decisions that improve people’s everyday lives,” Senator Waters said.
“Unlike the major parties, the Greens refuse to take donations from big corporations and lobbyists who want to influence our decisions. We can’t be bought and we won’t sell out.
“We’ll be campaigning strongly on this policy as the election approaches, and will keep working in parliament before and after the election to deliver reforms.
“People want their democracy back, and they deserve it. Money shouldn’t buy access or outcomes. Our democracy is not for sale.”
 
Link to full policy: https://greens.org.au/sites/default/files/2018-12/Greens%202019%20Policy%20Platform%20-%20Restoring%20Integrity%20to%20Politics.pdf
Dirty Donations Campaign: https://greens.org.au/campaigns/dirty-donations

Today we’ve seen the SA Murray Darling Basin Royal Commission deliver a stinging indictment of a plan that has become a multi-billion dollar environmental disaster for our nation.
The Murray Darling is our nation’s food bowl. The river is central to Aboriginal culture. It has outstanding environmental significance and is a key water source for South Australia – including many regional towns and cities.
Right now, our climate breakdown is putting huge stress on this precious place. But rather than take climate action, the Coalition are too busy doing the bidding of their corporate donors.
The Murray Darling Basin Plan could go down as one of the biggest National Party rorts we have ever seen.
$13 billion of taxpayers’ money was meant to go towards saving the river. Instead, the Murray Darling is in crisis and big corporate irrigators are lining their pockets.
This is precisely why we need a national anti-corruption commission.
Now the SA Royal Commission has reported its findings, and the failure of policy and government has been laid bare, there is no choice other than a Federal Royal Commission to properly investigate this matter.
Let’s be very clear. The Australian Greens are the only party that has opposed the Murray Darling Basin Plan from the outset, when it was clear that it put profit and special interests ahead of science and the environment,
This is a plan that has ignored climate change, in spite of the pervasive and immediate threat it poses across the country.
Only the Greens have a plan for where we go from here. We will:
– Establish a national royal commission
– Overhaul the Murray Darling Basin Plan, and put the environment at the centre
– Ensure that any future modelling is done in the context of climate change
– Ban corporate irrigator donations to political parties – including the Nationals
– Ensure that any new plan delivers water buybacks to ensure proper environmental flows

Australian Greens Senator for NSW and Spokesperson for Education, Dr Mehreen Faruqi, has said that Catholic and private schools will continue to be showered in taxpayer dollars under both the Liberals and Labor Parties. Analysis released today shows Catholic schools will receive a $4.1 billion bonus from recent changes made by the Liberal-National Government, supported by the Labor opposition.
Senator Faruqi said:
“Public school pupils went back to school this week to schools that are underfunded, with aging classrooms and infrastructure. We know that ninety-three per cent of teachers dip into their own pocket to buy supplies for their students and their school. This is completely unacceptable.
“Both the Labor and Liberal parties live in this fantasy world where they claim that excessive funding for private schools isn’t detrimental to public schools. This is simply not true. Billions going to already overfunded private schools is billions not going to the public sector.
“We must also reverse the special deals that the Liberals struck with private schools,which Labor sadly doesn’t have the guts to cancel. It’s simple: with public money, the 2.5 million children in public schools have to come first.
“Only the Greens have a plan to fully fund our public schools and provide the capital funds they need to upgrade and expand their infrastructure” she concluded.
Our plan to fully fund public schools is available here: https://mehreen-faruqi.greensmps.org.au/articles/fully-funded-public-schools-australian-greens-launch-package-public-education

The release today of the final report of the Select Committee on Electric Vehicles shows Australia is at risk of being left behind in the electric vehicle revolution, say the Australian Greens.
“The weak recommendations of this report demonstrate just how feeble Labor and Liberal are when it comes to electric vehicle policy. Both major parties say the right words about electric vehicles when it suits them, but when it comes to actually getting behind policies and incentives that will support electric vehicle uptake they are missing in action,” said Senator Janet Rice, Australian Greens transport spokesperson, and member of the Committee.
“The world is experiencing an electric vehicle revolution that is transforming how we move people and goods.”
“But Australia is a global laggard when it comes to policy ambition and certainty. The government has a choice to get Australia in the fast lane, but that means hitting the accelerator with ambitious targets and incentives to drive the uptake of electric vehicles.”
“We have the opportunity now to get on board and benefit from this technology, such as the economic boost and jobs in vehicle assembly, battery and component manufacturing, and EV infrastructure installation, all while improving Australia’s fuel security, reducing carbon pollution and improving public health from cleaner air.”
“But the window of opportunity for Australia to be a global electric vehicle powerhouse is closing as other countries speed past us. Countries like Norway, the Netherlands, Sweden and Denmark are already miles ahead in the race to transition to electric vehicles.”
“The Greens are the only party with a real plan to get Australia in the fast lane so that we can reap the rewards that will come from electric vehicles.”
The Greens plan includes: setting a target of 100% of new passenger vehicles being electric by 2030, strong vehicle emissions standards; removing import tariffs and other taxes such as GST, stamp duty and registration, and rolling out fast charging infrastructure.

The Murray Darling Basin Plan’s compromised legal status must be taken seriously by the SA and Federal governments following the delivery of the SA Royal Commissioner’s report, the Greens say.
“Reports that the plan designed to save the River is failing to meet its environmental objectives and may be unlawful are deeply concerning. It becomes clearer as each day goes by that the Murray Darling Basin has been mismanaged and corrupted, by political and corporate interests,” Greens environment and water spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.
“The South Australian Royal Commissioner has raised a red flag on the legality of the management of our river system and there are serious questions to answer.
“Both evidence to the Royal Commission, and the Federal Government’s own Productivity Commission report into the Murray Darling Basin Plan have shown the environment has been undermined by vested interests, and the science ignored. Well, it is no surprise that it is dying right before our eyes.
“The South Australian Liberal Government must release the Commissioner’s final report immediately and explain to the public what they are doing to stand up for our River and for South Australia.
“Australian taxpayers are spending $13 billion on a Plan to save the River system. But the River has been sacrificed to prop up big corporate irrigators and do favours for political donors.  We need to lift the freeze on buybacks, place an embargo on corporate cotton irrigators taking water from the river and harvesting overland flows, and launch a federal Royal Commission.”

The Australian Greens have called on the Prime Minister Scott Morrison to visit the Lower Darling and see the environmental disaster for himself following another mass fish kill in Menindee.
“Where the bloody hell is the Prime Minister? Why hasn’t he or his Water Minister been to the River to see the environmental crisis at all in the last month?,” Greens environment and water spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.
“Thousands more fish have died and yet not one member of the Prime Minister’s team has bothered to see the ecological disaster unfolding on the River themselves. It’s time Scott Morrison stopped pretending nothing is wrong and get himself to Menindee. He needs to explain how his Government’s mismanagement of the River could let this happen.
“It’s almost a month on since the last mass fish kill in Menindee and the Water Minister David Littleproud has been missing in action. It’s clear he’s not up to the job.
“People are sick of seeing fish die right before their eyes and yet the Government is doing nothing.
“The Morrison Government has done everything to cover-up their mismanagement of the Murray Darling Basin. Last week they tried to bury the damning assessment by the Productivity Commission, which said in no uncertain terms that the environment has been undermined and forgotten under the Murray Darling Basin Plan.
“Hiding reports, covering up mismanagement and turning a blind-eye to corruption is inexcusable. It is clear that the Liberal National Parties are looking after their greedy corporate mates that are taking and harvesting water at the expense of river communities, small farmers and ultimately, the environment.
“We need a Royal Commission into the Murray Darling Basin. We’ve heard of water theft, meter tampering, corruption, fraud and water too toxic to drink or bathe in – and now a third fish kill is unfolding in the Lower Darling.
“It’s time for the Government to take some real action to set this right. We need more environmental flows, an embargo on corporate cotton harvesting all the water it can, and a Royal Commission.
“Our river system is our nation’s food bowl and it is dying. The time to hide behind reports and hope it will all sort itself out is over. This environmental emergency must be remedied.”

Today’s labour force results, released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, show unemployment has fallen to 5.0 per cent, down from 5.7 per cent under the former Labor government.
In fact, 2018 has seen the largest decrease in unemployment over a calendar year since 1994, demonstrating the danger of adopting a different approach to managing the Australian economy.
Seasonally adjusted employment increased by 21,600 in December 2018, and has increased by 268,600 over the year, to stand at a record high of 12,714,100. Working age (15-64 years) employment is at an equal record high of 74.0 per cent.
Employment has increased in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia over the past year.
Encouragingly, female full-time employment has increased by 90,000 over the year, to stand at a record high of 3,224,900.
Since the Government came to office in September 2013, a total of 1,239,200 jobs have been created, an increase of 10.8 per cent.
Minister for Jobs and Industrial Relations, the Hon Kelly O’Dwyer MP, welcomed the figures but warned of the dangers of taking a different approach to managing the economy.
“There are more Australians in work than ever before. While the Coalition Government’s economic plan is working, there is no room for complacency,” Minister O’Dwyer said.
The International Monetary Fund this week provided a timely reminder of what could be around the corner, warning that ‘global expansion is weakening and at a rate that is somewhat faster than expected’.
“Labor’s higher taxing agenda puts the prosperity of all Australians at risk. Labor’s $200 billion of new taxes will hit retirees, homeowners, renters, small business owners, young people and all those aspiring to build a better life for themselves and their families,” Minister O’Dwyer said.
“A country can’t tax its way to prosperity. Economic growth and jobs growth can’t be achieved while punishing aspiration,” Minister O’Dwyer concluded.