Month: December 2018

The Labor and Liberal parties have refused to support including the impacts of climate change in the flawed Murray Darling Basin Plan in the Senate today.
“Labor says they’re taking climate change seriously, but they refuse to acknowledge it affects the Murray Darling Basin,” Greens water spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.
“A party that takes climate change seriously does not side with an anti-science, climate denying Government to sell out the Murray.
“The Murray Darling Basin Plan is in tatters. It has been rife with corruption, water theft, and the simple fact it does not account for climate change proves it was set up to fail.
“South Australians know too well how important the Murray is to our state; to our drinking water, our environments, and our communities.
“We are experiencing climate change right here, right now. Our country is becoming drier and hotter and our river needs protecting. The major parties continue to turn their backs on South Australians who want a strong, healthy river.”
Labor voted with the Morrison Government against Senator Hanson-Young’s below motion:
That the Senate— notes that

1. The Murray-Darling Basin Plan (The Plan) has come under serious scrutiny from both the South Australian Royal Commission and the recent inquiry by the Senate Standing Committee on Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport.
2. The Plan has no provisions to address the impacts of climate change on the Murray-Darling Basin.

Calls on the government to take the threat of climate change seriously and include the impacts of climate change within The Plan.

The Senate has backed the Australian Greens’ motion calling on the Government to make a clear statement about its inaction on climate change.
“It is time for this anti-science Government to front up to the fact they are failing the nation and the planet,” Greens environment spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.
“Enough is enough. Scientists have made it very clear that we must reduce pollution and transition out of fossil fuels. If not, we will sink further and further into dangerous climate crisis. Australia has a responsibility to act for its citizens, environment and the planet. The Morrison Government is in denial and the Senate has called it out.
“On the day that New Zealand has announced a $100 million fund to reduce emissions, the Morrison Government continues to ignore our Paris Agreement responsibilities. It is a disgrace.
“Sir David Attenborough’s incredible, and important speech from COP24, sent shockwaves around the world. The climate denialists in the Morrison Government must wake up and admit business as usual does not allow us to even get close to reaching our Paris Commitments.”
The below motion was agreed to in the Senate today:
That the Senate— notes that
1.            National emissions levels for the June quarter 2018 increased 1.3 per cent relative to the previous quarter on a seasonally adjusted and weather normalised basis.
2.            With emissions continuing to rise, and no clear plan to reduce them, we are set to miss our Paris targets.
3.            Minister for the Environment, Melissa Price will represent Australia at the 24th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP24).
Calls on the government to make the following short statement to the COP24:
Australia has not taken seriously its responsibilities to meeting its Paris Commitments and will dramatically lift its ambitions to play its part in averting the climate crisis.

Scott Morrison’s bill does not remove discrimination against LGBTQ+ kids, it opens the door to even more discrimination, say the Australian Greens.
“This bill is a Trojan horse that will expand discrimination against LGBTQ+ students, not remove it,” said Senator Janet Rice, Australian Greens LGBTIQ+ spokesperson.
“This bill allows schools to bully, exclude or even refuse to teach LGBTQ+ students. It is unacceptable.”
“Discrimination against LGBTIQ+ young people is dangerous. We know that LGBTIQ+ young people experience far worse mental health than their peers, and it’s often because of discrimination.”
“Discrimination has no place in schools. Full stop. No ifs. No buts.”
“The Prime Minister is out of touch with Australians, three quarters of whom want our schools to be discrimination-free zones.”
“It’s a complete backflip from the Prime Minister who promised in October to remove discrimination in schools. Now he is entrenching and expanding it.”

Australian Greens Senator for NSW and Animal Welfare Spokesperson, Dr Mehreen Faruqi, has held up pictures of the sheep killed on the Awasi Express in the Senate today to highlight the continued cruelty in the live export trade. While holding it, she said “This is what you are allowing. This is the animal cruelty that you aid and abet. You should be ashamed of yourselves.”
This comes after the Federal Governmnet failed to table draft versions of the Moss Review into Live Exports on Monday night, as was ordered by the Senate when it passed Senator Faruqi’s motion last week.
 

Australian Greens Senator for NSW and Animal Welfare Spokesperson, Dr Mehreen Faruqi has called the announcement from live exporters that they will a impose three-month ban on sheep trade to the Middle East during northern summer as too little, too late.
In reaction to the voluntary suspension, Senator Faruqi said:
“While welcome, to be frank this is too little, too late. We know that this is the last ditch attempt for the live export to save itself before it is consigned to the history books forever.
“A voluntary and self imposed suspension over the Northern Summer is wholly inadequate and can be overturned at any time. History has shown we cannot let the industry regulate itself. The only option we have is to phase out the industry and transition to a chilled meat industry.
“My bill to ban the live export of has passed the Senate. The Government can stonewall and run protection for only so long. It’s time they allowed a free vote so we can end this cruel trade once and for all,” she concluded.

Australia must strengthen environmental laws, backed up by real investment, if it is to heed the recommendations of last week’s UN Biodiversity Conference in Egypt.
“The Senate has heard the UN’s clear signal to the world that our planet is in the midst of an extinction crisis,” Greens environment spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.
“The Government must listen to the experts who say we are at a tipping point in protecting the environment and our biodiversity, not put their heads in the sand. We need environmental laws with teeth, backed by real funding, if we want to be part of a global solution.
“The World Wildlife Fund has called out Australia as one of the worst biodiversity managers on the planet. We have a responsibility to our unique flora and fauna, to reverse this harrowing trend of extinction.
“Australia would fail to explain to future generations and the rest of the world, if the koala was driven to extinction. We have the golden opportunity to be the generation that saves the planet and the myriad species that live here.
“The Greens are fighting for urgent action on climate change, and to protect our environment and biodiversity, while the Morrison Government further abandons the environment.”
Senator Sarah Hanson-Young’s motion, below, passed the Senate this afternoon.

That the Senate— notes that

1.      The 14^th United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity Conference of the Parties (the Conference) took place in Egypt from the 13^th to the 29^th of November 2018.

2.      The United Nations Report to the Conference demonstrated that Australia is failing to meet international targets, especially in parts of the country where land clearing and habitat destruction are widespread.

3.      The World Wildlife Fund also issued a report as part of the Conference that placed Australia amongst the worst performers on biodiversity in a group of 100 nations.

4.      The Conference called on governments to scale up investments in nature and people towards 2020 and beyond and to accelerate action to achieve Aichi Biodiversity Targets by 2020.

 Calls on the government heed the recommendations of the Conference.

Greens climate and energy spokesperson, Adam Bandt MP, has welcomed Labor’s decision to back his Coal-Fired Power Funding Prohibition Bill, introduced into the House of Representatives yesterday.
The bill will prevent the government from underwriting either new or existing coal-fired power stations and will stop any indemnification of coal-fired power stations against a future carbon price or policy to limit emissions. The government has flagged that it may provide such support.
Mr Bandt said he will now continue talks with the crossbench to secure majority support and passage of the bill through the Parliament.
“This bill is as financially responsible as it is environmentally responsible,” said Mr Bandt.
“This power-sharing Parliament must act to stop the government from recklessly exposing taxpayers to huge liabilities by underwriting coal.
“If we move this week, we have an opportunity to halt the government’s rush to sign contracts over Christmas.”