Month: September 2019

Greens climate change spokesperson, Adam Bandt MP, has this morning introduced a private members bill which will amend the Fair Work Act to protect workers who strike for climate action, declaring that any boss who sacks anyone for striking this Friday 20 September as part of the Global Climate Strike is ‘a bum’.
The Fair Work Amendment (Stop Work to Stop Warming) Bill 2019 will put beyond doubt that employees covered by the Fair Work Act have a right to take industrial action to demand that governments do more to address the climate crisis. The Bill will also allow employees to include matters pertaining to climate change within their enterprise agreements.
“Any boss who sacks anyone for not turning up to work on Friday is a bum,” said Mr Bandt.
“Students have been striking to demand governments take action to stop the climate crisis and now they have asked workers and everyone else to join them this Friday September 20.
“Millions of people across the world will walk out of their classrooms, workplaces and homes as part of the Global Climate Strike, because pollution is rising under the Coalition and we’re headed towards climate collapse.
“As this government refuses to act with the urgency required to meet the climate emergency, Australians of all walks of life will take to the streets and demand we do more.
“The climate crisis is the greatest existential threat facing us. The constitution protects workers’ rights to political free speech, including, I’d argue, by attending events like the climate strike, but workers deserve to know that when they strike for urgent climate action they’ll be protected by this Parliament and by the Fair Work Act.”

The Australian Government will deliver new income assistance to people affected by the bushfires in Queensland and New South Wales.
We have activated the Disaster Recovery Allowance (DRA) to ensure assistance is directed to those who need it most.
The devastation we have seen on the ground in South East Queensland today was heartbreaking and we want to be there to help the communities rebuild. There are hundreds of these stories of survival across NSW and Queensland in the face of tough odds, and hope for the future.
Multiple bushfires continue to burn across large parts of southern Queensland and northern NSW.
These fires have had significant impacts on many communities and businesses, both direct and indirect, and are impacting people’s livelihoods and incomes.
Our assistance is designed to help those who have lost their income and need additional support to get back on their feet.
The DRA provides a short-term support payment to assist those whose income has been affected as a direct result of the bushfires.
People eligible for DRA can access income assistance for up to 13 weeks, equivalent to the maximum rate of Newstart Allowance or Youth Allowance.
In Queensland, the DRA has been activated in the local government areas of Noosa, Scenic Rim, Southern Downs and Sunshine Coast.
In New South Wales, the DRA has been activated in the local government areas of Armidale, Bellingen, Clarence Valley, Glen Innes, Inverell, Tenterfield, Uralla and Walcha.
Claims for DRA can be made through the Australian Government Department of Human Services (DHS) from Monday 16 September 2019.
Customers can call DHS on 180 22 66, visit www.humanservices.gov.au or visit a DHS Service Centre.
Equivalent financial assistance will also be available to eligible New Zealand citizens (‘non-protected’ Special Category Visa, subclass 444 holders) affected by the bushfires.
The Australian Government assistance being announced today is over and above the support already being provided for under the jointly funded Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements.
We stand ready to provide further support if it is requested.
We are monitoring the impacts of the bushfires closely and will ensure bushfire affected communities receive the support they need, including:

• personal hardship and distress assistance for individuals and families;
  • Includes immediate emergency assistance, grants for essential household contents and grants for essential structural repairs to homes.
  • The amounts granted depend on the assessed needs of the affected individuals/households.
• support for affected local councils and state agencies to help with operational response costs and restoring damaged essential public assets;
  • Includes funding for counter disaster operations (e.g. firefighting operations) and to repair damaged assets.
  • The amount available is uncapped.
• concessional interest rate loans for small businesses, primary producers and non-profit organisations;
  • Includes loans of up to $130,000 at a fixed concessional interest rate for small businesses and primary producers and up to $25,000 for non-profit organisations.
• freight subsidies for primary producers, and
  • Includes subsidies up to $15,000 per annum.
• grants to eligible non-profit organisations.
  • Includes grants of up to $2,000.

This assistance is administered by the NSW Government.
Anyone in need of assistance should contact the NSW Government Disaster Welfare Assistance Line on 1800 018 444.
Southern Queensland Bushfires
Disaster recovery assistance is being provided under the jointly funded Commonwealth-state DRFA.
DRFA assistance is available in the local government areas of Noosa, Scenic Rim, Southern Downs and Sunshine Coast.
A range of assistance is available, including:

• Personal hardship and distress assistance for individuals and families; and
• Emergency Hardship Assistance Grant – provides assistance as a contribution to support people directly impacted by an eligible disaster to meet their immediate essential needs for food, clothing, medical supplies or temporary accommodation. $180 per individual and up to $900 for families of five or more.
• Essential Services Hardship Assistance – provides assistance for people directly impacted by an eligible disaster to meet their immediate needs where they have experienced the loss of one or more essential services for more than five days. $150 for individuals and up to $750 for families of five or more.
• Essential Household Contents Grant – provides a contribution towards replacing or repairing essential household contents, such as beds, linen and whitegoods that have been lost or damaged by an eligible disaster. $1,765 per individual or $5,300 for couples or families. Assistance is subject to means testing.
• Structural Assistance Grant – provides a contribution towards repairs or replacement of a dwelling damaged by an eligible disaster, to return it to a safe, habitable and secure condition. $10,995 for single adults or $14,685 for couples or families. Assistance is subject to means testing.
• Essential Services Safety and Reconnection Scheme – To assist residents with the inspection and reconnection of essential services that have been damaged by an eligible disaster. The scheme provides financial assistance to individuals and families as a contribution towards safety inspections of and repairs to residential essential services (i.e. electricity, gas, water and sewerage) damaged by an eligible disaster. Up to $5,000 per household. Assistance is subject to means testing.
• Support for affected local councils and state agencies to help with operational response costs (CATEGORY B).
• Counter Disaster Operations – To assist local governments and state agencies to undertake activities that alleviate personal hardship and distress, address the immediate needs of individuals and protect the general public, immediately prior to, during or immediately after an eligible disaster. The amount available is not capped.

In addition, assistance for the restoration of damaged essential public assets has been made available in Scenic Rim (CATEGORY B).
This assistance is administered by the Queensland Government.
Anyone in need of assistance should contact the Queensland Government Community Recovery Hotline on 1800 173 349.
Other Australian Government assistance:

• Firebombing aircraft have been in action against these fires. We are proud that our national aerial firefighting arrangements are ensuring the best possible aerial firefighting equipment is available to protect Australians.
• The Australian Government annually invests around $14.8 million in aerial firefighting.

With the early start to this bushfire season, it is important that all members of the community are well prepared and have a plan.
More information on Australian Government disaster assistance is available at www.disasterassist.gov.au

Australian Greens Peace and Disarmament spokesperson Senator Jordon Steele-John has reiterated calls for Australia’s defence force to urgently develop and implement a climate change strategy, after revelations today that senior bureaucrats have been wargaming climate change scenarios.
Senator Steele-John also called on the government to immediately release the details of the climate change scenarios, which they have so far refused to release through Freedom Of Information.
“It’s abundantly clear that the Morrison is out of step not only with the Australian public on the impacts of climate change, but also their own advisers,” he said.
“As droughts, floods, wildfires and extreme weather events become increasingly common in Australia and our region, it’s clear that climate change is causing more harm than ever before. These disasters will be a significant challenge in our region and we should be prepared to lend a helping hand to our friends and neighbours.
“Internal Australian Defence Force documents have identified food and water shortages and mass displacement of people as significant challenges into the future, yet we continue to follow along behind the Unites States rather than developing our own independent foreign policy.
“We need a new approach. It’s time to refocus our defence forces on preparing for the impacts of climate change and build cooperative relationships with our friends and neighbours so that we can work together to create a peaceful future for all of us and give everyone what they need to live a good life.”

If the Labor Party dumps its current target of 45 percent emissions reduction by 2030, they will lose whatever credibility they have left on the climate crisis and prove that they’ve learnt all the wrong lessons from the election, said Leader of the Australian Greens Dr Richard Di Natale.
“Queensland and New South Wales are burning, our firefighters and emergency responders on the ground are screaming out for support and Labor’s response is to join the climate deniers in the Liberals,” Di Natale said.
“Without a proper 2030 emissions reduction target and a plan to phase out coal, Labor will have lost whatever remaining credibility it has on the climate crisis.
“We’re in a climate emergency and Labor is caving in to the coal, oil and gas lobby. And if they think voters are going to reward them for that, they’ve taken all the wrong lessons from the election.”
“There are two kinds of climate denial. There’s refusing to accept the science is real and there’s refusing to do what the science requires. Delay is just another form of denial and I hope Labor doesn’t join the Liberals by denying the need for urgent action by 2030,” said Greens Climate Change Spokesperson Adam Bandt MP.
“The Greens are holding the Coalition climate criminals to account and we’d like Labor’s help.”
“Short-term targets matter. The world’s scientists have told us that unless we drastically cut pollution, we could hit the dangerous 1.5 degree tipping point by as early as 2030.”
“When you’re heading towards a cliff, deciding to go over the edge and hoping you‘ll stop before you hit the bottom isn’t a climate policy, it’s a death sentence,” Bandt said.