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The Greens have called for the process to select a nuclear waste site to be halted, and an independent, expert panel to take over, amid deep concerns about the sidelining of the community and Traditional Owners.
“Today’s revelations that Kimba is the preferred site for an expanded nuclear waste dump are deeply troubling,” Greens nuclear spokesperson Sarah Hanson-Young said.
“The entire process has been badly botched from the start, with community concerns ignored and the Adnyamathanha and Barngarla people sidelined.
“The Minister has serious questions to answer. He must clarify immediately whether a site has been selected and if the site will be expanded.
“The ongoing mismanagement of the process makes it clearer than ever that this must not be left in the hands of the Minister. An independent, expert inquiry needs to be established.
“South Australia is not going to just roll over and be the country’s dumping ground. This plan would lock generations of South Australians to nuclear waste. We are proud of our clean, green agriculture industry and beautiful natural environment. It must be protected.”

Australian Greens Senator and Housing Spokesperson, Dr Mehreen Faruqi, has called the Assistant Minister for Community Housing, Homelessness and Community Servicer, Luke Howarth MP, completely out of touch for his comments around putting a ‘positive spin’ to homelessness and housing stress.
Senator Faruqi said:
“Minister Howarth is completely out of touch if he thinks there is any way to positively spin the number of people who are homeless. What an incredibly insensitive gaffe.
“The fact that this Minister thinks that the housing crisis only affects a small number of people is very worrying. What about the more than 118,000 people who are homeless, the 189,000 people on public housing waiting lists or the more than a million Australians in housing stress.
“Instead of trying to spin the homeslessness problem, the Federal Government must show leadership in tackling the housing crisis by making an unprecedented investment in social and community housing.
“The Greens have a plan to build 500,000 new public and community homes through a Federal Housing Trust. Everyone has the right to a safe, secure and permanent home.
“Crisis accommodation is important but isn’t a long term solution. We need to build more affordable housing to ensure everyone has a roof over their head,” she concluded.

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.
“Last night’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.
“Two years ago Four Corners rocked the country when they shone a light on the scandalous use of taxpayer funds in the Murray-Darling. Since then, nothing has been fixed and big business continues to brazenly rort the system for their own benefit.
“Most of the $13 billion allocated for the plan has been spent and where is the water? The Auditor-General must be brought in to investigate immediately. We urgently need to get more water to the river, business-as-usual will only leave it high and dry.
“Despite continuing scandals and disasters in the Basin, the government continues to sit on its hands. They must take urgent action, stop the rorts and hold those responsible to account.
“Years ago, Barnaby Joyce bragged he was more interested in looking after his big irrigator mates than the River. Last night we saw that is exactly what he and his National Party mates have been doing.
“Basin communities, family farmers and Australian taxpayers deserve answers. The only way to get them is with a federal Royal Commission.”

Australian Greens Senator and Spokesperson for Education, Dr Mehreen Faruqi, has responded to today’s release of the 2018 Higher Education Accommodation and Financial Stress Survey that shows high levels of student financial and psychological distress.
The survey found:

• Nearly two-thirds of international and domestic students (64%) work while they study and domestic students worked an average of 17 hours per week during the semester.
• Around half (53%) of students reported high to very high levels of psychological distress, which is significantly higher than the population prevalence of psychological distress, where 13% of adults experience high or very high levels of psychological distress.
• Three-quarters of students with a job (78%) reported that the number of hours they worked had an impact on at least one area of study.
• More than half of students (55%) reported that financial stress impacted at least one area of study.
• Around one quarter (26%) of all students in the sample reported that issues concerning being able to afford safe and secure accommodation impacted at least one area of study.
• A quarter of students (26%) are experience food insecurity and 15% reported experiencing hunger or not eating because there wasn’t enough money for food since enrolling in their current course.

Senator Faruqi said:
“These statistics demonstrate the Government has abandoned students to face a high cost of living and extreme stress on their own. Instead of focussing on studying, students are too often struggling to get by.
“As former academic, I have seen first hand the sacrifices that students make to study, including taking on second or even third jobs while they study. Students should be able to focus on learning, not on where their next meal is coming from.
“We know that rural and regional students that study in expensive major cities particularly face a huge burden in finding affordable housing that allows them the security of a roof over their heads while they study.
“We should all be concerned that more than half of students say that their studies are impacted by financial stress and a quarter experience food insecurity.
“It’s outrageous that students regularly go without food and other necessities while they study. They shouldn’t be forced to sacrifice their studies to work nearly twenty hours a week just to make ends meet.
“TAFE and uni should be free for all. We should urgently increase student payments like Youth Allowance by at least $75 a week and properly fund mental health services to give students the support they deserve,” she concluded.

The Greens have praised the South Australian Liberal government for continuing the state’s leadership on the environment with a ban on single-use plastics. They will continue to work toward a ban on single-use plastics at a national level with a Bill to be introduced to the Senate.
“South Australians are proud of their environmental credentials. We’ve led the way on renewables, and now the Marshall government is listening to the people and moving beyond single-use plastics,” SA Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.
“It’s well past time to act on this issue. With the extinction crisis looming, we know reducing pollution is an important step.
“For too long single-use plastics have been unregulated, choking our waterways, oceans, and beaches.
“This is real leadership. I will be writing to Prime Minister Scott Morrison to encourage him to follow the lead of South Australians.
“We will continue to work toward a nation-wide ban on single-use plastics with plans to bring legislation to the Senate in the coming months.”