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The interim report from the Senate inquiry into Australia’s animal extinction crisis recommends new environment laws to limit the drivers of extinction, including habitat destruction and climate change.
These laws would include a new, independent EPA that would be given powers, resources and funding to assess activity and ensure compliance.
“The current laws are so weak with caveats, exemptions, ministerial discretion and loopholes that projects can be given the green light despite destroying or damaging critical habitat, or even wiping out a species entirely,” said Australian Greens Senator Janet Rice, Chair of the Inquiry.
“Australia’s extinction crisis has only got worse in the 20 years since our environment laws were introduced. It’s absolutely clear they need a complete overhaul.”
“Finally we have an acknowledgement from Labor that new environment laws and a new EPA are needed to limit the drivers of extinction such as habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation.”
“But we know Labor is prone to backflips when it comes to protecting the environment. Just this week WA Labor has joined with the Morrison government to roll over outdated and destructive logging laws, the Regional Forest Agreements, despite promising to protect native forests from logging before they were elected.”
“Extinction is a political choice. In the next parliament, the Greens will hold Bill Shorten and the Labor party to account on their promises.”

South Australians have been left high and dry under Scott Morrison’s pre-election budget.
“With no marginal seats to throw cash at, South Australia was always set to lose in this pre-election budget. And we will continue to lose out under a Liberal Party more concerned with political survival than what’s good for the country. All we’re left with after Tuesday’s fake budget is a massive hit to GST revenue and a bucket of empty promises,” Senator Hanson-Young said.
“We live in a state that wants more investment in renewable energy and real action on climate change, and the Liberals have given us nothing. Hard-working families struggling with cost of living pressures can have no faith that the Liberals will strengthen our economy or set our state up for the future.
“The more than 65,000 South Australians languishing on Newstart have been left out in the cold by the Morrison Government. The Liberals have given out tax cuts to the wealthy and done nothing for the most vulnerable in our communities.
“Instead, the Morrison Government is merely trying to buy people’s votes with tax cuts and handouts, over investing in essential services.
“The Greens will fight for a more equal society, well-funded essential services, action on climate and building South Australia into a global renewable powerhouse. The Liberals clearly do not care about South Australia. Their bogus budget and their phony politics should be rejected on polling day.”

The Morrison’s government’s infrastructure spending demonstrates a complete lack of vision and pre-election porkbarrelling to save the skin of incumbent Coalition MPs, say the Australian Greens.
“The centrepiece of the Government’s high-speed or “fast” rail policy, the perennial election sweetener that never materialises when one of the major parties forms government, is to fund another five feasibility studies, taking the total number to eight,” said Senator Janet Rice, Australian Greens transport and infrastructure spokesperson.
“Only 15% of grant funding is going to rail projects, with the bulk going to roads. As our big cities grow and congestion becomes worse, we need to be focusing on pubic and active transport projects, not more roads that leave people stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic, clog our cities and increase carbon pollution.”
“The government wants to spend $500 million building carparks around train stations in a marginal seat porkbarrel cash splash, with no analysis of whether this money would be better spent in other ways, such as providing faster and more frequent bus services to stations.”
“This government has no vision to come up with the transport solutions we so desperately need.”

The Liberals spending $185m to reopen and then close Christmas Island is rank cynicism and deeply wasteful, Greens Immigration spokesperson Nick McKim says.
“This is effectively $185 million spent on a press conference, so Scott Morrison could spread his message of hate and division, ” Senator McKim said.
“Not a single refugee or person seeking asylum has been transferred to this centre. It is tens of millions of dollars wasted on a press conference.”
“This is money that should be spent on resettling people here in Australia, or on climate  action, or raising Newstart or myriad other worthy causes.”
“This is the same Scott Morrison who begrudged a few thousand dollars being spent so refugees could attend the funerals of their relatives.”
“This cynical stunt just shows the depth of his hypocrisy and meanness of spirit.”

Scott Morrison’s pre-election budget has confirmed cuts to the ABC will continue under the Liberals, the Greens say.
“This is a government that has undermined the integrity of the ABC again and again and now, in this budget, they’ve locked in further cuts. The ABC needs a boost in funding, and under this government it continues to lose out,” Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.
“This was an opportunity to ensure our ABC was well-resourced, by increasing funding and setting five-year funding cycles. Instead, the Liberals want to cut funding and 50 more jobs.
“This comes on the back of almost $340 million in funding cuts, pointless reviews that undermine the ABC’s independence and instances of political interference.
“Even the Labor Party won’t return the Liberal Party’s full cuts to the ABC. The only way to strengthen the ABC, to restore its funding and give our beloved public broadcaster stability and certainty, is to have Greens fighting for it in the Senate.
“The ABC is overwhelmingly Australia’s most trusted news source. It provides a vital service across the country, it is where we turn when there is a disaster, emergency or bushfire. To do its job as the public expects, to continue producing the new Australians trust and the stories we love, the ABC must be well-funded.”

The Morrison government’s $400,000 allocation for a national electric vehicle strategy in the Budget is an absolute joke, especially when they have allocated 25 times as much in luxury car rebates, say the Australian Greens.
“The staggeringly low $400,000 to roll out a national electric vehicle strategy is an absolute joke,” said Senator Janet Rice, Australian Greens transport spokesperson.
“With this woeful amount of money towards electric vehicles, the Morrison government is leaving Australia stalled on the sidelines of the electric vehicle revolution while the rest of the world zips us by.”
“The Budget even has $11 million earmarked for a luxury car rebate for tourist operators and primary producers. This is 25 times more funding for people to buy luxury cars than for a national electric vehicle strategy.”
“This is a government with absolutely no plan, no vision and no desire to get Australia on track to enjoy the many benefits that electric vehicles will bring.”

The Morrison government putting $245.7 million into religious chaplains in secular, public schools over the next four years puts LGBTIQ+ students in danger, say the Australian Greens.
“$245.7 million for religious chaplains in public schools is unacceptable and puts LGBTIQ+ students in danger,” said Senator Janet Rice, Australian Greens LGBTIQ+ spokesperson.
“Public schools are secular institutions and are no place for religious chaplains.”
“The school chaplain program should be scrapped and the $245.7 million funding should be redirected to providing public schools with trained, secular counsellors, and inclusive anti-bullying programs like Safe Schools, not chaplains who may be pursuing their own religious agenda.”

The Morrison Government is delivering more than $3.8 billion for a better environment in the 2019 20 Budget, including Australia’s biggest ever direct investment in emissions reduction.
$3.5 billion will be invested through the Climate Solutions Package with a further $137.4 million for Practical Environment Restoration which includes funding for environmental protection projects, threatened species, the restoration of coastal land and waterways, and waste recycling.
This investment highlights the critical role of a strong economy in supporting positive environmental outcomes. Our commitments will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, ensure Australia meets its international climate targets and address local environmental challenges, while maintaining a strong economy.
At a time when Australia is seeing record levels of investment in renewable energy, with $25 billion committed across 18,800 MW of new wind and solar projects, the 2019-20 Budget assists our transition towards a low carbon economy and provides practical environmental solutions that will benefit future generations.
Climate Solutions Package:
The $3.5 billion Climate Solutions Package is the biggest single investment any Australian government has made in reducing emissions. This funding will help ensure we meet our Paris commitment to reduce emissions by 26-28 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030.
Its centrepiece is a $2.0 billion Climate Solutions Fund, which is expected to deliver more than 100 million tonnes of emissions reduction, over and above the almost 200 million tonnes being delivered through the successful Emissions Reduction Fund.
The Climate Solutions Package also includes significant investments in renewable energy to reduce emissions, while ensuring Australian households and businesses have lower power prices and reliable dispatchable power that keeps the lights on:

• $1.38 billion for Snowy 2.0 ensuring clean, reliable affordable power.
• $56.0 million for a new electricity interconnector to support Tasmania’s Battery of the Nation project.
• $61.2 million to support small businesses, local community groups, households and building owners to improve energy efficiency.
• $400,000 for the development of a National Electric Vehicle Strategy.

Cleaner Environment Package:
The Morrison Government’s $137.4 million for Practical Environment Restoration builds on the Government’s $1.1 billion National Landcare Program, which is already funding a range of environmental initiatives including Indigenous Protected Areas and Regional Land Partnerships that support wetland preservation, sustainable farming, threatened species and native habitats. The Practical Environment Restoration provides $100.0 million for the establishment of an Environment Restoration Fund that will support practical action on waste and recycling, the protection of rivers, waterways and coasts, and further support for our threatened and migratory native species.
It also includes $28.3 million of funding for a Communities Environment Program for community-led environment projects. The Government has also committed $9.2 million over four years towards the strengthening of biodiversity conservation in Queensland tropics through the control of the Yellow Crazy Ant population.
The 2019-20 Budget is also supporting the environment through:

• $25.0 million for the establishment of a National Centre for coasts, environment, climate research and education facility at Victoria’s Quarantine Station Precinct at Point Nepean.
• $25.0 million for the establishment of the Harry Butler Environmental Education Centre through Murdoch University, which will include an innovation hub developing sustainable environmental outcomes from economic development.
• $18.3 million to accelerate the eradication of red imported fire ants in Queensland.
• $34 million to grow stewardship and sustainable land management practices in agriculture.
• $32.1 million to extend the Bureau of Meteorology radar coverage and rain monitoring capability across northern NSW, Queensland and the Northern Territory.
• $21.4 million for infrastructure upgrades at key defence heritage sites around Sydney Harbour enabling community, educational and recreational use.

Since the Coalition came to Government in 2013, we have:

• Turned around a 755 million tonne emissions shortfall in meeting our 2020 international emissions reduction target to now be on track to overachieve that target by 367 million tonnes.
• Improved the outlook for the Great Barrier Reef, prompting UNESCO to remove the reef from its “in-danger” watchlist.
• Introduced protection for an additional 2.3 million square kilometres of Australia’s oceans.
• Appointed Australia’s first Threatened Species Commissioner and launched the Threatened Species Strategy which contains a commitment to turn around population trajectories for 20 mammals, 20 birds and 30 plants by 2020.

Key spending commitments since 2013 include:

• $2.55 billion in the Emissions Reduction Fund.
• More than $1.1 billion in Phase 2 of the National Landcare Program (2018-23).
• Over $1.2 billion to protect the Great Barrier Reef.
• Up to $216 million to upgrade Kakadu National Park and help the township of Jabiru transition to a tourism-based economy.
• Over $450 million over the next 10 years to upgrade Australia’s Antarctic research station network and supporting infrastructure.
• $1.35 billion in grant funding for more than 400 renewable energy projects through the Australian Renewable Energy Agency.
• $6.4 billion funding through the Clean Energy Finance Corporation in projects with a total value of more than $21 billion.