Greens Senator Kerry Nettle today welcomed the Commonwealth DPP’s decision to review the case against Dr Haneef and called on Minister Andrews to review his decision to cancel Dr Haneef’s visa.

“The DPP can only proceed with a case if they think that it is likely to succeed. Given the errors in the police case against Dr Haneef, now is a good time for the DPP to review the case against Dr Haneef,” said Senator Nettle.

“Minister Andrews needs to review his decision to cancel Dr Haneef’s visa. Minister Andrews cancelled Dr Haneef’s visa on the basis of inaccurate information. (more…)

Responding to today’s CPI figures, Greens Climate Change Spokesperson, Senator Christine Milne, said:

“Today’s figures showing food price rises driving CPI should be a wake up call on the links between climate change and the economy. (more…)

With latest census figures showing that more than one third of NSW renters pay more than 30% of their household income in rent, the Labor Party must put forward a set of concrete proposals to tackle the real causes of housing stress, according to NSW Greens MP and housing spokesperson, Sylvia Hale.

“I am sceptical that much will come out of Kevin Rudd’s housing talk-fest. The Iemma government in NSW has failed to come to grips with Sydney’s affordability crisis which does not inspire much confidence in federal Labor coming up with real answers,” said Ms Hale. (more…)

The hard work put in by Sydney households to reduce water demand is being undermined by the Iemma government’s failure to rein in large industrial consumers, according to Greens NSW MP John Kaye.

Dr Kaye said: “The Iemma government is allowing the big consumers to get away with increasing their water usage since the introduction of level III restrictions, in some cases by 140 million litres a year. (more…)

Greens MP and mining spokesperson Lee Rhiannon has called on the Iemma government to investigate the source of lead and other contaminants found in drinking water near a Mudgee coalmine and establish a regular monitoring program.

“The government must take immediate action to ensure the health of children and adults living in the vicinity of the Wilpinjong coalmine is not compromised,” Ms Rhiannon said. (more…)

NSW Greens MP Sylvia Hale today called on the state government to resist a campaign by the NSW Police Commissioner for even greater police powers.

“The mishandling of the Haneef case clearly demonstrates the dangers of granting ever increasing powers to the police,” she said.

“It is extraordinary in light of the revelations about the actions of the Australian Federal Police in the Haneef matter that the NSW Police Commissioner and the Premier are seeking even greater powers for NSW police. (more…)

Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown has called on the Federal Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull to apply his planned satellite watch for clear-fell logging in Indonesia to southeast Australia.

“Mr Turnbull says ‘it is no good’ protecting one valley if loggers are clearfelling the valley next door. Well, replace ‘valley’ with ‘island’. It is no good preventing clearfelling on Lombok if they are clearfelling Tasmania,” Senator Brown said.

“His satellite watch would have picked up the recent illegal clearfelling of a forest reserve in the Arve valley of Tasmania. It would pick up extensive ecological destruction in East Gippsland and Tasmania. The minister has two standards. He would be better to follow the lead of new Zealand where all clearfelling of oldgrowth forest has stopped.”

“The Australian government push-polled Australians on genetically manipulated (GM) crops and foods to dishonestly inflate support for GM in its latest survey,” says Gene Ethics Director, Bob Phelps.

“It was unethical to falsely imply in the questionnaire that GM has solutions to key environmental problems when they do not exist now and are ten years from commercial reality, if ever,” he says.

“Most citizens support genuine solutions to air and water pollution, climate change and salinity on farms, but GM food crops are not the answer to these problems and probably never will be.” (more…)

Opposition leader Barry O’Farrell’s retreat from sewage recycling for drinking water and his support for a new coal fired power station shatter any remaining shred of environmental credibility he might have had, according to Greens NSW MP John Kaye.

Dr Kaye said: “The NSW Opposition has always been appalling on a whole range of environmental issues including irrational opposition to marine parks and support for new motorways.

“But at least they were open to recycling sewage, even if the plans they took to the last election were poorly thought out and failed to give adequate emphasis on rain water tanks and efficiency measures.

“Mr O’Farrell has now given in to the bullying of the Iemma government and announced he will not go to the next election with a platform of recycling sewage for drinking water. (more…)