The Parliamentary debate over the Roxby expansion Indenture Bill has confirmed that the State Government has delivered a bad deal for South Australia, says Greens Parliamentary Leader Mark Parnell.

“This is a dark day for our State’s democracy.  The Government has locked in for the next 70 years the right of the world’s richest resource company to over-ride all relevant State laws,” said Mr Parnell.

“The hours of debate in Parliament has shown that in the rush to get this deal signed before ex-Premier Rann departed, the State Government has given too much away for too little in return.

“The environmental costs are going to be much higher, and the economic return will be much lower than the SA public rightly expect. (more…)

Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown today congratulated the NZ Green Party for the record election outcome.

“I have just spoken to New Zealand Greens co-leaders Russel Norman and Metiria Turei to congratulate them on their stunning election result - 13 or 14 MPs elected,” Senator Brown said.

“Go Greens!

“New Zealanders have also voted with thumping majority in a referendum to keep their fair proportional election system.

“It’s time for Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott to help Australians catch up with a similar fair go - 1 vote, 1 value - proportional voting system for Australia.”

Australian Greens Senator Scott Ludlam has delivered a series of questions to Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s office today urging her to ensure Australian citizen and WikiLeaks editor in chief Julian Assange is not transferred from Sweden to the United States.

During Senate Question time on 24 November, an Opposition motion to hijack question time meant that the questions Senator Ludlam intended to ask the Prime Minister were not asked.

“I am extremely concerned at the apparent lack of urgency displayed by the Australian Government, and I intend to travel to the UK - at my own expense - to attend Mr Assange’s appeal hearing in the London High Court,” Senator Ludlam said.

The Australian Foreign Minister has the responsibility for the protection the citizenship entitlements of Australian’s overseas and has answered some but not all of Senator Ludlam’s questions on this matter. Three questions have been referred to the Attorney General. (more…)

As long as the state and federal governments continue to hand over $200 million a year to NSW’s 79 wealthiest private schools, the gap between rich and poor will continue to grow, according to Greens NSW MP John Kaye. (’Gap between poor and rich schools growing‘, Sydney Morning Herald, 17 October 2011, page 3)

Dr Kaye said: “It is time to get serious about educational disadvantage.

“It is grotesquely unfair to continue subsidising elite private institutions like Kings to the tune of $4,500 per student each year while disadvantaged schools struggle to overcome the effects of poverty on educational outcomes.

“Stripping NSW’s 79 wealthiest private schools of their $200 million a year taxpayer-funded gift would pay for an additional 3.7 educational professionals at each of the state’s 581 most disadvantaged public schools. (more…)

The Prime Minister must not trade away vital health and social policies in her enthusiasm to cooperate with the US government in Trans Pacific Partnership free trade agreement talks underway in Hawaii, the Australian Greens said today.

“The United States, which is driving this agenda, is coming back to get what it didn’t succeed in getting through the US-Australia free trade agreement,” Australian Greens Deputy Leader, Senator Christine Milne, said.

“The Prime Minister must immediately release the negotiating text so that all Australians can see exactly what is under threat. The fact that the US is insisting it be kept secret is of great concern.

“The Greens support a fair trade agenda which enables greater global cooperation and trade and helps lift people out of poverty while improving workers’ rights, environmental protection and social policies. A free trade agenda which waters down all these rights is not fair. (more…)

The O’Farrell government’s determination to keep Fred Nile on side has cast a dark cloud over the future of ethics classes, according to Greens NSW MP John Kaye.

Today in the NSW Upper House a deal made between the government and Mr Nile has seen the ethics repeal bill referred to a committee with a report back date of June 2012.

Dr Kaye said: “Barry O’Farrell can’t have it both ways. He either supports the retention of ethics classes or he doesn’t.

“The O’Farrell government is prepared to sacrifice its election commitment to retaining the ethics alternative in order to appease Fred Nile’s appetite and a tiny religious minority.

“The hundreds of thousands of parents who want a secular ethics alternative to special religious education for their children are being held hostage by the extraordinary selfishness of a minority of religious groups and their parliamentary patrons. (more…)

It’s happened!

http://greensmps.org.au/content/historic-senate-vote-changes-climate

Today is an historic day for Australia and a boost to global efforts to reduce emissions as the Senate passes the Clean Energy Future legislation, the Australian Greens said today.

“Today is the day that Australia lays the foundation for a whole economic transformation and it’s the day we start serious action to tackle the climate crisis  ,” Australian Greens Deputy Leader, Senator Christine Milne, said.

“It is a day when the parliament placed the well being of future generations front and centre.

“This is an exciting day in Australia. Laying this foundation stone means it is the beginning of building a clean, zero carbon economy and seizing the opportunities of creating jobs and investment and putting our economy on a 21st century track.

“Where the old CPRS that we rejected was a full stop at the end of the campaign to tackle climate change, this package is an opening paragraph. We have a lot of work to do in the months and years ahead to make the best use of the opportunities we have created.

“But today is also the beginning of the end for Tony Abbott.

“We have had to put up with a 12 month scare campaign from Tony Abbott and the big polluters, based mostly on lies and exaggerations.

“All that negativity is now out the window. There will be a psychological shift in Australia as people see less tax coming out of their pay or more in their support payments and then look to see how they can positively contribute to the task of tackling the climate crisis.

“Tony Abbott staked his entire political career on destabilising the Gillard government and on defeating the legislation to put a price on carbon pollution.

“He has failed on both counts and, instead of standing and facing the music, he has cut and run.

“Australia can now celebrate the passage of this historic package of bills, seize the opportunities it presents, and hold our heads up high internationally as our efforts for the first time bolster global negotiations and help to support carbon prices around the world.

“I will be travelling to Durban to attend the upcoming Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change where Australia’s efforts will be welcomed and celebrated.”

Happening soon in the Senate - the passing of the legislation to take Australia to a clean energy future.

Greens Senator for NSW Lee Rhiannon said today’s historic Senate vote which sees the Climate Package become law presents an opportunity for NSW to grow new green jobs and innovative industries.

“NSW is faced with a stark choice: move forward and transform to a low carbon economy or push on with a coal dominated economy,” Senator Rhiannon said.

“The NSW Coalition government faces a conflict of interest.

“On one hand the government is greedy for the hundreds of millions of dollars in royalties from the 50 new coalmines and expansions of coalmines now on the state’s books.

“The NSW Coalition government also has a responsibility to reduce greenhouse emissions, safeguard NSW’s agricultural and water resources and protect vulnerable species.

“The Climate Package provides an important tool for helping to get this balance right. (more…)