The Rudd Government is swiftly squandering any credibility it had on climate change, Australian Greens climate change spokesperson, Senator Christine Milne, said today.

Senator Milne said, “How extraordinary that, on World Environment Day, with a global focus on climate change, our Environment Minister ducks, weaves and dances as if he were still on stage, while his colleague, the Minister for Coal, spruiks turning his favourite resource into a horrendously polluting transport fuel.

“At heart, the problem is that the Rudd Government is no more willing to challenge itself and ask the right questions than the Howard Government was. If this Government has not even got the courage to introduce strict mandatory labelling and minimum performance standards for all appliances, what hope is there for any rigour in the emissions trading scheme? (more…)

NSW Treasurer Michael Costa’s budget hides underspending on the environment and education.  Forward estimates show that power privatisation will increase future taxes and slash front line services, according to Greens NSW MP John Kaye.

Dr Kaye said: “The Treasurer’s third budget is a statement of his disdain for teachers, public transport, and climate change.

“He has clearly won the cabinet battles to keep expenditure on services down. (more…)

Plantation limitation on Class 1-3 land not nearly enough to save farming communities

The Tasmanian Greens today criticised the decision to limit industrial plantation establishment on class one, two and three agricultural land as not nearly enough to save rural Tasmanian communities threatened by Managed Investment Scheme-backed industrial plantation development.

Greens Shadow Primary Industry spokesperson Kim Booth MP said the plantation limit on classes one to three land, which cover 4% of the state’s farming land, goes a very short way to addressing the threat rural communities are facing from the conversion of local food-growing land into industrial plantations. (more…)

ACT Greens MLA Deb Foskey points to the NSW Department of Planning’s more stringent requirements for a small gas fired power station as evidence that the ACT Government could and should do more to ensure that ActewAGL’s proposal for Mugga Lane is an appropriate development on an appropriate site.

“AGL wants to construct a small scale power station near Appin. But, according to the NSW Government, in making its environmental assessment it needs to go into air quality in much greater detail and needs to consult with all home owners and residents within 2 km,” Dr Foskey said today.

“In an Estimates hearing today the Chief Minister Jon Stanhope once again said that there is no role for any Minister in deciding on this proposal.

“In fact, as the Environment Minister, Mr Stanhope could today announce that he would commission a full Environmental Impact Statement to follow the Preliminary Assessment that is presently with ACTPLA.” (more…)

ACT Greens MLA Deb Foskey introduced into the Assembly today a Bill to establish a container deposit scheme in the ACT.

“Governments around Australia have resisted the reintroduction of container deposit schemes for many years,” Dr Foskey said today.

“But the increase in the waste we produce and the generally inadequate level of recycling show that it’s time to change course.

“Reducing the production of single-use containers minimises land fill space as well as energy use and greenhouse gas emissions from mainly fossil fuel generated power stations, mining activities, metal smelters, canneries, pulp and paper and bottle production facilities. (more…)

ACT Greens MLA Deb Foskey said that the ACT majority Government is not using its generous budget, handed down today, to provide the leadership needed to address the challenges of climate change and growing inequity in the ACT.

“Of course the Greens are pleased to see a few of our climate change and environment ideas picked up in this budget, but we still lag behind other cities of our size and income across the western world,” Dr Foskey said today.

“The challenge of climate change should see this government commit to a sustainable rapid transit scheme that will allow people across Canberra to enjoy life without a car, and energy efficient buildings - whether they are old or new - which will be good for our planet and cheaper to run.”

“This is an infrastructure-rich budget that will provide a boon to the development industry for years to come. Given the expected drop in Federal Government activity in the ACT, that might be a deliberate strategy. It looks like there are going to be new buildings and refurbishments and roads all over the town. With the exception of Woden and Weston Creek.” (more…)

The Tasmanian Greens today are appalled by the latest Lennon government deal for its corporate mates, which puts a price of $15million on democracy through its imposition of a financial penalty on the taxpayers of Tasmania if a future government wants to implement the will of the community to protect further high conservation value forests or allocate forest for carbon sequestration rather than for Gunns’ unpopular pulp mill. (more…)

Australian Greens climate change spokesperson, Senator Christine Milne, today welcomed Greenpeace International’s comprehensive report into carbon capture and storage, and said that the report confirms our view that we must act now to reduce emissions fast with the renewable energy and efficiency technologies which do exist.

Senator Milne said “We cannot further delay action on climate change, or continue to divert valuable budget dollars, because a hypothetical alternative future solution might allow us to keep using coal. (more…)

A Global Greens secretariat, to exchange information between the world’s 80 Greens parties, is likely to be established in Australia, Greens Leader Senator Bob Brown said in Sao Paulo today.

The Second Global Greens Congress voted Sunday morning in Sao Paulo, Brazil to adopt the Australian initiative for the secretariat, subject to final plans being approved in March 2009. (more…)

Premier Morris Iemma’s desperate eleventh hour bid to rescue his sell-off scheme would still see more than 88% of the state’s electricity industry privatised, according to Greens NSW MP John Kaye.

Dr Kaye said: “Premier Iemma and Treasurer Michael Costa are hoping that no one does the maths on their compromise deal.

“Their offer involves bundling generation company Eraring Energy with the retail arm of Country Energy into one corporation that would be half publicly owned. The rest would be privatised. (more…)