Latest Australian Greens Media Releases

The Australian Greens today released the proposed terms of reference for an urgent Senate inquiry aimed at delivering water to the Coorong and lower lakes of the Murray River before Christmas.

"Water Minister Penny Wong has given up - but Prime Minister Kevin Rudd must not. Immediate action is what is required to give the Coorong a drink before Christmas," Australian Greens leader Bob Brown said, speaking at the mouth of the Murray today.
 
Senator Brown said the inquiry would focus on emergency, short-term action that could deliver water to the parched river mouth and its precious environment and he expected the inquiry to gain the support of the whole Senate.

"The Murray lakes and Coorong wetlands can not be allowed to die. The Greens, through the Senate committee system, will assist Prime Minister Rudd to identify how much water is available, how the Federal Government can obtain it, how it can be transported down the river, and any barriers to making it happen," Senator Brown said.

South Australian Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said that the cry for help from South Australia and the Murray communities was being heard around the country.

"South Australians know how important the Murray is to our communities and to the country. Now we need the Federal Government to recognise that letting the Coorong dry out, or be flooded with sea-water, will devastate not only the Ramsar-listed Coorong ecosystem, but will flow on to fundamentally change the economic and social fabric of the Murray communities," Senator Hanson-Young said.

The Greens will move for the inquiry on Tuesday 26 August, with a view to the committee reporting back no later than 30 September 2008. South Australian Independent Senator Nick Xenophon has agreed to co-sponsor the motion.

For more information phone Gemma Clark on 0427 604 760

Urgent provision of water to the Coorong and Lower Lakes

Proposed Terms of Reference

That the Rural and Regional Committee report to the Senate, urgently, but no later than 30 September 2008 on the following:

A)    The volume of water which could be provided into the Murray-Darling system to replenish the lower lakes and Coorong;

B)    Options for sourcing and delivering this water, including:
        i)    Possible incentive and compensation schemes for current water holders who participate in a once-off voluntary contribution of water to this national emergency;
        ii)    Alternative options for the once-off compulsory acquisition of sufficient water if voluntary contributions are not sufficient;
        iii)    Likely transmission losses and the most efficient and effective strategies to manage the delivery of this water;
        iv)    Commonwealth powers to obtain and deliver water and possible legislative or regulatory impediments;

C)    And any other related matters.
 

Brendan Nelson's confused call for a renewed debate on nuclear energy would be funny if it were not so serious, Australian Greens spokesperson on nuclear issues Senator Scott Ludlam said today.

"The Greens welcome the call for yet another rational, informed debate on nuclear energy. Australia has these debates every couple of years, and the pro-nuclear side keep losing. They never seem to figure out why."

"Australians have a deep distrust of nuclear technology. It is not because they are emotional, irrational or uninformed, but because nuclear power and uranium mining have no place in a sustainable society and people know it," said Senator Ludlam.

"Nuclear weapons, nuclear waste and the risk of accidental contamination for thousands of years stands in stark contrast to the prosperous, renewable society that most Australians want. So by all means lets have the nuclear debate again, and this time let's talk about the role Australia plays in providing uranium fuel to this most destructive of industries. I'm eager to hear Minister Peter Garrett's views on that subject," he concluded.
 
For media enquiries contact Scott Ludlam on 0417 174 302

In the Victorian Supreme Court yesterday Gunns was ordered to pay a further $52,622 to Australian Greens leader Bob Brown and former Tasmanian Greens leader Peg Putt after the company failed to carry through civil charges in the 'Gunns 20' case.

The court has earlier ordered Gunns to pay $69,385 to Brown, Putt and $17,544 to Tasmanian environmentalist and author Helen Gee, against whom Gunns withdrew charges against as well.

But the matter is not ended. Master Wood of the Court will further adjudicate on how much Gunns should pay to cover the costs of Brown, Putt and Gee on December 4th 2008.

"Gunns shareholders will end up paying these bills. There was no substance to the charges at the outset and John Gay, CEO for Gunns, owes an explanation to shareholders about this expensive failure and legal misadventure," Senator Brown said.

"If the idea was to shut me or my fellow forest advocates up it has had quite the opposite effect," Senator Brown said.

Further information: Ebony Bennett 0409 164 603

The Minister for Climate Change, Penny Wong, has ignored Australia's logging and burning of native forests as a critical contribution to global warming in her Sydney speech to loggers today, Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown said today.

"The latest Australian National University research shows that such logging may produce up to 25 per cent of Australia's carbon pollution of the atmosphere. But Minister Wong, while outlining the Rudd government's overseas aid to stop logging in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, ducked Australia's need to stop logging here," Senator Brown said.

"In fact, Prime Minister Rudd has committed $100 million to Tasmanian transport infrastructure spending with Gunns' proposed pulp mill the beneficiary.

"Senator Wong's promise to the loggers to fund reforestation activities is crazy when she backs public funding of a pulp mill which entails deforestation of 200,000 hectares.

"Senator Wong advocates carbon sinks as "practical action" while also backing destruction of Australia's biggest carbon sinks - its native forests. This is bad economic, environmental and forest policy," Senator Brown said.

Further information: Ebony Bennett 0409 164 603
 

The Australian Greens today voiced their opposition to plans for a new US military facility outside Geraldton, Western Australia.
 
"Federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett has confirmed that negotiations are well underway to install a US military facility - despite there being no consultation with the state or local governments, or the local community," Senator Scott Ludlam said.
 
"The mid-west coast of Western Australia is fast becoming a significant military installation, with facilities that will enable the US military and its allies to coordinate air strikes and military manoeuvres in the Middle East and Asia being built near the existing Australian Defence Signals Directorate."
 
"This will make Geraldton the west coasts' Pine Gap," said Senator Ludlam.
 
"As a result, the local community has an increased risk of attack, yet they are not being given the opportunity to voice their opinion on the proposal."
 
The Australian Defence Department has advised that the meteorological satellite ground station "would provide United States forces and other users with information on weather patterns across the globe".
 
"Resources such as this could be much better targeted at collecting valuable data used in the fight against climate change rather than to fight other nations. Instead, this military application is similar to the facilities used to determine the times and routes of air strikes against Iraqi targets, the organisation of aerial refuelling operations, the planning of ground operations and in programming the orbits of US photo surveillance satellites," said Senator Ludlam.
 
"The people of Geraldton, Western Australia and the whole country deserve to be brought into the conversation about US military bases in their backyard," Senator Ludlam concluded.
 
For comment contact Scott Ludlam on 0417 174 302

MEDIA OPPORTUNITY
Thursday 21 August from 3.30pm:
 
Senator Scott Ludlam will be in Geraldton with Dee Margetts, the former Greens member and current candidate for the Agricultural Region and will be available for comment.
 

The Rudd Government must ignore the short-sighted agenda of Australia's big polluters and stick to its commitment to lift the Mandatory Renewable Energy Target, Australian Greens climate change spokesperson, Senator Christine Milne, said today.

Senator Milne said, "It is no surprise that Australia's biggest polluters are lobbying the Government to protect the status quo under which they can keep raking in the profits and pay nothing for the carbon pollution they pump into the atmosphere.

"The Australian Industry Group, the Business Council, Cement Australia and the Aluminium Council are all hard at work in Canberra trying to lock Australia into a resource economy which will soon be in the past, and deny us all the benefits of moving swiftly into the clean, clever future.

"The greenhouse mafia claims that the renewables target will undermine our export industries, coming on the same day that we are seeing new concerns that the resource boom is coming to an end, reveal just how much these people are locked in the past.

"Policies to boost renewable energy are about making sure that Australia will be in a position to achieve the serious emissions cuts we will need to make. Without bringing on the alternatives to polluting coal, we face far higher costs in the future. A high renewables target substantially reduces the cost of cutting emissions over the medium term.

"With the proposed emissions trading scheme compromised, and early indications that the scheme's cap will be far too weak, the Mandatory Renewable Energy Target is the Rudd Government's only remaining scrap of credibility on climate change. If Rudd and Wong bow to pressure from polluters on this vital issue, they will pay the political price for abandoning those Australians who voted for climate action in 2007."

Senator Milne is in Brisbane today in hearings for the Senate Inquiry into the tax treatment of carbon sink forests. She is available for interviews on either issue.

Tim Hollo
02 6277 3063
0437 587 562

Share plummet adds to Gunns' woes

The Supreme Court in Melbourne is assessing the costs Gunns must pay to Senator Bob Brown, former Tasmanian Greens Leader Peg Putt, and environmentalist and author Helen Gee, for legal costs in the long-running Gunns 20 case. (see www.gunns20.org)

Tomorrow, Master Wood in the Supreme Court is expected to rule on the extent of Gunns' costs to the three defendants after it dropped charges for want of a case to back them up.

"Gunns' shareholders will be doubly piqued," Senator Brown said. "To date, Gunns has agreed to pay $537,810 to defendants in this case.

"Besides the massive slump in its share price, which bodes badly for the pulp mill, shareholders, not the CEO John Gay or directors, will be out of pocket for these legal expenses," Senator Brown said.

Further information: Ebony Bennett 0409 164 603
 

Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young has welcomed the Federal Government's Guest Worker Pilot Scheme announced yesterday, but stated that the rights of workers must be protected.

"While it is pleasing to see the Government provide much needed assistance and training for our Pacific neighbours, especially with the injection of money back into their respective communities, we must ensure that the guest workers are not exploited," said Senator Hanson-Young.

"Poor housing and contentious pay deductions are two issues that the Greens will be keeping a close eye on.

"While this scheme will assist in filling labour shortages in industries such as horticulture, we must ensure that this is about training the guest workers in new skills, and not taking advantage of cheap labour.

"I commend the Government on this move, and the Greens will be looking at the detail closely," concluded Senator Hanson-Young.

For further information please call Gemma Clark on 0427 604 760
 

The Greens said today that the Commonwealth lacked the will and ability to enforce the Murray Darling Basin Plan when it is finally developed.

"The revelations yesterday of water agreement violations on the Paroo River must force people to question whether the Commonwealth will ever stand up to the states to enforce the Basin Plan," said Senator Rachel Siewert today.

These new developments impact directly on two internationally listed Rasmar wetlands - the Currawinya Lakes and the Paroo-Darling Ramsar site - which are a Commonwealth responsibility and are supposedly protected under the EPBC Act.

"What hope has the Basin got if we cannot protect the Paroo - the last free-flowing river in the Murray Darling- despite the 2001 moratorium, the 2003 Paroo River Agreement, and the 2006 Resource Operations Plan ... all in place to supposedly stop new developments?" she asked.

"If this sort of thing can still keep happening, then clearly we do not have strong enough monitoring or action from the Commonwealth to ensure that the values of these areas are protected," said Senator Siewert.

"How is it that this development has been allowed to continue unchecked since 2001?"

"I am astounded that this situation has been allowed to develop and continue without the Commonwealth's knowledge or intervention."

"When the Basin Plan is fully in place, what is the Commonwealth actually going to do to ensure the cap is enforced, given the appalling track record of states like Qld and NSW?" she asked.

"My question is - what action is the Commonwealth going to take, to not only address this particular river, but also to address similar problems across the northern basin?"

"The Greens are calling for a full analysis of the building of new dams, levee banks and diversion channels across the northern basin. Professor Kingsford should be asked to extend his analysis across this area," concluded Senator Siewert.

For all media enquiries, call Chris Twomey on 0407 725 025

Greens Senator for South Australia Sarah Hanson-Young has described the Federal Government's announcements on the River Murray yesterday as falling far short of what is urgently required to save the devastated river system.

"Prime Minister Rudd still has not committed to sending water down to SA by the end of the year. Before summer begins and the evaporation rate rises, we must give the river a drink before Christmas," said Senator Hanson-Young.
 
"While it's a good thing to have extra money in the coffers, it won't do much unless we change the current approach to water buybacks. The Government must actively find water to be sold, and not just wait for people to offer it up for sale," said Senator Hanson-Young.

The Greens yesterday called for an urgent Senate inquiry into the River Murray crisis, to report back by the end of September.

Senator Hanson-Young said the Government's agreement to conduct an emergency water audit needed to go beyond simply adding up the figures offered by the states.

"The audit needs to take the form of a thorough search for water, in both public and private storages. Then we need to determine and what it is best used for, and how we can transmit what is needed down the system to the Lower Lakes," she said.

"We need a truly independent water authority and a timely plan for national sustainable water use. The Rudd Government has failed on both counts, so the Senate must take action, which is why we'll be calling for this inquiry as soon as Parliament resumes on August 26.

"We've already had 11 years of inaction. Australia can't afford to wait another 11 years, we need a 2008 plan," Senator Hanson-Young said.

Senator Hanson-Young is in Canberra today and available for comment.

Contact: Gemma Clark on 0427 604 760