The Australian Greens

Peace and Non Violence, Grassroots Democracy,
Social and Economic Justice, Ecological Sustainability

Garrett in damage control over Green Loans

Peter Garrett's announcement this morning of an external audit into the Green Loans Scheme is a thinly disguised move to take pressure off his department during Senate Estimates hearings today and avert the threat of an Auditor General's investigation.

"After pretending for months that nothing was wrong, Minister Garrett is now in damage control over the Green Loans debacle," Australian Greens Deputy Leader, Senator Christine Milne said.

"Minister Garrett's office has been inundated with complaints about this scheme for months, but it is only under the shadow of a prospective Auditor General's investigation and Senate Estimates hearings that the Minister has finally engaged.

Uranium contamination from Kakadu mine 5400 times background

Environmental regulators for the office of the Supervising Scientist admitted to a Senate Estimates committee today that water with uranium concentrations 5400 times background and a cocktail of other radionuclides are seeping from beneath the tailings dam at the Ranger Uranium Mine in Kakadu National Park.

The Office of the Supervising Scientist acknowledged to Australian Greens Senator Scott Ludlam that the contamination was occurring, and said that the estimated amount of 100,000 litres per day was based on modelling and not measurement.

"The biggest surprise is that despite knowing about this leakage for years, the regulators don't know how much is seeping, where it is going, or how highly contaminated it is. The regulator suggested that directly sampling this contaminated water would be 'impractical.' I suggest that it is now essential."

Greens call for end to Aussie spy planes aiding Japanese whaling

The Australian Greens today introduced a private Senators Bill to ban any form of Australian assistance to Japanese whaling, such as the use of spy planes.

"My Bill creates a new offence making it unlawful to provide services, support or resources to an organisation engaged in whaling so the Australian government and local companies can no longer assist Japan's brutal whaling regime," said Australian Greens whaling spokesperson Senator Rachel Siewert.

"Many Australians were appalled when it was revealed that Australian air services were used by a company with connections to the whalers to assist in this summer's slaughter.

Greens propose Garnaut's interim solution to break CPRS deadlock

The Australian Greens are proposing to introduce a $20 per tonne fixed carbon price for two years, as an interim solution to break the political deadlock on the failed CPRS.

Senators Bob Brown and Christine Milne have today written to the Prime Minister, Opposition Leader and all relevant Senators proposing this deadlock-breaking interim solution.

The Greens are proposing that Professor Garnaut's suggestion of a two year carbon price fixed at $20 a tonne be implemented. This interim measure in the transition to a functional and effective emissions trading scheme would provide a $5 billion dividend for households and further revenue to invest in renewable energy, energy efficiency and other emissions reducing options.