Senator Christine Milne

On Monday, Dec 15, 2008, the Australian Greens, along with many like minded Australians were appalled at the Rudd Labor Governments announcement of a paltry 5% greenhouse gas emission target.

Greens Senator Bob Brown called the target a “global embarrassment and a recipe for global catastrophe… It is exactly where John Howard would have placed Australia in 2009"  Read more.

Even the Labor Governments own climate advisor Professor Ross Garnaut described the Rudd scheme that exorbitantly compensates big polluters as “over the top”.  Read more.

The Australian Greens will not surrender and will continue to campaign for a 40% target . The Greens will also initiate a Senate Inquiry into inadequacy of the 5% target.  Read More

Watch a short video comparing Mr Rudd with the Howard Government’s standards.

Sign the petition against Rudd’s 5% target.

Federal Minister Peter Garrett’s decision to effectively give Gunn’s an extension of two more years to do the hydro dynamic modelling in Bass Strait is a body blow to Tasmanians and puts the pulp mill squarely on the 2010 federal election agenda, Australian Greens Senator Christine Milne said today.

“It has been obvious from day one that a chlorine dioxide bleaching pulp mill would pollute Bass Strait and that tertiary treatment would be required,” Senator Milne said. “Gunn’s has had since 2004 to prove otherwise but has failed to do so.”

 Infrastructure Australia's short-list released today includes proposals which would help build a sustainable Australia and others which would lock the country into a high-polluting path for decades, the Australian Greens said today.

The Australian Greens say the growing discontent over the Government's carbon trading scheme - including the Government's own advisor Professor Ross Garnaut - now means it's imperative that an immediate review be held of the scheme's targets and design.

Australian Greens Climate Spokesperson and Deputy Leader, Senator Christine Milne, said today's blunt assessment by Prof. Garnaut condemning compensation for big polluters as 'over the top', echoed other damning assessments from economists, scientists and environmentalists.

"The scheme is unravelling rapidly as the experts assess the detail and find it to be environmentally irresponsible, economically inefficient and actually disastrous for Australia."

Just two days after delivering its 'big polluters' bail-out package', the Rudd Government has announced a deeply flawed renewable energy
target that breaches its election promise and will entrench sector's
boom and bust cycles, the Australian Greens said today.

 The Australian Greens today welcomed US President-elect Obama's choice of energy efficiency expert Dr Steven Chu as his energy secretary.

The Australian Greens today released draft terms of reference for a Senate Inquiry into the 5% emissions reduction target announced by Prime Minister Rudd yesterday.

The Inquiry, to be moved in the first sitting week of the new year, will examine the scientific adequacy of the 5% target in avoiding
catastrophic climate change of more than 2 degrees warming, and whether the target does enough to play a fair and responsible part in global climate action.

"The Rudd Government has chosen to make one of the most important decisions it will ever make on the basis of lobbying by polluters instead on the clear evidence," Australian Greens Deputy Leader and Climate Change Spokesperson, Senator Christine Milne, said.

Australian Greens Deputy Leader and climate change spokesperson, Senator Christine Milne, said Prime Minister Rudd's dangerous 5% emissions reduction target had sparked disbelief and outrage from the community.

Greens Senator Christine Milne predicts there will be a growing international effort to save the Tasmanian Devil from the Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD), following her successful bid to get one of the world's wealthiest men to fund new research.

The Australian Greens today warned the Rudd Government that its emissions trading scheme must be based on science or it will jeopardise the business-as-usual that it seeks to protect.