Qld: Australians outraged at Great Barrier Reef destruction
The Australians Greens will today introduce an urgent motion into the Senate to suspend all dredging activity in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage area, following the widespread public condemnation of the damage caused by coal and gas development in the Reef exposed by Four Corners last night.
“19,000 people have signed the GetUp! petition to save the Great Barrier Reef in less than 12 hours,” Australian Greens spokesperson for the environment Senator Larissa Waters said.
“Australians are absolutely horrified by what the coal and gas industries have been allowed to do to this international treasure.
NSW high air pollution - urgent need for new woodheater standards
The Greens have called for the efforts in improving vehicle emissions standards to be extended to woodheaters, responsible for more than a third of hazardous fine particle emissions in Sydney and two-thirds in Canberra. (Sydney Morning Herald, 16 June 2011)
Candidate Forum
EVENT DETAILS
- Event Dates: 2011-02-22 19:00 - 21:00
- Location: Turramurra
- Venue: St. Andrews Church Hall, corner Chisholm and Vernon Streets, Turramurra.
- Candidates: Toni Wright Turner Susie Gemmell
Minister must publicly reveal true position on uranium sales to India
The Australian Greens have called on resources Minister Martin Ferguson to make a statement to Parliament on his policy on uranium sales to India, and whether it differs from that of the Australian Government.
Greens spokesperson for nuclear affairs Senator Scott Ludlam said the Government had recently reaffirmed it would not sell uranium to a country that was not a signatory of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, but leaked documents suggested that Minister Ferguson had different plans.
Auditor Gen confirms Green Loans debacle; This must never happen again
The Australian Greens today called on the government to compensate Green Loans assessors left in the lurch and to ensure that the level of mismanagement seen under the Green Loans program never happens again, following the tabling of a damning report by the Auditor General.
The Auditor General conducted an investigation into the program at the request of Australian Greens Deputy Leader, Senator Christine Milne, who referred the matter to him on 4 February 2010.
"The Auditor General has confirmed all the concerns included in my request for him to investigate this program," Senator Milne said.
Water sensitive urban environments
The Greens urban water plan will help reduce demand for water through the introduction of mandatory minimum water efficiency building standards, and bolster supply by promoting greater use of stormwater.
Australia is the driest inhabited continent with highly variable rainfall and frequent droughts. Yet despite widespread water restrictions in recent years, we are the highest consumers of water per capita in the world – consuming 100,000 litres of fresh water each per year.
Bob Brown visits the Darling Downs
Today Australian Greens leader Bob Brown visited the Darling Downs, in South East Queensland with Senate candidate Larissa Waters.
Senator Brown met with Glenn Beutel, the last resident of the town of Acland (former pop. 250) after the buy up of all other properties by coal mining companies. Senator Brown said the Greens would stand up for farming communities against multinational mining companies.
Protecting Our Coasts
Recent oil spills have shown us the serious risks involved in offshore drilling and the frightening consequences if something goes wrong. The Montara oil spill off the WA coast in 2009 and the ongoing Deepwater Horizon spill in the US have underlined the importance of strong regulation and compliance in preventing disasters and how little we can do to limit environmental and economic damage once they occur.
Queensland Senate campaign launched
Today Greens Leader Bob Brown campaigned in Brisbane launching Greens Senate candidate Larissa Waters.
Bob Brown launches Queensland Senate Candidate Larissa Waters in BrisbaneBob and Larissa announced a new plan to tackle the biggest threats to the Great Barrier Reef, including: measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2020; extending the requirements for satellite tracking of vessels on board vessels for all ships transporting coal and gas throughout the reef; an extension of compulsory pilotage across the entire reef for large transport ships through the relevant international forums; banning the use of the pesticides, particularly Diuron, Atrazine and Ametryn, which are found in high concentrations in run-off from the land.