Democracy & Governance

Greens deliver stable, top-level representation

Media Release | Spokesperson Bob Brown, Adam Bandt MP
Monday 12th December 2011, 4:48pm
in

While the Gillard Labor government continues to short-change Tasmania, both the Australian Greens' leader and deputy leader are Tasmanian.


"Nationwide, Australians can look forward to continued effective representation by the Greens whether it's seeking a fairer tax burden for big corporations to fund health, education, public transport or clean energy technologies and national dental health care," Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown said in Hobart today.


"While the Prime Minister leaves Tasmania out of the inner circle, the Greens give Tasmania the assurance of top-level representation in Canberra for many years to come," Senator Brown said. "That said, I congratulate Julie Collins and look forward to working with her."


"The Greens' success with a carbon price alone guarantees Tasmania, with its abundant renewable energy, will see millions of dollars flowing south over Bass Strait, thanks to the Greens, in coming decades.


"The Australian Greens' party room is very content with the distribution of portfolios, covering all key issues."


Spokesperson for Legal Affairs, Penny Wright, congratulated incoming Attorney General Nicola Roxon on her new role and said she hoped as the first female to take on the job, Minister Roxon would continue her predecessor's work of making Australia's anti-discrimination laws compliant with its international human rights obligations.


"Discrimination is still a reality for many Australians and we need to ensure that our law is consistent and provides real equality for all Australians," Senator Wright said.


Member for Melbourne Adam Bandt said he was pleased that flexibility and job security for workers was now front and centre.


"The Greens have been pushing for some time to get more flexible hours at work. The challenge for Mr Shorten will be matching the rhetoric of flexibility to real and concrete improvement in working people's lives. We want to see existing flexible arrangements extending to all workers. Parents and carers, in particular need to get mandated rights to flexible hours," Mr Bandt said.


"I will be also seeking support from Mr Shorten for the Greens' Fair Work (Job Security and Fairer Bargaining) Amendment Bill 2011 which will put job security at the heart of the Fair Work Act," Mr Bandt said.


 

Australian Greens National Conference Press Conference - November 6, 2011

Greencast | Spokesperson Bob Brown, Rachel Siewert, Scott Ludlam, Adam Bandt MP
Sunday 6th November 2011, 4:10pm
in

Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown, Senator for Queensland Larissa Waters, Senators for Western Australia Rachel Siewert and Scott Ludlam, and Member for Melbourne Adam Bandt spoke to the media about the Australian Greens National Conference in Fremantle, WA.

Topics included the allocation of preferences, the environmental threats posed by developments in the Kimberley, and the Nationals' call for a "discussion paper" on coal seam gas. 

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Question time needs to be protected: Bandt

Media Release | Spokesperson Adam Bandt MP
Friday 4th March 2011, 3:33pm
in

Greens MP Adam Bandt has warned that Question Time in Parliament is threatened by the Opposition's censure motions and other stunts and the Prime Minister then ending Question Time early.

Mr Bandt said he would seek advice from the Clerk of the House about what options existed to protect Question Time.

 "Almost half of the period for questions this sitting week was lost to the Parliament because of the Opposition's tactics and the Government then ending Question Time early," Mr Bandt said today.

 "Question Time in the House of Representatives is the fulcrum of the Parliament and a key part of the keeping governments accountable."

"This accountability is now under real threat because of the antics of Tony Abbott and the Coalition."

"I will seek advice from the Clerk on what options are available to protect Question Time when Parliament resumes."

Baillieu must avoid past big development failures: Bandt

Media Release | Spokesperson Adam Bandt MP
Friday 18th February 2011, 3:58pm
in

Greens MP Adam Bandt warned the Premier Ted Baillieu to not repeat past big development failures with his Urban Renewal Authority and said he will take a keen interest in developments proposed for Melbourne.

The Victorian government has flagged new large scale developments in and on the edge of the electorate of Melbourne including at Richmond State, North Melbourne and Fisherman's Bend.

"The new government must not ride roughshod over the locals like the previous Brumby government. The local community with their council must have the final say over how these projects proceed," the Member for Melbourne, Greens MP Adam Bandt

"We support urban renewal and higher density in the inner city but don't want another Docklands where not enough thought was put into social infrastructure, building community and urban design."

"There needs to be real consultation and a community veto over these projects. We don't need another Windsor hotel debacle."

"We also need to look more closely at the wisdom of large high-rises as the solution. There are sigificant question marks over the sustainability of many of these approaches to building, in particular housing."

"I will be meeting with the government and relevant departments soon to obtain more detail on these plans and what they mean for my electorate."

"And the community's interest will be my primary focus as these plans develop."

Support pro-democracy groups in Iran - Greens

Media Release | Spokesperson Scott Ludlam
Thursday 10th February 2011, 1:38pm
in

The Australian Greens called for greater support for pro-democracy groups in Iran at a rally outside Parliament House today. The event, organised by ‘Australian Supporters of Democracy in Iran', was held on the eve of the 32nd anniversary of the Iranian Revolution, which paved the way for the Ayatollah's seizure of power.


Australian Greens Senator for Western Australia Scott Ludlam said that Iranians in Iran and around the world are "united by a common dream - that their land will become free".

PM must retract “illegal” WikiLeaks claim

Media Release | Spokesperson Scott Ludlam
Friday 17th December 2010, 2:22pm
in


The Australian Greens have called on Prime Minister Gillard to unequivocally retract her claim that the work of WikiLeaks is "illegal".

Greens communications and legal affairs spokesperson Senator Scott Ludlam said the Prime Minister had attempted to back-pedal on her original claim but a straight-forward retraction was in order.

Include Bob Brown in the leaders debates

in

Australia is a vibrant democracy. We pride ourselves on hearing different points of view.

This election the Greens are the clear third party. Many pundits expect the Greens to hold the balance of power in the Senate after the election.

It's important for the Australian voting public to have the opportunity to hear the views and policies of the Australian Greens, alongside those of the old parties.

Send Prime Minister Gillard and Opposition Leader Abbott a message, telling them it's time for Australian Greens Leader Senator Bob Brown to be included in the national election leaders debates.

Write a Letter to the Editor

in

Make your voice heard!

Do you have something to say? Feel like your Government is not listening to your concerns? Then use our letter writing facility to get your point across. Send a letter to all the major media outlets in Australia by filling in the fields below.

Burma Human Rights Day

Motion | Spokesperson Scott Ludlam
Thursday 12th March 2009, 8:04pm
in

The following motion was passed unanimously by the Senate:

The Senate

Notes that:

1. the 13th of March is recognised as Burma Human Rights Day;
2. the global campaign "Free Burma's Political Prisoners Now!" will commence on 13 March 2009;
3. the democratically elected parliament was not convened in Burma after the 1990 election;
4. The referendum on the current constitution was held immediately following Cyclone Nargis was a sham and the result cannot be considered credible.

Calls on the Australian Government to:

1. Use all diplomatic means to encourage the Burmese regime to make meaningful progress towards democracy and to immediately and unconditionally release all political prisoners, including Daw Aung San Sui Kyi;
2. Refuse to endorse the outcomes of the election in 2010 unless the political climate improves in Burma;
3. Press the Burmese regime to engage in genuine multi-party talks leading to an inclusive, open and transparent political process, including constitutional reform;
4. Engage other nations through the UN and other multilateral fora to press for multiparty talks and an inclusive, open and transparent political process;

Expresses its support for the democratic aspirations of the people of Burma.

 

 

Live from the Tally Room

Blog Post
Saturday 24th November 2007, 5:29pm
by TimHollo in

So here we are. It's taken me this long to get through the firewall here and start blogging, but here we go...

You'll have seen the exit polls by now, I imagine. And the numbers are starting to go up on the big board. Not that that matters, anymore, of course, in our online world.

I've been told that we're over 20% in Sydney, Melbourne, Richmond and many more.