Greens spokesperson for the climate crisis, Adam Bandt MP, has responded to the bushfires burning across NSW and QLD, saying Scott Morrison bears some responsibility and must apologise to the communities impacted. 

“We're deeply saddened by the loss of life and our hearts go out to all the families and communities impacted, as well as the firefighters tackling these terrifying scenes,” said Mr Bandt. 

Scott Morrison needs to stop listening to his big donors in the fossil fuel industry and pay attention to the 11,000 scientists who have jointly declared that we are in a climate emergency and must act urgently in order to avoid the worst impacts of climate change, said Leader of the Australian Greens Dr Richard Di Natale.

“We are now in a climate emergency and that is a fact. The scientists know it and the community knows it, but Scott Morrison and the Liberal Party still have their heads buried firmly in the sand,” said Di Natale.

Greens Acting Leader, Adam Bandt MP, has responded to Labor Shadow Minister for Resources Joel Fitzgibbon’s attack on Victorian fracking bans, warning that unleashing toxic methane gas will blow any chance of meeting the Paris Agreement goals.
 
“Joel Fitzgibbon, the man Anthony Albanese has made responsible for Labor’s coal and gas policy, is trying to bully Labor Premiers into unleashing a toxic methane climate disaster,” said Mr Bandt.
 
“Unleashing more toxic methane is not a transition plan, it is a recipe for climate disaster.
 

Greens Acting Leader, Adam Bandt MP, has responded to Scott Morrison’s speech today to the Queensland Minerals Council, saying that any attempts to crack down on protest is a threat to Australia’s democracy.
 
“Scott Morrison is a direct threat to Australian democracy and freedom of speech,” said Mr Bandt.
 
“The Prime Minister’s commitment to outlaw the peaceful, legal protest of Australian individuals and community groups reads like a move straight from the totalitarian’s playbook.
 

Acting Greens leader Adam Bandt MP and Greens spokesperson for Oceans, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson, have called on Scott Morrison to show some climate leadership and offer to host the upcoming crucial COP25 Climate Summit.
 
COP25 was due to be held in a fortnight in Santiago, however Chile has withdrawn from hosting due to ongoing civil unrest.

Acting Greens leader, Adam Bandt MP, has responded to Labor leader Anthony Albanese’s CEDA speech, saying Labor is joining the Liberals by supporting thermal coal, setting Australia on a unity ticket towards climate catastrophe.

“Without a plan to phase out coal, you don’t have a plan to address the climate crisis,'' Mr Bandt said.

“Talking up renewables while continuing to back coal is straight out of Scott Morrison’s playbook. It is not going to wash.

Acting Greens Leader, Adam Bandt MP, has responded to the worsening NSW bushfires crisis, warning that without a real plan to cut pollution, more homes and lives across Australia will be at risk now and into the future.  
 
“Our hearts go out to the people in New South Wales who are experiencing such great loss right now,” said Mr Bandt.
 
“We need to do everything in our power to help those affected by these devastating fires, but we can’t just stick our heads in the sand about what is fueling them. What we’re seeing right now is what happens on a heated planet. 

Acting Greens leader Adam Bandt MP has responded to moves within the government to lift the rate of the goods and services tax (GST), warning that the Greens will fight tooth and nail to block any increase.

“Today Scott Morrison’s real agenda was exposed,” said Mr Bandt.

“This government wants to hand over tax cuts to the wealthy and then make everyone else pay more by lifting the GST.

“The Greens will fight tooth and nail against the Liberals’ plan to lift the GST.

Greens Acting Leader, Adam Bandt MP, will move to amend laws designed to implement the controversial Indonesian, Peru and Hong Kong free trade agreements currently before the House of Representatives.
 
His amendments will seek to delay the implementation of the agreements until guarantees on local jobs and protections from corporations being able to sue governments are included, and until the human rights situation in Hong Kong is resolved.
 
Many Labor members and unions are up in arms about the agreements.
 
Greens Acting Leader Adam Bandt MP said:

As the IMF warns that even a $111 carbon price in Australia will be insufficient to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement, Greens’ climate and energy spokesperson, Adam Bandt, announced that the Greens will introduce legislation on Monday to make the mining, burning and exporting of thermal coal by corporations and their executives (but not workers) a crime after 2030. 
 
“The climate emergency is so severe that a carbon price alone will no longer fix the problem,” said Mr Bandt.