Greens Leader Adam Bandt has introduced the Privacy (COVID Check-in Data) Bill 2021 into the House of Representatives today.

With the confirmation of new Senator for Western Australia Dorinda Cox today, Greens Leader, Adam Bandt, has put the Greens on election footing with a reshuffle of the Greens’ ‘shadow Ministerial’ portfolios that prioritises the party’s key campaign areas and sets the party up for ‘balance of power’ negotiations in the likely event of a minority Parliament. 

Dear Prime Minister

I write to request that the forthcoming National Cabinet meeting set additional national vaccination targets for First Nations people, people with disabilities and other at-risk groups as part of the National Plan.

The National Cabinet’s ‘reopening’ strategy envisages the substantial easing of restrictions when 80% vaccination rates are achieved. However, this is currently only 80% of the ‘eligible population’, defined as over 16 year olds, and it seems to permit easing of restrictions even if at-risk groups remain largely unvaccinated.

Dear Prime Minister 

I write to request that the forthcoming National Cabinet meeting consider the inclusion of children and all teenagers in the national vaccination targets.

The National Cabinet’s ‘reopening’ strategy envisages the substantial easing of restrictions when 80% vaccination rates are achieved. However, this is currently only 80% of the ‘eligible population’, defined as over 16-year olds, not 80% of the whole population, as recommended by the Grattan Institute.

Greens leader Adam Bandt said Scott Morrison’s announcement today that children would not be included in vaccination targets was a political decision that made the community less safe.

Scott Morrison’s 80% vaccination target is only 65% of the whole population, as it excludes under 16s. An additional 4 million people need to be vaccinated to reach the 80% target if all children and teenagers were included. The Grattan Institute has warned that opening up at such a low level of vaccination could lead to thousands of deaths.

The Greens are thrilled to announce educator, NGO consultant and local mum Sonya Semmens as the candidate for the federal seat of Higgins in the next federal election.

Higgins is set to be a hotly contested battleground at the next federal election, with electoral redistribution picking up Windsor shifting the balance towards the Greens, and threatening a key Liberal-held seat.

A Parliamentary Library Brief, provided to the Greens, reveals that a minority parliament is only 828 votes away, and looms as one of the most likely outcomes after the next election.

The brief showed that anything between a 0.57% and 3.88% swing to Labor would result in a balance of power scenario. The average swing in the last 20 years of Australian elections is 2.8%.

“Assuming all six 2019-elected crossbenchers (excluding Craig Kelly) and only these six get returned, a 0.57% uniform two party preferred swing to Labor will knock the Libs into minority.

Leader of the Australian Greens Adam Bandt MP has strengthened calls for an independent inquiry into allegations against Christian Porter, saying a cloud will remain over the Attorney General and government until they are tested.

Mr Bandt said that while only the courts could ascertain guilt, the Prime Minister was responsible for the selection of his Cabinet.

Lines from Leader of the Australian Greens, Adam Bandt MP:

Statement from Adam Bandt MP, Leader of the Australian Greens:

There is now a dark cloud over the Cabinet and the government.

We need to make Parliament a safe place for women. Parliamentary staff shouldn’t be going to work wondering if they’re working alongside someone who has been accused of such a heinous crime.

The position of the accused means this is a matter of national significance. These are extremely serious and shocking allegations that should be investigated to the fullest possible extent.