The Australian Greens today reaffirmed their support for penalty rates and pledged to oppose any changes from a future Abbott government.

Greens Deputy Leader and industrial relations spokesperson, Adam Bandt, said the Greens were a vital line of defence against any Abbott-led attacks on people's rights at work.

"As the Greens have repeatedly said, penalty rates are a recognition of the unsociable hours that many people work," said Mr Bandt.

"Many people, especially young workers, rely on penalty rates to earn a living wage," Mr Bandt concluded.

Science and innovation is the key to prosperity. If we want a strong economy after the mining boom boosting our investment in science is vital.

Our investment in science and research is lagging behind many other developed countries and according to the Chief Scientist we may be set to go backwards.

The Greens will boost Australian investment in research and innovation to 3% of GDP by 2020, boost research councils, reverse Labor's cuts to research funding and more.

Our roadmap to reach 3% of GDP by 2020 includes:

Our economy is facing serious challenges as the world moves beyond simply consuming our resources. Trailblazing innovation will be critical to our future prosperity. Caring for workers requires government to invest in the jobs of the future today.

Labor has been stealing from our future by cutting funding from research and development programs and our universities. Meanwhile Tony Abbott doesn't want anything to change. He sees coal and mining as the future, regardless of the fact that our trading partners are moving in the other direction.

Greens Deputy Leader and science and research spokesperson Adam Bandt has backed a call by Australia’s research and science community for a strategic national research policy to build a stronger, smarter nation.

Today for the first time Australian research bodies, representing hundreds of thousands of Australians, came together to urge non-partisan support for science and all forms of research.

“The Australian Greens wholeheartedly support the six principles outlined by the research and science community today,” Mr Bandt said today.

Greens Deputy Leader Adam Bandt has welcomed the government's introduction of anti-dumping legislation, but says the government must now work on local content rules for investments.

"These anti-dumping measures are long overdue", Mr Bandt said

"But these measures alone will not address the problems our manufacturers face. Unless we have strong rules on local content, manufacturing will continue to be squeezed," Adam Bandt said today.

Greens Deputy Leader and industry and innovation spokesperson Adam Bandt MP says today’s announcement by Ford shows Labor is failing Australian manufacturing and that urgent investment in high speed rail is needed to stimulate the sector.
 
“Workers and their families are now paying a big price for Labor’s lack of vision,” Mr Bandt said.
 
“Successive governments have failed to use support for the auto industry to drive innovation.”
 

Greens Deputy Leader and science and research spokesperson, Adam Bandt MP, says the government must boost CSIRO funding in the upcoming Budget to stave off possible job cuts.

The CSIRO Board have announced a cut of 5% to jobs and operating costs.

"The CSIRO Board is ringing the alarm bell and the government must listen. A loss of up to 200 jobs will be a blow to Australia's research community," Mr Bandt said.

"Research and innovation is crucial to our economic prosperity and CSIRO is the cornerstone of our national research effort."

Responding to announcements that 500 jobs will be slashed from Holden's operations in Melbourne and South Australia, Greens Deputy Leader and industry spokesperson, Adam Bandt, has criticised the Federal government for failing to secure jobs and plan for an electric car future.

"Labor has handed over cash to Holden without getting any guarantees of job security for workers and their families," said Mr Bandt.

"Holden has received $2.2 billion in federal government subsidies over 12 years, yet they continue to slash jobs.

The Australian Greens have welcomed the release of the Strategic Review of Health and Medical Research in Australia, chaired by Simon McKeon.

“Health and medical research are key to the health of Australians and to our future prosperity,” said Senator Richard Di Natale, Greens health spokesperson.

“The recommendations in the McKeon Review all deserve serious consideration. Some reforms require urgent attention, like streamlining clinical trials, which is already a serious barrier to research today.”

Australian Greens Deputy Leader and science and research spokesperson Adam Bandt backed calls by health and medical researchers today to ‘boost research spending and revolutionise the way funds are allocated.’

“Science and research are the key to innovation and a strong, clean economy,” Mr Bandt said.

“Thousands of jobs in Melbourne depend on secure, long-term funding for science and research.”

“Science needs secure funding to protect jobs and set up Australia’s economy for when the mining boom is over.”