“I offer the electorate experienced and stable leadership, and the progressive policies and clear vision for Australia’s future which the big parties are ignoring,” Australian Greens Leader Senator Brown said in Canberra today.

“Moving forward will mean a carbon tax on polluters; bringing home safely Australia’s troops from Afghanistan; a universal dental care scheme; humane treatment of asylum seekers in Australia; protecting our forests and wildlife.”

“This election is also about the Senate and a strong cross-bench delivering better outcomes for Australians. The Greens are the responsible alternative to a deadlocked Abbott controlled Senate.”

“The Greens will campaign strongly on environmental issues including climate change action, the creation of marine national parks, protecting native forests and wildlife and saving the Darling Downs farmlands from 40,000 coal seam gas drill holes and open cut coal mines,” Senator Brown said.

The national poll of 1009 voters taken last weekend found 55% approved of the role the Greens played and only 28% disapproved.

Ahead of an address to the National Press Club in Canberra today, Australian Greens Leader Senator Bob Brown said the Greens had shown the judgment and ability to negotiate and compromise in the interests of the Australian community.

“Without the Greens there would be oppositional deadlock in Parliament.

“Unlike the Coalition, the Greens negotiated with the Government to pass the economic stimulus package last year which saved Australia from recession.

“Raising the pension, fortnightly childcare rebates and fixing the renewable energy target are all results delivered by the Greens.

“We will continue to represent Australians on issues we know are important to them – For example, a carbon prices, getting our troops safely out of Afghanistan, decent treatment for asylum seekers and an end to native forest logging.”

Mental Health for all Australians

The Australian Greens have congratulated the Coalition for putting mental health back on the national agenda and are calling for their $1.5 billion policy announcement to be implemented through the appointment of a dedicated Mental Health Minister.

Senator Rachel Siewert, Greens spokesperson for Mental Health, says the Greens would work with an Abbott Government to implement their mental health policy if elected, and would extend the same offer to the ALP.

“The Greens and Coalition have mental health policies on the table for all to see, while the ALP lags even further behind on the issue,” Senator Rachel Siewert said today.

“Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Health Minister Nicola Roxon are now obligated to explain how a re-elected ALP Government would cater for the growing needs of Australia’s mental health sector.

“This Government has failed to improve Australia’s mental health services, while the Australian Greens have consistently put forward a number of full funded key initiatives which would see this occur,” Senator Siewert concluded.

Noosa River

Queensland Greens spokesperson, Dr Libby Connors, said the latest deaths made the release of the Noosa Fish Health Investigation Taskforce report all the more urgent.

“We know the two veterinary scientists on the scientific sub-committee concluded agricultural chemicals were factors in the fish deaths,” Dr Connors said.

“The public has the right to be concerned about the delay in releasing the final report which was originally scheduled for April.”

Since the taskforce began its investigation:

* Sunfish Queensland has reported an increase in deformities in bream caught along the southeast coast
* The United States Environmental Protection Agency has commenced withdrawing endosulfan from the US market owing to concerns about endosulfan’s environmental harm
* The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) was revealed to have misrepresented chemical test results from the Noosa River

“In the midst of mounting local and international evidence, Australian agencies responsible for monitoring agri-chemical use appear to be in denial about the environmental harm and harm to public health caused by these chemicals,” Dr Connors said.

“We need to know what action, if any, the Queensland government is going to take in the face of this evidence of serious environmental harm.

“How many more fish deaths have to occur before the report will be released?

“The Noosa fish hatchery is clearly the canary in the southeast Queensland environment.”

The Australian Greens will move for an amendment to section 96 of the Constitution – the section which sets out that the Commonwealth may grant financial assistance to the states on such terms and conditions as it thinks fit – to add the words ‘and local government’.

Addressing the Australian Local Government Association National General Assembly today Senator Brown said that recognising local government in the Constitution is ALP policy and was a promise made by Mr. Rudd in the 2007 election campaign.

“But there’s been no action,” said Senator Brown.

“At the start of the next period of Government, the Greens will present a bill to the Senate for this referendum.

“Previous attempts, in 1974 and 1988, to have the status of local government recognised through a referendum failed because of the confusing nature of the questions put to the Australian voters.”

With the collapse of overseas woodchip markets and the growth of plantation forests, results of a new national poll show unprecedented support for ending logging in Australian native forests.

Launching a new television advertisement calling for an end to native forest logging, Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown said there had never been a more opportune time for the Commonwealth Government to step in and end conflict over forests forever.

The results of a national Galaxy research poll of 1,100 people show:
* 90% of Australians are in favour of protecting remaining high conservation value forests in Tasmania, Victoria and New South Wales in national parks.
* 77% agree that the Rudd Government should stop the logging of native forests, which contain large amounts of carbon that would be protected by ending forest clearance
* 72% are in favour of the Federal Government assisting logging contractors to take redundancies, retrain or move permanently to a plantation based industry

“The logging industry is now asking for help to assist workers and companies to shift from unsustainable native forest logging to plantation based forestry,” said Senator Brown.

“The Commonwealth Government should step in.

“Having turned its back on putting a price on greenhouse pollution this is the easiest, simplest way for the Rudd Government to be able to say it has reduced Australia’s greenhouse emissions.

“There is overwhelming public support for the creation of new national parks to protect our precious remaining forests.

“There is no future in native forest logging. Plantation timber is the preference of the global market, and now dinosaur companies like Gunns are in trouble, it is time to end Australian native forest logging forever.”

A meeting of representatives from Australian environment groups convened by Senator Brown last week endorsed the idea that native forest logging should end and that Australia should utilise its existing plantation base for forest products.

Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown says Australia should follow the ban in New Zealand and Thailand on native forest logging and the new moratorium on logging boreal forest in Canada with an end to logging of native forests here.

“The Rudd government and Abbott opposition should join the Greens in working to transform the logging industry to a plantation-based-future,” Senator Brown said.

“It would be a real breakthrough for Australia and its wildlife, and the opportunity has never so good as now.”

“In Tasmania, Victoria and south-east New South Wales, the end of clear fell logging of high conservation value forests is at hand. The federal and state governments can help workers in the depressed logging industry re-skill or find jobs in elevating these magnificent forests rather than destroying them,” Senator Brown said.

Shen Neng 1 grounded on Douglas Shoals

The Australian Greens say vital clean up measures must be undertaken on the Great Barrier Reef after it was today revealed toxic anti-fouling paint continues to poison marine life in the area around Douglas Shoal destroyed by the Shen Neng 1 last month.

Australian Greens Marine Spokesperson, Senator Rachel Siewert used the Senate Estimate hearings to investigate the ongoing environmental impact of the Shen Neng 1 disaster,  which gouged a three kilometre channel into the reef, stripping toxic paint from the ship’s hull.

“This toxic, anti-fouling paint continues to kill marine life on the reef, seeping chemicals into the marine environment,” Senator Siewert said today.

“Simply removing the vessel does not remove the paint from the water- a specific, targeted cleanup is absolutely essential, with preliminary estimates indicating that about 35,000 square metres of the reef may be affected,” said Senator Siewert.

“It appears likely the older layers of anti-fouling paint scraped off the Shen Neng 1′s hull contain TBT – a chemical which is leeched from the paint into the seawater and is then  absorbed by marine life.

“TBT has hormone disruptive properties at even low levels of concentration and can remain in the ecosystem for long periods of time, becoming more concentrated as it moves up  the food chain.

“Dr Russell Reichelt, Chairman of the Great Barrier Reef Authority told the Senate Estimates that an assessment of the impact of the damage caused by the Shen Neng 1 is likely to be  released in a couple of weeks and include an assessment of the impact of the ant-fouling paint.

“Unfortunately, as put forward during Estimates, some of the paint may be in the form of fine particles, which are easily spread through the ocean, leading to a much larger impact  than the 35,000 square metres currently estimated.

“This toxic paint continues to kill plant and animal life on the reef, adding to the irreparable damaged caused by the ship itself. It is critically important that cleanup efforts are  immediately undertaken.

“The Australian Greens will be tabling a motion to establish a Senate Inquiry into the management of the incident and subsequent cleanup management,” Senator Siewert concluded.

Massive reef damage to Douglas Shoals

Dental care for all Australians

The Australian Greens will push for a national, universal public dental care scheme in the lead up to the federal election.

Around half a million Australians are already on waiting lists for urgent dental care, with a national average waiting period of over two years.

“Dental health is essential to good physical health and emotional well-being and it makes no sense for it to be excluded from our public health system,” said Australian Greens health spokesperson Senator Rachel Siewert.

“The Greens will continue to campaign for a universal dental care scheme, operating as part of Medicare as a key priority in the lead up to and beyond the federal election.

“Current public dental services are struggling to treat almost half Australia’s population with less than 10% of the dentists.

“The Menzies Centre for Health Policy estimates that oral disease costs the Australian economy around $2 billion in direct costs and lost productivity.”

The Federal Government has no alternative but to scrap the nomination of Muckaty Station, near Tennant Creek, as a site for Australia’s first ever radioactive waste dump following evidence heard at a Senate inquiry in Darwin, according to the Australian Greens.

“Today we heard first hand accounts of just how flawed the process was that led to Muckaty’s nomination,” said Senate Committee Member Greens Senator Scott Ludlam.

“Numerous Traditional Owners outlined how they and their people were completely excluded from the shared decision making process which is the norm in Aboriginal custom on issues to do with kinship of land.

“Despite claims to the contrary, it is clear they were not properly consulted and have never given consent – a fact human rights lawyers recently confirmed as they assess avenues for a possible legal challenge.

“From all I have heard and read in this inquiry from over 230 submissions, the only outcome is for Muckaty to be scrapped and a fresh process begun that is truly consultative, transparent, scientific, and accountable, as this government promised.

“Labor must now do the right thing by the people of the Northern Territory, not to mention avoid the possibility of an embarrassing, protracted legal battle,” Senator Ludlam said.