Greens MP and banking spokesperson, Adam Bandt, has warned the big four banks to pass on the full interest rate cut or risk government support in the event they’re hit by another financial crisis.
“Last time there was a financial crisis, the banks received significant support from the government and the Parliament.
We gave them cheap credit and effectively guaranteed their operations”, Mr Bandt said.
“If the banks aren’t willing to support the Australian people with an interest rate cut, why should we give them generous support if the European financial crisis hits their bottom line?”
“The big banks are rapidly destroying any goodwill they have with the public.”
“The big four banks have made a combined record profit this year of over $23 billion. They can afford to pass on a full rate cut.”
“If they don’t pass on the Reserve Bank’s interest rate cut, the big banks should expect a frosty reception if they come cap-in-hand to Parliament complaining about another global financial crisis.”
“The government certainly shouldn’t be giving them a tax cut of $4 billion over the next decade.”
The Australian Greens have announced today they will reintroduce their marriage equality bill into both houses of parliament when sittings resume in early 2012.
Seizing on the momentum of the ALP’s decision on marriage equality, Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young invited both Labor and Liberal members to co-sign her bill.
“Marriage equality and fairness for all is about love and should be above politics,” the Greens’ marriage equality spokesperson said. “With support from members from all sides, I believe these bills can pass in time for the spring wedding season.”
The Greens senator has called on Tony Abbott to allow members of the coalition to have a conscience vote. “Individual members of the Liberal party have a proud history of crossing the floor on important pieces of legislation. I call on members of the Liberal party to exercise the freedom their party gives them on issues they believe in.
“The Australian Greens have been leading the way on marriage equality for more than a decade.
We welcome the change in the ALP’s platform as agreed at their national conference but we are disappointed some Labor members will be able to opt out of removing discrimination. True equality does not have an opt-out clause. “Cupid doesn’t discriminate and neither should the law.”
Today is an historic day for Australia and a boost to global efforts to reduce emissions as the Senate passes the Clean Energy Future legislation, according to the Australian Greens.
“Today is the day that Australia lays the foundation for a whole economic transformation and it’s the day we start serious action to tackle the climate crisis,” Australian Greens Deputy Leader, Senator Christine Milne, said.
“It is a day when the parliament placed the well being of future generations front and centre.
“This is an exciting day in Australia. Laying this foundation stone means it is the beginning of building a clean, zero carbon economy and seizing the opportunities of creating jobs and investment and putting our economy on a 21st century track.
“Where the old CPRS that we rejected was a full stop at the end of the campaign to tackle climate change, this package is an opening paragraph. We have a lot of work to do in the months and years ahead to make the best use of the opportunities we have created.
“But today is also the beginning of the end for Tony Abbott.
“We have had to put up with a 12 month scare campaign from Tony Abbott and the big polluters, based mostly on lies and exaggerations.
“All that negativity is now out the window. There will be a psychological shift in Australia as people see less tax coming out of their pay or more in their support payments and then look to see how they can positively contribute to the task of tackling the climate crisis.
“Tony Abbott staked his entire political career on destabilising the Gillard government and on defeating the legislation to put a price on carbon pollution.
“He has failed on both counts and, instead of standing and facing the music, he has cut and run.
“Australia can now celebrate the passage of this historic package of bills, seize the opportunities it presents, and hold our heads up high internationally as our efforts for the first time bolster global negotiations and help to support carbon prices around the world.
“I will be travelling to Durban to attend the upcoming Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change where Australia’s efforts will be welcomed and celebrated.”
Greens MP and employment and industry spokesperson Adam Bandt released terms of reference for a Joint Select Committee Inquiry into Australian jobs and manufacturing.
“If best the government can do on jobs is a one day talkfest than the manufacturing sector is in big trouble,” Mr Bandt said today.
“It is left to the Greens to put forward a proposal for a proper inquiry into manufacturing.”
“I will give notice today of motion to establish a joint select committee on Australian Jobs and Manufacturing.”
Inquiry into Australian Jobs and Manufacturing
That a Joint Select Committee on Australian Jobs and Manufacturing be appointed to inquire into and report on:
(a) the state of the country’s manufacturing sector and the threats to jobs and opportunities in the sector;
(b) the significant role of commodities exports in Australia’s economy and the impacts of this on the economy, including on costs of capital and labour, infrastructure investment and the value of the dollar;
(c) policies to support and encourage innovation and adaptation in the manufacturing sector including local content rules for the resources sector and government procurement; and
(d) any related matters.
The federal government has at last let schools decide who they want to counsel their students, and ensure they have appropriate training, according to the Australian Greens.
“We welcome this announcement after taking this much-needed expansion to the 2010 election,” Sen. Sarah Hanson-Young, Greens’ spokesperson for youth affairs, said.
“The Greens have been saying for years a major problem with the programme was it forced schools into getting only a chaplain, rather than someone with basic qualifications.
“Now, schools will get to choose, and also know that whoever they decide to appoint will have minimum qualifications set by the Federal government – a glaring omission that needed fixing.
“Students will also benefit because while they are grappling with the complexities of being young, they will, at last, be talking with an adult who has qualifications, rather than just belonging to a religious group.
“The Greens will be monitoring the changes to the chaplaincy programme to ensure the government keeps its promises to amend the faults in a scheme which costs taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars a year.
“This expansion is welcome in that it now gives schools the choice, including the retention of a chaplain, if the school body determines they best suit their needs. The problem has all along been a lack of qualified staff to support students, but now this will finally happen.”
Evidence is continuing to mount against the Government’s flawed approach to legislation which alters disability support pension eligibility rules.
Australian Greens disabilities spokesperson Senator Rachel Siewert today described the Government’s consultation process around the legislation had been woefully inadequate.
“The evidence presented to today’s Senate Committee hearing into the changes to the Disability Support Pension Impairment Tables makes it clear that the Government’s consultation and trial process was fundamentally flawed,” Senator Siewert said.
“I was astounded to hear that some of these impairment tables have been tested on just two people – despite the fact the Government plans to introduce the changes nationally at the beginning of next year.
“This is a piece of legislation which will see as many as many as 40% of new disability support payment (DSP) applicants placed on the lower Newstart Allowance payment, compounding existing financial hardship without taking any meaningful steps towards improving employment outcomes.
“While the Government continues with plans to move people off the DSP and on to Newstart, not enough is being done to remove the existing barriers to securing long term employment opportunities.
“It emerged during today’s hearing that only 16% of disability support pension recipients find sustainable employment through job service providers. This is a clear sign of the challenges faced by jobseekers and employers.
“These changes are being made under the guise of helping people transition to the workforce, but in reality people are being moved to a lower payment as a cost saving measure and 84% of them will stay there for the foreseeable future.
“I have no doubt that as a result of this legislation many people moved to Newstart will experiencing financial hardship.
“In November last year, the Organisation for Economic Co‐operation and Development stated that the rate of Newstart Allowance had fallen below the poverty line.
“This is effectively punishing people for being disabled, rather than offering them assistance to find an appropriate job and improve their personal circumstances.
“We must examine effective mechanisms to adequately support people in finding secure, long term employment. Not simply penalising them, as this legislation does,” Senator Siewert concluded.
The federal government should not featherbed the big mining corporations by rebating state royalties, and Barry O’Farrell should get his facts right on the carbon price, Greens Leader Bob Brown said today.
“The Gillard government is in a bind over its feeble mining tax. Already, $100 billion is being lost over the next 10 years from the public purse. This is money which should be going to hospitals, housing, schools, dental care or developing high-speed rail,” Senator Brown said in Hobart.
“Mining company profits leapt 15.2 per cent to near $25 billion in the three months to June. The states have a right to increase royalties. But the Commonwealth is wrong to repay that money to the miners.
“As far as saying to the states, ‘well, you can’t increase royalties’, that again will cost the taxpayer. Ultimately, unless the government amends its own watered-down mining tax, we may end up with the federal taxpayer subsidising the states and the mining companies getting off scot-free.
“But Premier O’Farrell’s claims on the carbon tax don’t add up. The carbon pricing package negotiated by the Greens will be a boon for clean energy jobs in New South Wales,” Senator Brown said.
“New South Wales has enough clean energy potential to power 3,000,000 homes, remove pollution equivalent to 3,300,00 cars and create 6,600 jobs.”
Clean Energy Jobs in Regional Australia, Climate Institute, 1/3/2011
“It is also notable that both the New South Wales and Victorian modelling has nothing at all to say about the damage that unmitigated climate change would wreak on their economies,” Senator Brown said.
Yesterday’s find of an apple midge and leaf litter in one of the first apple consignments from New Zealand is evidence that the risk of disease and insect incursion is high and requires an increase in the reach of the inspection service, Greens Deputy Leader, Christine Milne said today.
“Although swooping on a small amount of leaf matter and a single apple leaf curling midge among the first consignments may be touted as a victory for Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service, I am deeply concerned about what may have passed undiscovered in other consignments.
“Such a find so early in the trade does not augur well for the future.
“The current practice of inspecting just 600 pieces of fruit from each consignment holding up to 140,000 apples or pears is inadequate leaving the majority of the consignment uninspected.
“The onus is now on AQIS to implement a more stringent monitoring system for incoming produce that goes far beyond the current practice and requires inspection of cartons as well as fruit.
“I am therefore calling on the government to significantly improve inspection services and inspect at least 600 cartons in addition to the fruit.
“The presence of leaf litter and an insect on fruit has vindicated Australian apple and pear growers who for decades have warned against the dangers of importing produce from countries with diseases and pests not present in Australia.
“While Tasmanian growers wait anxiously for a decision on New Zealand apples entering the state, they are now seeing what will transpire should the decision go against them. The fact remains that allowing New Zealand apples into Australia will lead to unwelcome pests and diseases, including Fire Blight.
“The World Trade Organisation has made it clear that Australia must open its doors to New Zealand apples and pears, so now it is up to our state and federal governments to implement every possible measure aimed at keeping pests and disease away from our shores.”
Greens MP and spokesperson on industry and innovation Adam Bandt has said that if the government will not establish an inquiry into manufacturing the Greens will.
The Greens will move for a Parliamentary inquiry into manufacturing in two weeks’ time when Parliament resumes.
“The mining boom and high dollar are hurting manufacturing and something needs to be done”, Mr Bandt said.
“A strong manufacturing industry is vital to our future prosperity and economic security. The government can’t sit on its hands.”
“If the government won’t establish an inquiry, Parliament should.”
“The inquiry should look at union proposals, which the Greens support, for local content rules and the problem of the high dollar.”
“The inquiry should also consider whether green manufacturing projects – like east coast high speed rail – could be prioritised. This would spread the benefits of the mining boom and give much needed support to the struggling manufacturing sector.”
“If Labor won’t back my motion, I hope the Coalition will.”
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