The Greens say that proper regulation of the gambling industry requires a ban on the industry donating to political parties.

“The gambling industry is just rife with conflicts of interest," Australian Greens spokesperson on Gambling Senator Rachel Siewert said. 

“We urgently need a national independent regulator, with gambling companies operating across the country we need a national body regulating them. 

"States which rely heavily on the income gambling generates cannot be in charge of regulating the industry as there is a clear conflict of interest.  

The Greens say that as Crown Resorts has been found to be unfit to operate in Sydney then there are questions around their operations in other states too. 

“The culture and operation of Crown Resorts in Western Australia and Victoria were part of the NSW assessment process and need to be assessed, '' Greens spokesperson on Gambling Senator Rachel Siewert said. 

The Greens say the suspension of the AstraZeneca vaccine roll-out in South Africa shows the need for the government to establish a publicly-owned mRNA vaccine manufacturer in Australia.

Australia needs to be nimble and able to quickly adapt vaccines to ever-mutating strains of COVID, which would only be possible with a local, publicly owned facility that puts health, not profits, first.

Leader of the Australian Greens Adam Bandt MP said:

The Greens say that the Government must continue to expand and diversify Australia’s vaccine portfolio immediately in light of the varying rates of effectiveness of vaccines against new strains. 
 
“We cannot rely on AstraZeneca as our only contingency plan - we need to have a diverse portfolio to rapidly pivot to deal with new strains, including securing deals with Moderna and more Pfizer doses", Greens spokesperson on Health Senator Rachel Siewert said. 
 

The Greens say that taking Jobseeker back to $40 a day is cruel and will have devastating impacts on our community. 
 
“Living on $40 a day, well below the poverty line means going without food, it means going without medication and it means finding meaningful work becomes further and further out of reach”, Australian Greens spokesperson on Family and Community Services Senator Rachel Siewert said. 
 
“Mr Morrison says that the Australian people won't let the virus break our spirit, but taking JobSeeker back to $40 a day is breaking our hearts. 
 

 
The Greens recognise the potential role of e-cigarettes in tobacco harm reduction but support a precautionary approach in the regulation of e-cigarettes.

The Greens support the recommendations of the majority Select Committee on Tobacco Harm Reduction report and have made some additional comments.

MYEFO shows yet again that the Liberals are locking in inequality and damage from climate change, the Greens say.

“The economy continues to be underpinned by Government spending, with state governments’ investment in social housing and public transport responsible for a lot of the improved outlook," Greens Economic Justice Spokesperson Senator Nick McKim said.

"But wages growth has been revised down following the Government’s announcement that they will reduce public sector wage increases.”

 
The Greens welcome the announcement by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) to down-schedule cannabidiol (CBD) and enable the availability of low-dose CBD over-the-counter (OTC) in pharmacies.
 
"The TGA has scheduled low doses of medicinal cannabis but there are currently no products on the Australian market to meet that purpose", Greens spokesperson on Health Senator Rachel Siewert said. 
 

The Greens say that the Medicare Benefits Schedule task force final report is a clear indication that lack of agility and innovation has meant that parts of our Medicare system are no longer fit for purpose. 
 
This report is a wakeup call that our medical system needs to adapt to meet the needs of our population and ensure that it is accessible to everyone and that it is not being exploited by private companies. 
 
Australia prides itself on having a world leading healthcare system, but that won’t be the case if we don't invest in the future.