The Greens today expressed their concern at Western Australian Agricultural Minister Terry Redman's attitude to genetically modified crops, following the Minister's return from a 'fact-finding' visit to Canada.

"Regulation of GM in this country is grossly inadequate and highlights why it is so important to maintain the moratorium on GM crops," said Australian Greens spokesperson Senator Rachel Siewert.

The Government's planned Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme has collapsed in the Senate, hopefully prompting many to look past the politics and identify the reality of what needs to occur.

The science is absolutely clear - if we are to have any reasonable hope of preventing runaway climate change and the chaos that will bring, we need to bring global emissions down rapidly and begin removing CO2 from the atmosphere.

I rise to speak on the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme Bill 2009 and related bills. Many people in this place will know that, before I entered the parliament, I was the coordinator for the Conservation Council of Western Australia. Prior to that I worked in agriculture, so I have some experience dealing with the issue of climate change. For over two decades I have been personally involved in this debate and it saddens me that some people are still questioning whether or not climate change is real and we are still debating what we are going to do about it.

As we celebrate World Environment Day this Friday June 5 - the theme of which is ‘UN-ite to stop climate change' - the Liberal and Labor parties continue to argue over what extent greenhouse-intense industries should be protected under the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme.

Unfortunately, the Rudd government's current scheme is more like a ‘Continue Polluting Regardless Scheme'.

Australian Greens Senator for WA Rachel Siewert and Greens Fremantle MP Adele Carles will address the Climate Emergency Rally in Forrest Chase, TODAY, Saturday 13 June, at 12.30pm.

Senator Siewert, one of five Greens members in the Federal Senate, said she would not support the Rudd Government’s "Continue Polluting Regardless Scheme" in its current form.

On Saturday 13th June, a national rally is being held in most capital cities around Australia. All five Greens Senators will be speaking at or attending rallies across Australia tomorrow calling for the CPRS to be scrapped and replaced with swift action to reduce emissions, drive renewable energy and create green jobs.

"Cutting the Public Health Education and Research Program (PHERP) was clearly a short-sighted, penny-pinching measure -which will ultimately cost us because of poorer public health outcomes in the longer term," said Senator Rachel Siewert today.

Evidence to Senate Estimates late yesterday indicated that cutting PHERP was purely a cost-saving measure that did not reflect the performance of the program or any review of research and education needs.

RURAL AND REGIONAL AFFAIRS AND TRANSPORT

Senator SIEWERT-Where would I go to find out accurately what percentage of weeding we had from GM canola? What percentage, through last year's GM crop, did we have of seeding outside the paddock?

Mr Reading-Seeds outside-

Senator SIEWERT-Seeding outside. Volunteers and contamination of other crops.

Mr Reading-I see what you mean. We are doing a number of trials to evaluate that process.

Mr Perrett-That is pollen drift.

RURAL AND REGIONAL AFFAIRS AND TRANSPORT