Threatening to revoke the authorisation to hold citizenship ceremonies because the City of Hobart is daring to discuss moving Australia Day celebrations is significant interference by the Turnbull Government and should stop, Australian Greens Senator Rachel Siewert said today.   

"The Turnbull Government bullied the City of Fremantle in the same way but Freo stood strong and still changed the date for Australia Day. Now the Federal Government is trying the same bullying tactics with the City of Hobart.  

The Prime Minister should engage in a meaningful way about changing the date for Australia Day, rather than rejecting the City of Hobart decision to discuss the issue, Australian Greens Senator Rachel Siewert said today.

“The Government put enormous pressure on the City of Fremantle when they changed the date for Australia Day celebrations, now the Prime Minister has had a go at the City of Hobart for daring to discuss the issue.  

The Australian Greens have welcomed the City of Hobart opening up a discussion about changing the date for Australia Day.

“Well done to the City of Hobart for being brave enough to kick start a conversation about Australia Day in Tasmania. A lot of Tasmanian’s clearly want Australia Day to accessible to everyone, it shouldn’t be on a day that some members of the community view as a day of grieving”, Australian Greens Senator Rachel Siewert said today.  

A preliminary report handed down by the UN special rapporteur on Indigenous rights on Aboriginal incarceration and child removal has thrust Australia’s inaction into the international spotlight, Australian Greens Senator Rachel Siewert said today.

Australian Greens Senator Rachel Siewert supports the open letter from Change the Record to Malcolm Turnbull, calling on the Government to urgently address Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth incarceration.

“The Royal Commission into NT youth detention hands down its interim report today, the Government should use this to inform the development of a proactive strategy to reduce Aboriginal youth incarceration.

Australian Greens Senator Rachel Siewert has welcomed the finding from the Country Needs People report - Protecting Nature For All Of Us, which shows the overwhelming benefit of the Indigenous Rangers program.

“Indigenous rangers and Indigenous Protected Areas have become a key component of ensuring environmental benefits for our country, turning around environmental degradation and species decline.

“It also keeps alive the traditional knowledge of caring for the land and matches it with science to create the best possible outcome for preservation.

The Greens and Labor have secured Senate support calling on the Federal Government to make good on a $10 million grant that they have refused to give to the Machado-Joseph Disease Foundation.

“Machado-Joseph disease is a very rare genetic neurodegenerative disease that has devastating impacts on those it effects. Symptoms generally do not appear until later in life then sufferers rapidly deteriorate.

“East Arnhem land is the number one hotspot for this disease in the world and funding is needed for supports, therapists, equipment and research.

It is atrocious that the Government excluded Aboriginal Legal Services from giving evidence at a senate inquiry into race-hate laws, Australian Greens Senator Rachel Siewert said today.

“When committee chair LNP Senator Ian MacDonald excluded Aboriginal Legal Services from giving evidence at the inquiry, he excluded a voice for our First peoples. The committee should have heard from these important services.

The Greens and Labor have secured Senate support for a senate inquiry into the failing Community Development Program that is being rolled out in remote communities.

“The Community Development Program imposes harder so called mutual obligations for income support recipients in remote communities compared to their metropolitan counterparts”, Australian Greens Senator Rachel Siewert said today.

“People in remote communities have to do much longer hours for work for the dole, and for basically a full year rather than 6 months.

The Greens have secured Senate support for a motion calling on Australian Governments to urgently address hearing loss in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

“The recent Close the Gap report called for a reset on addressing health inequality this needs to include hearing health.

“Governments around Australia have failed to adequately address hearing health which affects our ability to close the gap.