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Australia is moving to tackle climate change. Multi-party negotiations, begun by the Greens, delivered a carbon price on major polluters that will cut pollution and make clean energy cheaper. We’ve also secured over $10 billion in renewable energy investment, protection of biodiversity, a review of fossil fuel subsidies and much more.

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The first Greens’ bill to ever pass Parliament means that residents in the ACT and Northern Territory can no longer have their laws struck down at the stroke of a Minister’s pen.

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The Australian Greens have called for the Government to make changes to the program that supplies PBS medicines to Aboriginal communities.

The Senate Community Affairs Reference Committee has today reported on their Inquiry into the effectiveness of special arrangements established under section 100 of the National Health Act for the supply of PBS medicines to remote area Aboriginal Health Services (AHS).

The Australian Greens say funding from the carbon price package will be used to boost natural resource management programs across Western Australia.

Senator Rachel Siewert, Australian Greens spokesperson on natural resource management said today that protecting and valuing the land and our biodiversity is an important part of tackling climate change.

“The package provides $1.7 billion of independently managed funding which will be used to protect biodiversity and assist natural resource management,” Senator Siewert said today.

Senator SIEWERT (Western Australia—Australian Greens Whip) (15:37):  I move:
That the Senate—
 (a) notes:
  (i) the humpback whale is listed as a threatened species,
  (ii) human generated habitat degradation is identified as a major threat to humpback whales by the Department of the Environment and Heritage's Humpback Whale Recovery Plan 2005-2010,
  (iii) the plan notes the following forms of possible habitat degradation:
 (a) acoustic pollution, for example, commercial and recreational vessel noise and seismic survey activity,

Community Affairs 23 February 2011

Senator SIEWERT—I have another one that you may say to do somewhere else. I am going to be asking this in several portfolio areas: how much does the department spend on managing contracts and grants with NGOs?

Ms Halton—We probably cannot do it by NGOs. We have done quite a bit of work as part of the strategic review on what we think we spend, in macro terms, on managing grants in toto. I cannot disaggregate it.

Senator SIEWERT—Between commercial and NGOs?
Ms Halton—No.

The tragic loss of life in the Queensland floods, as well as the shocking images of besieged cities, evacuated suburbs, homes and cars swept away and farms ruined, leaves us luckier Australians asking how we can help.

Please join with us in giving to the Premier’s Disaster Relief Appeal.

From http://www.qld.gov.au/floods/donate.html

Senator Siewert asked the Minister representing the Minister for Defence, upon notice, on 28 September 2010: With reference to the land bounded by Vale Road, Adelaide Street and Abernethy Road in Hazelmere, Western Australia, is the Minister aware of any plans to develop this land; if so:
(a)    who has made the applications; and
(b)    what is the nature of the applications.

The Australian Greens say a series of Freedom of Information requests made by as-yet unnamed tobacco companies indicates the industry is prepared to go to extraordinary lengths to undermine a range of health initiatives.

Senator Rachel Siewert, Greens Health spokesperson, learned through Senate Estimates that tobacco companies had lodged 19 FOI requests to the Department of Health seeking very extensive information and internal documents going back almost twenty years.