The official opening of the Global Greens Congress brought a massive local and international media response in Dakar, Senegal. The video broadcast media dominated the front row of the Congress plenary venue and key speakers were in high demand, after the opening, in the media scrums.

Read more here.

The warning from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change overnight that human actions are leading to more deadly and costly extreme weather events should give Liberal leaders from Tony Abbott to Campbell Newman pause for thought, the Australian Greens said today.

“The climate scientists’ warnings are getting louder, our weather is already getting more extreme, but Tony Abbott, Ted Baillieu, Barry O’Farrell and Campbell Newman are setting out to undermine climate action,” Australian Greens Acting Leader, Senator Christine Milne, said.

“It should never be forgotten that Tony Abbott voted against the flood levy to help Queenslanders after last year’s devastating floods.

“Campbell Newman has said he doesn’t think it’s fair that the mining boom wealth from Queensland should be shared across the broader community, but I don’t recall him complaining when the Australian community chipped in $1.8 billion to help Queenslanders rebuild after the floods. (more…)

Parliament today rejected Rob Oakeshott’s motion to disallow regulations on renewable energy that form a key part of the Multi-Party Climate Change Committee’s agreement from last July.

The regulations, which Mr Oakeshott sought to disallow but which are now law, ensure that native forest furnaces cannot be counted as producing renewable energy – a major win for the climate and for protection of forests and wildlife habitat.

“Tightening the definition of renewable energy to make sure that burning our native forests can’t be counted towards our renewable energy target is a big win for the climate, for our forests, for koalas and other native wildlife which depend on the forests, and for the 80% of Australians who support this move,” Australian Greens Deputy Leader, Senator Christine Milne, said. (more…)

Under questioning from the Greens today, Australian Government has acknowledged it has the power to use the national environment laws to protect Wild Rivers from Campbell Newman and a future LNP Queensland Government, which has pledged to roll back the laws against the wishes of many Aboriginal communities.

“Tony Abbott and Campbell Newman are trying to wind back these laws which protect our most pristine and valuable river systems from the ravages of big mining,” Australian Greens environment spokesperson Senator Larissa Waters said.

“Mr Abbott and Mr Newman have cherry-picked which Aboriginal leaders to listen to and are refusing to meet with Traditional Owners in Western Queensland, all of whom support Wild Rivers laws. (more…)

(letter to the editor, Canberra Times, published to ** 13 March 2012, published in full in March 14 editions of Bungendore Mirror and Braidwood Times)

My heart goes out to all those whose lives will never be the same as a result of losing their loved ones on the Kings Highway last weekend.  These tragic events are yet another wake-up call to all of us who drive, a graphic reminder that the lower speed limits on some sections of the road, advisory speeds on bends, and unbroken lines on bends and crests are there for a reason. We cannot keep blaming the road, and it is hard to imagine that there will ever be enough money to build a dual carriageway down the Clyde. But we all can, and must, learn a lesson from these events and take the utmost care to drive according to conditions, and if it takes an increased, ongoing police presence on the highway in marked and unmarked cars to make sure we do, that needs to happen.

As a Palerang councillor and resident of the Braidwood area, I travel the Kings Highway frequently and invariably with trepidation, not because of the road but because of the acts of dangerous driving that I witness nearly every time I am in my car, whether they be by people travelling at high speeds, overtaking in unsuitable places or tail-gating, apparently oblivious to the consequences of the car in front having to brake suddenly, for whatever reason. We drivers have a responsibility not just for our own lives and those of our passengers, but for others on the road too, and for the police, the ambulance drivers and the emergency services personnel** who must deal with the consequences of the rush to get to the coast or Canberra and elsewhere a little bit sooner.

Catherine Moore

With women around the world celebrating International Women’s Day today, it seems an appropriate time to mention the NSW local government elections that will take place on September 9 this year and talk about the need for women to stand for and be elected to local government, says Catherine Moore, Palerang councillor and 2010 Greens candidate for Eden-Monaro.

Women make up more than fifty percent of the population, and were granted equal pay for equal work in 1969. However in 2010, women were receiving on average seventeen percent less pay for equal work or work of the same value and, in some sectors, like finance and insurance, this gap jumps to 32 per cent. Women are still noticeably absent in the boards, senior staff and parliaments of Australia.

As the WA Department of Local Government website says, “women make a valuable contribution to the local government sector and increase the diversity of decision makers to better reflect the interests and needs of our community.

“Local Government Managers Australia statistics indicate women represent only 5% of local government chief executives nationally and, according to Australian Local Government Women’s Association figures, in July 2009, women represented only 28.4% of the total number of councillors across Australia.” (more…)