The decision of the Barnett government to lift the ban on uranium mining is an unconscionable grab for short-term wealth against the long-term interest of the community and the planet, says Greens MLC Paul Llewellyn.

“Even assuming that Australia can successfully refuse to accept nuclear waste back, this will not make it vanish into thin air.  This waste is still being generated and will create serious and ongoing health risks if not for us, then for other members of the international community.

“It is morally wrong to feed into an industry that will generate a toxic waste that no-one is prepared to take responsibility for. (more…)

The Tasmanian Greens today exposed Premier David Bartlett as being ignorant on the carbon value of forests and the fundamentals of climate change after he refused to resile from his reported statement that ‘I don’t think that the logging of old growth forests is necessarily related to climate change.’

Greens Leader Nick McKim MP said that Mr Bartlett’s views are contrary to all available climate science, and flew in the face of expert opinion from people as diverse as the IPCC, the IUCN and the World Bank.

“Wilful ignorance is neither clever nor kind, and Mr Bartlett needs an immediate refresher on forest carbon science if he is to lead Tasmania to the low carbon economy which can underpin our economic future. (more…)

Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young is urging the Federal Government to ensure that the issue of childcare is high on the agenda at this week’s Australian Council of Local Governments, given the uncertainty in the childcare sector following the collapse of ABC Learning.

More than 500 mayors will meet with key ministers in Canberra this week. The Australian Services Union has already written to Education Minister Julia Gillard to ask for support for local government to take over some of the ABC Learning childcare centres.

“This summit of local governments is a golden opportunity for the Federal Government and councils to work together on fixing this country’s childcare woes,” said Senator Hanson-Young.

“Local government already provides a portion of Australia’s high-quality, not-for-profit childcare, as well as maternal and child health services.

“With the right support from their federal counterpart, local governments could play a crucial role in transforming Australian childcare services away from the unstable, profit-driven industry it unfortunately has become. (more…)

A call by the world’s peak energy body for a global transition to sustainability is a wake up call for the Rees government to manage the transition from coal fired power stations, according to Greens NSW MP John Kaye.

Dr Kaye said, “The release of the annual outlook by the International Energy Agency (IEA) is a stark reminder that electricity generation must move beyond last century’s carbon intensive dinosaurs and turn to renewable energy sources and greater efficiencies.

“The IEA is the leading international body on energy resources and they are warning that continued business as usual will result in global temperatures rising 6 degrees by the end of the century. This will be an appalling legacy to leave future generations.

“In the face of this reputable and credible threat it is the height of irresponsibility for the Australian Coal Association to play marketing games by rebadging its destructive product as ‘NewGen’ or new generation coal.

“So-called ‘carbon capture and storage’ technology remains a fiction with none of the four projects operating globally viable on a commercial basis. (more…)

The Tasmanian Greens today marked the countdown to the Premier’s promised ‘line in the sand’ over government support being withdrawn from the controversial Gunns’ pulp mill proposal, drawing attention to the fact that there are only 18 days left to pulp mill D-Day of the 30th of November.

Greens Shadow Pulp Mill spokesperson Kim Booth MP said that David Bartlett only had 18 days left to direct Forestry Tasmania to terminate the pulp mill wood supply agreement, which is the crucial test as to whether the Bartlett government would continue to provide support to the proponent beyond the end of this month.

“The countdown to the Premier’s deadline of November 30th is underway with only 18 days to go until the Tasmanian public will see whether the loudly proclaimed  ‘line in the sand’ holds or whether it will be trampled upon by the pulp mill wood supply agreement,” Mr Booth said. (more…)

The Australian Greens have warned there are too many unanswered questions about the government’s internet filtering plan, as the government calls for Internet Service Providers to participate in its trial.

“We still don’t know how this filter would sift through the billions of websites on the internet in search of the ‘unwanted’ material referred to in question time today by Minister Conroy,” said the Greens Communications Spokesperson, Senator Scott Ludlam.

Last month at Senate Estimates, Senator Ludlam queried the focus of the filter and in particular, whether similar schemes have been implemented overseas. The Senator queried the issue again today to establish why the Government had compared Australia’s proposed mandatory system with a number of other countries where net filtering is not mandatory. Again the Minister failed to answer the question directly. (more…)