Greens Upper House MP Ian Cohen today called for the extension of the ban on commercial GM crops in NSW, on the day of the closing of submissions to the review of the moratorium.

The Greens’ call to extend the moratorium comes one day after WA Agriculture and Food Minister Kim Chance introduced legislation making it an offence “to import, sell or be in possession of prohibited [GM] seed”.

“The West Australians have moved to legislate to protect their industry’s GM-free status and their Agriculture Minister is urging other states including NSW to maintain the ban on GM and protect canola cropping and grain handling systems,” said Mr Cohen. (more…)

Greens Leader Bob Brown has written to Shadow Environment Minister Peter Garrett asking him to define ‘world’s best practice’ which Garrett insists is Labor’s guide to accepting Gunns’ pulp mill.

“Any pulp mill in Tasmania must meet world’s best practice environmental standards and outcomes” - Peter Garrett

Senator Brown said world’s best practice excludes the Gunns proposal because it:
*    Will log 200,000 hectares of native forests
*    Will reduce habitat and threaten globally recognised rare and endangered species, including Tasmania’s giant wedge tail eagle, the world’s largest freshwater crayfish, and the Tasmanian devil.
*    Will pump cancer-causing chemicals, furons and dioxins, into Bass Strait - just today it was announced that such chlorine-based toxic chemicals are turning up in Antarctic penguins.
*    Will pump more than 100 million tonnes of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere (more than Tasmania’s transport systems altogether)
*    Will be denied “green power” accreditation for the electricity produced from its forest furnace (see attached letter) and
*    Will threaten the organic status of local vineyards and farms and human health because it is to be sited in a heavily populated valley. (more…)

Cycle Against the Nuclear Cycle is a bicycle event at Parliament House organised by Canberra Region Anti-Nuclear Campaign on Sunday September 2.

It starts with cyclists encircling Parliament House at noon, followed by a picnic with speakers, stalls and music on the Parliament House lawns.

Greens Senate candidate for the ACT Kerrie Tucker , who will be there on her bicycle, is speaking at the event.

“Nuclear power is directly linked to the proliferation of nuclear weapons,” Ms Tucker said today. (more…)

Senator Kerry Nettle welcomed today’s High Court decision that found part of the Howard Government’s changes to the Electoral Act unconstitutional and therefore invalid.

“The High Court today has found that the Prime Minister has abused his control of both houses of parliament by trying to pass unconstitutional laws that take peoples’ rights away, Senator Nettle said.

“The High Court is now the last bastion of fairness by acting in defence of democracy in the face of the Howard Government’s attacks. (more…)

Greens MP and health spokesperson Lee Rhiannon says Premier Iemma should stop crowing about today’s crime figures which show a disturbing drop in the number of drug dealing and trafficking offences being reported to NSW Police.

“The new figures show that the ‘Mr Bigs’ of the drug world are increasingly escaping detection,” Ms Rhiannon said.

“The statistics suggest police resources are concentrated on catching small time, drug users not the commercial suppliers of illicit drugs. (more…)

The Greens will be essential for delivering fairer industrial relations IR reform if a Rudd Labor Government is elected,” Greens Leader Bob Brown said today.

“If Australians elect a Rudd government, the coalition will block any changes to IR - Labor would face a hostile Senate,” Senator Brown said. (more…)

Australian Greens Climate Change Spokesperson, Senator Christine Milne, today warned that the Howard Government is attempting to restrict State powers to establish or maintain key climate change policies.

The National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Bill 2007, introduced in the last sitting week and referred to a Senate Inquiry to report next week, purports to over-ride State and Territory greenhouse and energy reporting schemes. (more…)

Australian Greens Climate Change Spokesperson, Senator Christine Milne, today called on Prime Minister John Howard to publicly reveal what role he envisages Australia will play in George Bush’s Global Nuclear Energy Partnership. Are enrichment and waste dumps on or off the table at the talks with President Bush? (more…)

The Greens will be essential for delivering genuine IR reform if a Rudd Labor Government is elected.

“Every time Labor expands on their IR policy they reinforce the need for the Greens,” said Senator Rachel Siewert, Greens IR spokesperson. (more…)

Dear friends,

While the rest of the world focuses on solving the climate crisis and protecting what is left of our precious natural resources, Australian politicians are hell-bent on approving an environmentally disastrous industrial development in Tasmania – the Gunns pulp mill.

Right now we have the power to stop the development before it’s too late. Nationwide opposition has forced the Federal Environment Minister to allow ten days of public comment before making his final decision. You can help stop the pulp mill by voicing your opposition today:

http://www.getup.org.au/campaign/NoPulpMill (more…)