Media Releases

Garrett in damage control over Green Loans

Media Release | Spokesperson Christine Milne
Tuesday 9th February 2010, 11:01am
in

Peter Garrett's announcement this morning of an external audit into the Green Loans Scheme is a thinly disguised move to take pressure off his department during Senate Estimates hearings today and avert the threat of an Auditor General's investigation.

"After pretending for months that nothing was wrong, Minister Garrett is now in damage control over the Green Loans debacle," Australian Greens Deputy Leader, Senator Christine Milne said.

"Minister Garrett's office has been inundated with complaints about this scheme for months, but it is only under the shadow of a prospective Auditor General's investigation and Senate Estimates hearings that the Minister has finally engaged.

Rudd could save Musselroe wind farm jobs by fixing renewables target

Media Release | Spokesperson Christine Milne
Sunday 7th February 2010, 11:50am
in

The Rudd government's bungling of the renewable energy target legislation is jeopardising hundreds of jobs around Australia, including those about to be lost at the stalled Musselroe Bay wind farm.

The Greens have proposed a Private Member's Bill to fix the legislation, based on amendments rejected by both Labor and Liberals when the bill was being debated. The government could save the Musselroe jobs by working with the Greens to fix the target scheme.

"Mr Rudd and Minister Wong could save these people's jobs at Musselroe Bay if they fixed the bungled renewable energy target," Australian Greens Deputy Leader, Senator Christine Milne said.

Milne refers Green Loans debacle to Auditor General

Media Release | Spokesperson Christine Milne
Thursday 4th February 2010, 11:13am
in

The Greens have today written to the Auditor General asking for an immediate and comprehensive investigation into the gross mismanagement of the Green Loans Scheme by Minister Peter Garrett and the Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts.

"The Green Loans Scheme is an excellent idea that has turned into an utter debacle through gross mismanagement by Peter Garrett's department," Australian Greens Deputy Leader, Senator Christine Milne said.

"We Greens have been parliament's strongest advocates for household energy efficiency upgrades and the Green Loans Scheme is based on a Greens' 2007 election initiative.

"Energy efficiency upgrades save householders money, reduce emissions and create thousands of green jobs and small businesses.

Abbott joins Rudd in letting polluters off the hook with recipe for rorts

Media Release | Spokesperson Christine Milne
Tuesday 2nd February 2010, 2:54pm
in

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has today returned to John Howard's failed approach to pay for industry action to reduce emissions - an approach notoriously open to rorts and pork-barrelling.

"Both Mr Rudd and Mr Abbott have studiously avoided making polluters pay, avoided the tremendous potential of protecting Australia's forest carbon stores and avoided the reality of what climate science demands," Australian Greens Deputy Leader, Senator Christine Milne said.

"The Greens are now the only party advocating an effective and efficient approach to tackling the climate crisis using both a market mechanism and direct action.

"Tony Abbott wants to hand-pick which industries or projects are the beneficiaries of what will be a massive funds transfer out of schools and hospitals and into aluminium smelters and new coal fired power stations.

Wong cannot guarantee CPRS will reduce emissions. That's because it won't

Media Release | Spokesperson Christine Milne
Thursday 28th January 2010, 11:12am
in

In her press conference yesterday afternoon, Climate Change Minister Penny Wong twice refused to guarantee that her CPRS would reduce Australia's emissions.

The Greens will continue to urge the government to discuss the constructive interim proposal put on the table last week and since endorsed by Professor Garnaut.

"Minister Wong cannot guarantee that her CPRS will reduce Australia's emissions because she knows full well that, in its current form, it won't," Australian Greens Deputy Leader, Senator Christine Milne said.

"The Government's own modelling confirms that the CPRS will pay Australia's polluters to keep polluting while hiding that fact with unlimited, and potentially dodgy, carbon offsets from overseas.

Weak targets decision will hold back global climate action

Media Release | Spokesperson Christine Milne
Wednesday 27th January 2010, 5:43pm
in

The Rudd government has confirmed its position at the back of the global pack on climate change, announcing that it will submit its pre-existing 5-25% target range to the Copenhagen accord.

"Not content with creating a deadlock over emissions trading at home, Kevin Rudd and Penny Wong are now contributing to a global climate deadlock by refusing to lift their inadequate emissions reduction target," Australian Greens Deputy Leader, Senator Christine Milne said.

"The understanding at Copenhagen was that developed countries would put a specific number on the table this month. Once these numbers were added up, it would have become clear that we lag well behind the 2C goal and a global process of lifting the targets would have to begin.

Greens move to save renewable energy target with Private Member's Bill

Media Release | Spokesperson Christine Milne
Wednesday 27th January 2010, 9:22am
in

The Greens will move to ensure a flourishing Australian renewable energy sector by fixing the Rudd Government's flawed Renewable Energy Target with a Private Member's Bill when Parliament resumes next month.

"The extraordinary potential to power Australia from the sun, wind, ocean and earth is being undermined by badly designed Rudd Government policy," Australian Greens Deputy Leader, Senator Christine Milne said.

"It's not just the Rudd Government's climate credibility on the line here, but hundreds of jobs could be lost if the Renewable Energy Target is not urgently fixed.

"We can fix this problem so easily and I challenge Mr Rudd and Senator Wong to look at our proposal and work with us to make sure the renewables sector survives and flourishes."

Garnaut endorses Greens' interim carbon price; Time for Rudd and Wong to act

Media Release | Spokesperson Christine Milne
Tuesday 26th January 2010, 7:24pm
in

Following Professor Garnaut's endorsement of the Greens' interim carbon price proposal yesterday, the Prime Minister and Minister Wong should immediately begin good faith negotiations towards that outcome.

The interim proposal for a two year fixed carbon price to get Australia moving has received widespread support, in stark contrast to the friendless Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme.

"Professor Garnaut has now joined environment and business groups in endorsing our interim carbon price proposal, and key Senators have told us they are interested in discussing it," Australian Greens Deputy Leader, Senator Christine Milne said.

Greens propose Garnaut's interim solution to break CPRS deadlock

Media Release | Spokesperson Bob Brown, Christine Milne
Thursday 21st January 2010, 11:44am
in

The Australian Greens have today written to the Prime Minister, Opposition Leader and all relevant Senators proposing a deadlock-breaking interim solution to get Australia moving ahead with real action on the climate crisis.

The Greens propose that Professor Garnaut's suggestion of a two year carbon price fixed at $20 a tonne be implemented. This interim measure in the transition to a functional and effective emissions trading scheme would provide a $5 billion dividend for households and further revenue to invest in renewable energy, energy efficiency and other emissions reducing options.

"We Greens are putting forward another positive proposal to break the political deadlock and get Australia moving ahead to a clean future," Australian Greens Leader Senator Bob Brown said.

"The interim scheme is a building block for future action that's got real teeth. It will give certainty to increasingly impatient investors and will direct billions of dollars to Australia's householders instead of paying polluters to keep polluting.

14 days until CPRS returns; Government not attempting to negotiate passage

Media Release | Spokesperson Christine Milne
Tuesday 19th January 2010, 9:34am
in

With only 14 days until the government's fatally flawed emissions trading scheme returns to the parliament, neither the Prime Minister nor the Minister for Climate Change have made any attempt to secure the bills' passage through the Senate.

"If Mr Rudd and Minister Wong have any real intention to pass an emissions trading scheme bill in a fortnight's time, they had better get cracking negotiating its passage," Australian Greens Deputy Leader, Senator Christine Milne said.

"With no prospect of getting Mr Abbott's support, the government must either work with the Greens or acknowledge that bringing the legislation back a third time is purely a political stunt.