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Family & Community

Family & Community

Working people are finding it increasingly difficult to balance work with family, care and community responsibilities. We are in danger of sacrificing our quality of life and becoming a less caring and friendly community.

The Greens are concerned with the happiness and well-being of all Australians, and are committed to introducing laws and policies that support balanced lives. We believe that accessible, affordable, high-quality childcare is essential for supporting family and community life.

Rudd Carbon Plan Unravelling: Urgent Review Needed

Media Release | Spokesperson Christine Milne
Saturday 20th December 2008, 1:17pm
in

The Australian Greens say the growing discontent over the Government's carbon trading scheme - including the Government's own advisor Professor Ross Garnaut - now means it's imperative that an immediate review be held of the scheme's targets and design.
Australian Greens Climate Spokesperson and Deputy Leader, Senator Christine Milne, said today's blunt assessment by Prof. Garnaut condemning compensation for big polluters as 'over the top', echoed other damning assessments from economists, scientists and environmentalists.

NZ radio interview on White Paper

Greencast | Spokesperson Christine Milne
Thursday 18th December 2008, 10:13am
in

Christine talks to Paul Deady from NZ radio 95b

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So what just happened with the National Academy of Music?

Blog Post | Christine Milne
Tuesday 9th December 2008, 3:28pm
by TimHollo in

Yesterday, after a whirlwind six week campaign, Melbourne Uni and the National Academy of Music put out a statement the upshot of which is that the full 2009 program that the Academy had planned to run will now be run, with Brett Dean as Artistic Director, staying in its existing location, key staff remaining the same, and places to be offered to existing students. A new independent board will be appointed with a view to determining the Academy's long-term programming.

Sounds an awful lot like a complete reversal of Peter Garrett's decision to close the Academy on October 22. So how come the Minister's spokesperson told AAP last night that

Academy emerges from clash

Newsflash | Spokesperson Christine Milne
Tuesday 9th December 2008, 9:11am
in
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National Academy's music lives on!

Feature | Spokesperson Christine Milne
Monday 8th December 2008, 5:00pm
in
Musicians from the National Academy rehearse in the Greens Party Room

After a whirlwind 6 week campaign, it has been announced that the National Academy of Music will remain open for 2009, running its full planned program, with Brett Dean as Artistic Director.

The Rudd Government is trying to pretend that it has not done a backflip on this,

National Academy's music lives on!

Media Release | Spokesperson Christine Milne
Monday 8th December 2008, 2:49pm
in

The Australian Greens are today celebrating the reprieve for the National Academy of Music, after the Rudd Government effectively reversed its decision to close the world-renowned school.

The Prime Minister's office, which became involved when the Greens invited students and staff of the Academy to Canberra last week, has intervened to keep the school open and running its full planned program for 2009, with plans for a new independent board to secure its long-term future over the course of the year.

"They say that music hath charms to soothe the savage breast, and no-one who has heard the beautiful music the Academy produces could consider closing it down," said Australian Greens Deputy Leader and Arts Spokesperson, Senator Christine Milne.

Taking note of Min Wong's answer on National Academy of Music 2

Speech | Spokesperson Christine Milne
Monday 8th December 2008, 11:55am
in

Senator MILNE (Tasmania) (3:13 PM) -I rise today to take note of the answer from Senator Wong pertaining to the decision by the Rudd government to close the Australian National Academy of Music. I want to say at the start that this is a shameful decision. It is an unjustified decision. Ever since the minister made it, he has been hiding in his office and failing to justify to anybody why he made the decision. What is even more disgraceful is that he implied for a long time that it was because the internal reviews of the academy had in some way suggested or recommended that it should be closed, when in fact both internal reviews said the academy should be better funded than it is now and should be expanded, not be closed.

Send us your stories on WA welfare trials

Income management trial for child protection

These trials started in the Cannington area and the Kimberley region on 24th November 2008.

This trial is not a blanket approach like the NT intervention that applies to everyone in the selected communities - instead a case manager from the WA Department for Child Protection can refer parents to Centrelink to have their payments income managed if they believe children are 'at risk.' This means Centrelink will income manage 70 percent of regular fortnightly payments and all of any advances and lump sum payments.

Income Suspension for Truancy

If the School Requirements (Truancy) Bill is passed then the income management trial for truancy is expected to commence in the Cannington area and the Northern Territory in 2009. Under this trial Centrelink would have the power to suspend income support payments for up to 13 weeks or more and even cancel those payments -- if the child of a family on income support is missing school, and the school reports them to Centrelink.

We would like to allow people affected by these trials to share their stories and put their personal accounts of the evidence about the ''real' impact of these trials on the record. Please send us your story using the form below.

  • Your privacy is assured
  • Your stories will only be used if you give permission
  • If requested, we can change names, locations and other details

SCHOOLS ASSISTANCE BILL 2008 - Consideration of House of Representatives Message

Speech | Spokesperson Christine Milne
Thursday 4th December 2008, 12:00am
in

Senator MILNE (Tasmania) (11:37 AM) -I wish to indicate I will not be supporting the amendment. I think it is fairly clear now that the coalition has said that it is supporting the bill with the national curriculum in it, and so it should be. The Greens have made it very clear from the start that this is an integral part of this legislation as far as we are concerned. A national curriculum is a national curriculum. Once you start going down the track of saying that you also recognise a broadly alternative curriculum, you do not have a national curriculum; you have a curriculum and any other curriculum that anyone thinks is broadly equivalent. So we will not be supporting the amendment. It is a mechanism for gutting the notion of a national curriculum, and we will not live with it. We will not support legislation with such an amendment in it because it destroys the whole notion of a national curriculum.

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