The Greens will support the government's research and development reforms because they increase support for small and medium sized businesses engaging in R&D, particularly after the Greens secured amendments to help the cash-flow of these companies which are the engine room of innovation in Australia.

The agreement to make quarterly cash payments to small and medium-sized companies, instead of annual tax credits, was reached after a lengthy consultation by the Greens with a broad range of industry representatives.

Sydney Morning Herald columnist, Elizabeth Farrelly recently hit the nail on the head when asking why we are happy to play gastronomic Russian Roulette by eating without question any morsel offered us on a plate.
She was questioning why many of us blissfully indulge in healthy looking meals without any thought for the chemistry set that lies within, and was dismayed that a recent government-commissioned review of food labelling was happy for this to continue unabated.

The Australian Greens today once again thanked outgoing Chief Scientist, Professor Penny Sackett, for her professionalism and courageous advice which should have been heeded more closely by the government.

Professor Sackett told Senate Estimates hearings today that she had not been invited to contribute to any discussions of appropriate emissions reduction targets either before, during or after the Copenhagen climate conference. She also declined to say that she believed her advice to government had been 'heeded'.

It is inexcusable that years of failed government policy have now led us to the deeply saddening situation where families who have been on the land for generations are selling their farms, often to overseas-owned agri-business, because they see no alternative.

Minister for Science, Senator Kim Carr, today told the Senate that job cuts at CSIRO announced yesterday were about lining up research with the government's priorities, exposing just what a poor relation public interest research in general, and ecosystems and biodiversity research, in particular, have become.

The statement was in response to a question from Australian Greens Deputy Leader, Senator Christine Milne, about the slashing of 10% of the budget for the new CSIRO Ecosystems Research program, leading to 30 scientists losing their jobs.

The Science of Climate Change report released by the Australian Academy of Sciences today shows once again that both Labor and the Coalition must significantly lift their patently inadequate 5% emissions reduction targets.

The report comes as Prime Minister Gillard failed to mention climate change in her campaign launch speech today.

"Delay and denial on the climate crisis is simply unacceptable in the light of ever clearer scientific evidence," Australian Greens Deputy Leader, Senator Christine Milne, said.

The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office have produced a Google Earth map displaying the impacts of a 4º C temperature rise across the earth.

It highlights why temperature rise must be kept below 2º C

You will need the Google Earth plugin for your browser to view the interactive map. You can download it here

The Greens will move in the Senate for a sensible sovereign fund from the resource tax to invest in Australia's people and environment.

The Greens are examining a raft of sidelined recommendations from the Henry Review to pursue in the Senate, including increasing income support for students and the unemployed, removing the Fringe Benefit Tax concession which currently encourages company car use, and introducing road congestion taxes to fund public transport.