Infrastructure Australia's short-list released today includes proposals which would help build a sustainable Australia and others which would lock the country into a high-polluting path for decades, the Australian Greens said today.

The proposals across transport, ports and energy are on balance positive, with more than half (based on indicative capital cost) likely to have a net positive environmental impact and less than half a questionable or net negative impact.

Senator MILNE (Tasmania) (12:06 PM) -I rise today to support the Nation-building Funds Bill 2008 and cognate bills. It has been apparent for some time that Australia desperately needs to invest in infrastructure, and there has been a dearth of that in the last 10 years of the Howard government. There has also been in that time incredible pork-barrelling and failure of many of the public-private partnerships, which delivered us some white elephants around the country that the community is going to long live to regret.

SOCIAL SECURITY AND OTHER LEGISLATION AMENDMENT (ECONOMIC SECURITY STRATEGY) BILL 2008 - APPROPRIATION (ECONOMIC SECURITY STRATEGY) BILL (NO. 1) 2008-2009 - APPROPRIATION (ECONOMIC SECURITY STRATEGY) BILL (NO. 2) 2008-2009 - Second Reading

Christine Milne talks to Phil Stubbs for Sydney radio 2SER's Razor's Edge program on the Green New Deal.

You can read a blog post from Phil, with interesting links, here.

STANDING COMMITTEE ON ECONOMICS
(Senate-Thursday, 23 October 2008)

 INNOVATION, INDUSTRY, SCIENCE AND RESEARCH PORTFOLIO

STANDING COMMITTEE ON ECONOMICS
(Senate-Thursday, 23 October 2008)

INNOVATION, INDUSTRY, SCIENCE AND RESEARCH PORTFOLIO - Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)

STANDING COMMITTEE ON ECONOMICS
(Senate-Wednesday, 22 October 2008)

Department of the Treasury

STANDING COMMITTEE ON RURAL AND REGIONAL AFFAIRS AND TRANSPORT
(Senate-Tuesday, 21 October 2008)

National Transport Strategy

Senator «MILNE» -In relation to transport strategy, I am interested to know how you are taking into account climate change and peak oil in terms of sensitivity analysis and investment in the various sectors and whether that is bringing forward coastal shipping as a better freight option than road transport.

STANDING COMMITTEE ON RURAL AND REGIONAL AFFAIRS AND TRANSPORT
(Senate-Tuesday, 21 October 2008)

Infrastructure Australia

Senator LUDLAM -Thank you, Chair. I would just like an answer as to whether carbon price assumptions and oil price assumptions will be built into the draft infrastructure model?

Mr Deegan -We are developing that process.

Senator LUDLAM -I am still not sure if that was a yes. You will have-

Mr Deegan -We are developing that. We need to consider that.

Senator LUDLAM -It will be considered?