Chair of the Senate's Environment Committee Senator Sarah Hanson-Young has announced today she will move for the Faunal Extinction Inquiry to examine the impact of the catastrophic fires across the country on endangered wildlife and flora.

Reports today of another mass fish kill in NSW caused by ash and sediment from bushfires running into the Macleay River, is the disaster experts had been warning about and needs an urgent response from water ministers, the Greens say. 

Greens Spokesperson for Water Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said:

“I wrote to state and federal Water and Environment Ministers yesterday urging them to meet as a matter of urgency to coordinate a joint effort across fire-affected states to ensure safe, clean water supply.

Greens Senator Janet Rice has slammed Bridget McKenzie’s handling of the sport program, giving $100 million in sport grants to favour Coalition target seats in last year’s federal election, rather than awarding grants based on merit.

Quotes attributable to Senator Janet Rice, Greens spokesperson for Sport

“This looks like a government rort designed to win elections.”

Greens Senator for NSW and Education Spokesperson, Dr Mehreen Faruqi, has welcomed Murdoch University’s decision to drop their counter claim for financial damages against academic whistleblower Dr Gerd Schröder-Turk but has said they should drop the entire suit. Dr Schröder-Turk spoke publicly about his concerns regarding inadequacies in Murdoch University’s policies for recruiting international students in 2019.

Australian Greens Senator for NSW and Animal Welfare Spokesperson, Dr Mehreen Faruqi, and Greens NSW Animal Welfare Spokesperson, Abigail Boyd MLC, have called on the NSW Government to follow the the lead of other State Governments and suspend kangaroo culling in the State following massive bushfire wildlife losses.

Senator Faruqi said:

The Federal Government’s announcement of $50 million to wildlife affected by the bushfire crisis is nowhere near enough and should be at least ten times as much, the Greens say.

Greens Spokesperson for Animal Welfare, Senator Mehreen Faruqi said:

“The Government is taking a miserly approach to our iconic wildlife.

The Federal Government’s announcement of $50million to wildlife affected by the bushfire crisis is nowhere near enough and should be at least ten times as much, the Greens say.

Greens Spokesperson for the Environment Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said with more than a billion native animals reportedly impacted and killed in the catastrophic fires across the country and millions of hectares of habitat burnt, $50million won’t go far.

“When Celeste Barber can raise as much money as the Federal Government has committed to this tragedy, it shows their heart’s not in it,” she said.

Greens Senator for NSW, Dr Mehreen Faruqi, has addressed a big climate rally in Wollongong yesterday, condemning Prime Minister Scott Morrison for his lack of leadership and called for more funding for firefighters as well as urgent climate action. Senator Faruqi said:

Australia urgently needs a National Water Pollution Plan with clean water looming as the next crisis as a result of the catastrophic fires across the country, the Greens say.

The Federal Environment Minister is missing in action despite reports that more than a billion native animals have been impacted and killed in the catastrophic fires across Australia and millions of hectares of habitat burnt, the Greens say.