Leader of the Australian Greens Adam Bandt MP has today slammed a proposed wishlist from Australia's peak gas body that would see the methane industry taxed less, bound by fewer environmental protections, and able to damage water supplies with impunity.

"Australia is the driest inhabited continent on Earth. We shouldn't be trashing our priceless water supply to prop up the gas industry," Mr Bandt said.

Australian Greens Industry spokesperson Senator Mehreen Faruqi has responded to a leaked report of the COVID Commission’s Manufacturing Taskforce, which prioritises gas expansion as the way to rebuild manufacturing and create jobs.

Senator Faruqi said:

With Scott Morrison gunning to use the findings of the King Review to back greenwashing attempts by the fossil fuel industry, the Greens say they will fight the government's moves to redirect public funds to coal and gas. Led by gas industry giants and fossil fuel advocates, the King Review suggests that efforts should be spent cleaning up emissions, not trying to prevent them in the first instance. There are three major changes proposed:

Young people will be guaranteed a job, secure income, and free education under a new Greens recovery plan to build ‘a better normal’ and restart the economy after the coronavirus economic shock.

The vision for a debt-financed recovery reaffirms the government’s role in responding to the crisis, and rejects the austerity approaches offered by the Liberal and Labor parties, charting a course for a government-led recovery that extends Australia’s social services, instead of slashing funding for education, healthcare, and the environment.

Young people will be guaranteed a job, secure income, and free education under a new Greens recovery plan to restart the economy and build ‘a better normal’ after the coronavirus economic shock.

The vision for a debt-financed recovery reaffirms the government’s role in responding to the crisis, and rejects the austerity approaches offered by the Liberal and Labor parties, charting a course for a government-led recovery that extends Australia’s world-class social services, instead of slashing funding for education, healthcare, and the environment.

The Australian Greens have called on the government to establish publicly funded vaccine manufacturing capacity in Australia to ensure any COVID19 vaccine is available to all Australians.

A recent Defence science technology report outlined in today’s media has warned of a shortage in vaccines in Australia during a pandemic because of the lack of production capacity in Australia.

Today's House Economics Committee hearing into the insurance sector has revealed the extent that coal is smashing the insurance industry, highlighting the risks of the government's high-carbon 'snapback' strategy to Australian businesses and homeowners.

Greens Leader and member of the House Economics Committee, Adam Bandt, said that evidence from insurers to today’s committee hearing showed that the climate emergency could make some homes uninsurable as insurers face double-digit percentage increases in their re-insurance costs.

 Leader of the Australian Greens, Adam Bandt MP and Housing Spokesperson Senator Mehreen Faruqi have today launched a bold plan to build 500,000 new homes, create 40,000 new jobs and 4,000 new apprenticeships, and push back the risk of recession nationally.

With construction having fallen 7.4% over the year, and with nearly one in three young people struggling to find work, this project will inject crucially needed stimulus into the economy while putting homes into reach for young families.

The Greens support this matter going to an inquiry. Hundreds of workers at Holden are set to lose their jobs within weeks. We really need to look into the impact of this government's lack of future plans for our industry and manufacturing sector. Holden's shutdown should be a wake-up call to the Morrison government. We need to urgently deliver a coherent, forward-looking, clean and green industry, with decent jobs that value workers. Now is the time to ensure that Australia is on the path to be a renewables powerhouse.

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

   (i) Beyond Business as Usual – A 21st Century culture of Manufacturing in Australia is a new research report by Western Sydney University and the University of Newcastle identifying the need for a just and sustainable culture of manufacturing in Australia, and

   (ii) this research: