I rise to speak this evening to the climate change bills. I note that many of my Greens colleagues have spoken to these bills and done so with eloquence, intelligence and passion. So while I wish to make a contribution to the debate on these bills, I want to focus on a few key areas. We cannot end the climate wars while opening up new coal and gas projects. It really is that simple. In the month since these bills passed the House of Representatives, Labor has opened up 47,000 square kilometres of ocean to oil and gas exploration.

The Greens Leader Adam Bandt says a windfall tax on gas corporations profiteering from the current crisis could be imposed simply by closing loopholes in the Petroleum Resource Rent Tax (PRRT) in the government’s first budget in October.

The PRRT was designed to tax super-profits, but gas corporations figured out how to avoid paying it by building up a backlog of tax credits to the tune of a jaw-dropping $282 billion. This means that gas companies have to burn through $282 billion in profits until they start paying tax.

The Greens Leader, Adam Bandt, says the ‘coalkeeper’ subsidy to ageing coal power plants will slow the overdue modernisation of the Australian energy network.

The Labor Resources Minister has called for coal-fired power stations to be brought online as Energy Ministers meet to discuss the dramatic increase in energy prices caused by Australia’s failure to reduce reliance on coal and gas.

Greens Leader Adam Bandt will today join solar installers, the Smart Energy Council and Queensland candidate for Ryan Elizabeth Watson-Brown to announce the Greens’ plan for Cheaper and Cleaner Power for Homes and Businesses.

Greens Senate Candidate for South Australia, Emeritus Professor Barbara Pocock, has joined Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young today to announce the Greens would invest $200 million to kickstart Whyalla’s green steel industry. The commitment is part of a national CEFC-like Green Metals bank to finance a new green metals industry across Australia, a vital component of the Greens’ plan to transition away from coal and gas and build things in Australia instead of shipping raw materials overseas.

Greens Leader, Adam Bandt MP, has referred allegations of a $1 billion taxpayer funded climate fraud through the government’s carbon credits scheme to the Auditor General and called for a full, independent inquiry into the claims.

Overnight a whistleblower, the highly-renowned former head of the Emissions Reduction Assurance Committee, Andrew Macintosh, described the program as “largely a scam”.

Quotes attributable to Greens Leader Adam Bandt MP:

“This is yet another rort from a terrible government.

To stop coal communities collapsing, every coal worker should have a decade of generous financial support, including wage subsidies to assist in moving to paid employment in new industries including renewables, minerals mining and green manufacturing, retrain, or take an early retirement, Australian Greens leader Adam Bandt MP has announced today.

Greens Leader Adam Bandt has expressed disappointment at Labor’s capitulation to Scott Morrison’s plan to give $600 million in public money to Snowy Hydro to build a gas-fired power plant that experts say we don’t need.

In 2021 Labor said the plan looked like “a cynical attempt to pick a fight on gas and continue the climate wars, or to reward the major Liberal donor who owns the Kurri Kurri site.

The Greens also said non-binding ideas of converting to green hydrogen down the line are a fig leaf for new gas infrastructure. 

Australian Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young responded to comments made today by Resources Minister Keith Pitt and the response in Glasgow to Australia's poor showing at COP26:

"Our allies around the world came to Glasgow with strong 2030 targets and a commitment to get out of coal and curb methane. The arrogant Morrison Government showed up with their plan to dig deeper into coal and gas and with absolutely no intention to take COP26 seriously.

Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young commenting from COP26 in Glasgow this morning local time: 

“Mr Morrison has had a disaster of a world trip - from Rome to Glasgow, he has been embarrassed and called out for his lack of trustworthiness and lack of commitment.

“Here in Glasgow Scott Morrison’s word is mud. Rather than being a respected world leader, the Prime Minister is will leave here with a bad reputation for being a blocker, a liar and sop to the fossil fuel industry.