The Greens won’t support any Uni SA/University of Adelaide merger if it means cutting courses, cutting jobs, closing campuses or compromising on student outcomes, Greens higher education spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.

“Universities are constantly being expected to do more with less by this Liberal Government. Cuts to funding, freezing student places, and making it harder for students to afford to study are key factors pressuring universities to undertake these talks,” Senator Hanson-Young said.

The Greens are pleased national redress legislation has passed, meaning survivors of institutional child sexual abuse can finally begin to access redress, but will advocate for further reforms so the scheme can be the best possible scheme.

“The Greens welcome with a heavy heart the passing of the national redress legislation and look forward to seeing the Scheme operating from the nominated date of 1 July 2018. 

“We share concerns with survivors that the Scheme is not the best it can be given there are some issues that remain unresolved.

The Australian Greens have urged the crossbench not to cave in and wave through drug testing trials of income support recipients that would hurt vulnerable people in Canterbury-Bankstown, Logan and Mandurah. 

“When drug testing income support recipients was folded into the broader welfare reform bill, it was rejected by the Senate for good reason.

“Health and addiction experts have overwhelmingly rejected this proposal. 

The Australian Greens have outlined in additional comments to the senate committee report into National Redress legislation that they will advocate for further reforms so the scheme can be the best possible scheme for survivors of child sexual abuse.

“The Greens want to see the Scheme operating from the nominated date of 1 July 2018. At the same time we are concerned that the Scheme will not be the best it can be given there are some issues that remain unresolved.

As the number of PFAS contaminated sites continues to grow, the Greens are calling on federal, state and territory governments to urgently offer assistance to impacted residents and workers and clean up the toxic chemicals.

Australian Greens Senator Lee Rhiannon said, “It’s past time that Australia ratify the United Nation’s Stockholm Convention agreement to ban PFOS chemicals.

“The Turnbull government has been caught out trying to downplay the serious health impact of these chemicals. 

The Australian Greens will move an amendment to the Water Amendment Bill 2018, listed on the Senate schedule for today, to include the delivery of the 450GL promised to South Australia. 

A bill to end live sheep exports, co-sponsored by three crossbench Senators, has been introduced for debate in the Senate today. 

The Animal Export Legislation Amendment (Ending Long haul Live Sheep Exports) Bill 2018 is cosponsored by Senators Lee Rhiannon, Derryn Hinch and Tim Storer.

Greens animal welfare and rights spokesperson Senator Rhiannon said, “Our priority in preparing this particular Bill has been to end the shocking cruelty that tens of thousands of sheep must endure when they are exported for overseas slaughter. 

South Australia is set to lose $554 million in funding for essential services if the Turnbull Government’s income tax cuts pass the Senate this week.

Greens’ analysis of Government and Productivity Commission figures show South Australians and Tasmanians will be the biggest losers to essential services funding under income tax cuts.

The Liberal Party Council has exposed Malcolm Turnbull’s secret plan to sell off the ABC, the Australian Greens say.

“Malcolm Turnbull’s secret plan to privatise the ABC has been revealed. First it was doing a secret deal with Pauline Hanson’s One Nation to ‘whack off’ money from the ABC’s budget, now this,” Greens media spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.

“Selling off the ABC is electorally toxic. The Liberal Party has shown today it is completely out-of-touch with the Australian people.

Re-regulation of prices needed to fix power mess: Greens

Greens climate change and energy spokesperson Adam Bandt MP today said that the latest AEMC report provides further evidence that the privatisation of electricity has failed, and re-regulating power prices is the only way to stop big power companies from making mega-profits out of providing what should be an essential service.

“Power companies have taken an essential service and turned it into a stockmarket. As a result, the public is getting fleeced,” said Mr Bandt.