The Morrison Government’s decision not to consider the impacts of Adani sucking up 12.5 billion litres of water from a region in deep drought shows the Government has been completely captured by big mining companies, according to Greens Co-Deputy Leader and Mining spokesperson, environmental lawyer Senator Larissa Waters.

Australian Greens Senator and Animal Welfare Spokesperson, Dr Mehreen Faruqi, has responded to reports hundreds of Australian cattle sold for breeding to the Indonesian Government in 2018 are malnourished or dead. This new scandal has highlighted the lack of protections for breeder and dairy cattle. Senator Faruqi has called for the release of the full report into the incident.

Senator Faruqi said:

The second exposure draft of the Liberals' Religious Discrimination legislation has made already bad legislation even worse.

"The Liberals have massively widened the scope of the legislation, which will increase the number of organisations that will be able to discriminate," Greens Justice spokesperson Senator Nick McKim said.

"The legislation maintains its undermining of state-based protections against discrimination, including Tasmania's nation-leading laws."

Greens Spokesperson for Animal Welfare, Senator Mehreen Faruqi, has reacted to Million Dollar Chase “consolation winner” Nangar Jack testing positive for EPO.

She said:

“This incident confirms that greyhound racing has not and cannot clean up its act. The trainer should be punished and banned, but this is not remotely an isolated incident. To protect greyhounds, this cruel industry must be shut down once and for all.

Senator Mehreen Faruqi has reacted to the revelation that she was a target of an organised far right network of Facebook pages that are profiting from thousands of hateful posts a week that have targeted high profile Muslim women across the world. Senator Faruqi was the first Muslim woman to sit in an Australian parliament.

Senator Faruqi will refer the investigation and attacks on her to the Select Committee on Foreign Interference through Social Media established by the Senate this week.

She said:

Australian Greens Senator and Education Spokesperson, Dr Mehreen Faruqi has called for the wiping of Student Financial Supplement Scheme debts which she has described as a rort that has severely impacted people’s lives. From 1993 till 2003 the Student Financial Supplement Scheme encouraged students, including minors acting without their guardians’ authority, to trade in their Youth Allowance for a loan. For every dollar of income support a student gave up, they incurred $2 in debt.

Australian Greens Senator and Animal Welfare Spokesperson, Senator Mehreen Faruqi and The Greens (WA) spokesperson for Animal Welfare Hon. Alison Xamon MLC have responded to the abhorrent allegations of animal abuse on Western Australian cattle farms that were revealed in an investigation by Sentient Media. 

Australian Greens Senator and Education Spokesperson, Dr Mehreen Faruqi has called the proposed merger of the Department of Education with Skills and Employment a huge mistake.

Senator Faruqi said:

“Merging the departments of education and employment is a short-sighted decision that highlights the Government's narrow, neoliberal idea of education. Education is a public good essential to building a socially and economically just society, not just an avenue to employment or profit – it demands a standalone focus.

I rise to speak on behalf of the Greens on the Family Assistance Legislation Amendment (Building on the Child Care Package) Bill 2019. This bill can probably best be described as fixing some, but definitely not all, of the problems with the government's childcare package.

I move: That the Senate—

(a) notes with deep concern that:

   (i) over a hundred fires continue to burn across New South Wales,

   (ii) data from the New South Wales Department of Environment shows harmful pollutants in Sydney's air are already over three times worse than at any moment in the past five years during bushfire season,

   (iii) the toxicity of the air in some parts of Sydney is the equivalent of smoking between four and ten cigarettes a day,

   (iv) particle pollution can trigger heart attacks, strokes, lung cancer and asthma attacks,