With an estimated half a billion native animals killed by the devastating bushfires across Australia, the Greens are calling on the Federal Government to urgently fund a review of the loss of native wildlife and bushfire-specific recovery plans for impacted species.

“The impact the climate fires are having on our precious wildlife is heartbreaking. The scale of the devastation is shocking and is making headlines around the world,” Greens Spokesperson for the Environment Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.  

Today’s meeting of the Murray–Darling Basin Ministerial Council has left the River system in crisis, robbed the environment, and has left South Australia high and dry.

“Today’s meeting has delivered a major blow to the environment, with cuts to crucial environmental water and a delay in plans designed to restore the health of the River” said Senator for SA and Greens Spokesperson for the Murray-Darling, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young.

Communities around Australia are living with the toxic legacy of PFAS contamination in their water, in their soil, in and around their environment. People have already lost so much. They are at breaking point. The impacts have been financial, physical and mental. They are stressed and distressed at the lack of action. The government is really dragging its heels and it's extending the suffering of the people around Australia who are living around these sites. I think the lack of empathy the government is showing is really despicable.

Barnaby Joyce and the National Party have unleashed an assault on the Murray River, the environment and South Australia, the Greens say.

Senator for SA and Greens Spokesperson for Water Sarah Hanson-Young said it would be a terrible step to tear up the Murray-Darling Basin Plan and cut water to the environment throughout the Basin.

Greens Senator for South Australia and Spokesperson for Water and the Environment Senator Sarah Hanson-Young responded to Minister Littleproud’s announcement today relating to the Murray-Darling Basin:

“Any review of the Murray-Darling Basin must be based on science, not politics.

“The review into the management of the Murray-Darling Basin must investigate the corporate greed and corruption that has eroded the effectiveness and delivery of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan.

The Morrison Government is making things up as they go along, while the Murray-Darling is in deeper and deeper crisis and communities and the environment are suffering, the Greens say.

Greens Senator for South Australia and Spokesperson for the Environment and Water Sarah Hanson-Young said the Murray-Darling Basin Plan debate is not about farmers versus the environment, it’s big corporates versus everyone else.

The Greens have backed the call by civil society organisations today for the Morrison Government to drop their plans to outlaw environmental and consumer boycotts.

Their call follows the PM’s announcement to the coal lobby last month that he would introduce new laws crack down on environmental boycott campaigns.

Greens Spokesperson for the Environment Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said the PM’s plan was an attack on basic democratic rights.

I move:

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

   (i) Asset Energy and their project partners are planning to conduct further seismic testing for gas off the coast of Newcastle and the Central Coast in New South Wales,

   (ii) the Environmental Plan for the seismic testing is currently being developed and, once submitted, the community will have only 28 days to respond to the regulator, and

Greens Senator for South Australia and Spokesperson for the Environment Sarah Hanson-Young has welcomed the news Karoon Gas is relinquishing its exploration permit in the Great Australian Bight and called on Norwegian oil giant Equinor to do the same.

“Karoon pulling out of the Bight is a welcome and important move,” Senator Hanson-Young said.

“Turning the Bight into an oilfield will never get the green light from the community.

I, and also on behalf of Senator Waters, move:

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

   (i) states of emergency have been declared in New South Wales and Queensland due to catastrophic bushfire risk,

   (ii) lives have been lost, more than 150 homes have been destroyed, and almost 1,000,000 hectares of land in New South Wales have been razed since the start of this year's unprecedented bushfire season,

   (iii) in New South Wales, the Greater Sydney and Hunter areas are set to experience catastrophic fire conditions for the first time on record,