The Senate

(a)   recognises:

(i)            the need for cultural change within some sporting organisations relating to problems including violence, and attitudes towards women; and

(ii)           the high regard in which professional sportspeople are held in this country, and the role model status that they hold for young Australians; 

(b)   calls on the Government to:

The Greens have received Senate support for their call for Government action on recent examples of serious behavioural transgressions in professional sport, including sexual misconduct, violence and aggression towards women.

Senator Hanson-Young, Greens spokesperson for Sport and the Status of Women, this morning moved a motion calling on the Federal Government to facilitate dialogue with representatives from all sporting codes and investigate a possible universal code of conduct, which the Senate supported.

More money, not less, would be available for country sport under an alcohol sponsorship substitution scheme proposed by the Australian Greens.

“The Greens fully support the role of sports and cultural events in Australia, especially in regional areas,” said Greens Health Spokesperson Rachel Siewert.

“However, we are deeply concerned about the problem of harmful drinking, which is costing our community $15.4 billion-a-year and is a concern across all age groups, particularly the young.

Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown today wished all the Australian athletes a successful 2008 Olympic Games.
 
"Australia has a fantastic team of athletes and for the next two weeks I'll be cheering them on like millions of other Australians," Senator Brown said.
 
"After years of hard work, training and sacrifice I wish all our athletes every success and hope they have a terrific time."
 
Senator Brown also congratulated rower and six-time Olympian James Tomkins on being chosen to lead the Australian team at the opening ceremony.
 

 
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd should phone President Hu Jintao and have him stop the police-state censorship of the internet before the Olympics begin, Greens Leader Bob Brown said in Melbourne today.
 
"In Beijing Mr Rudd said he wanted to be China's 'zhengyou' or straight-talking friend.  It's time for straight talk.  'Drop the internet bans or I won't be coming,' Mr Rudd should tell Mr Hu.
 

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has dumped Tibet and will be at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics with leaders who have Tibet clamped under military control, Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown said today.
"It was so predictable," Senator Brown said today. "But it raises the question: why has he kept Australia waiting so long? What, if anything at all, has this government done since the bloodshed in Tibet in March, to lift Beijing's suppression of the 7 million Tibetans? Nothing at all is the answer," Senator Brown said.

Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown will meet with the Dalai Lama tomorrow afternoon in Sydney.
 
"I will be discussing a range of issues with His Holiness when we meet, including the upcoming Beijing Olympic Games and any progress on dialogue between China and representatives of His Holiness," Senator Brown said.
 

Catching up on videos that I have meant to post here for some time, putting firmly the Greens' position on Tibet.

Bob Brown speaking at the rally coinciding with the Olympic torch relay in Canberra here and here, and Christine Milne's speech to the Senate on the question of suspending standing orders to even allow discussion of the issue.

The huge influx of Chinese nationals has given Canberra echoes of the feeling of being overwhelmed which prevails in the Tibetan capital Lhasa, Australian Greens leader Bob Brown said today.
 
Senator Brown visited Lhasa in 1998.
 
The saturation of Communist China's flags in Canberra has swamped Australian flags and those of the small Tibetan protest group.
 
"When the Olympic torch is run through Lhasa next month it will be Beijing triumphalism trampling over the broken hearts of the Tibetan people in their own country," Senator Brown said.