The Greens have slammed the government for its thousand day failure to introduce a federal corruption watchdog, saying that the four-digit delay demonstrated that it couldn’t care less about taking action on corruption.

The Greens have a bill to establish a federal ICAC that has passed the Senate, and could be brought on for debate in the Lower House immediately, if the Government stopped blocking its passage. 

The Greens say day one of the Women’s Safety Summit was yet another exercise in political theatre for a government that remains completely out of touch with Australian women.

Greens deputy leader and spokesperson on women Senator Larissa Waters said:
 
“Bless the experts at the Women’s Safety Summit for so patiently saying the same things they've said so many times before!

“If the government had actually been listening to women, nothing said at today’s summit should have been news to them.

The PM continues to do all he can to duck transparency and accountability with new laws that would overturn a recent court decision by shielding all national cabinet deliberations from public scrutiny.

Greens deputy leader and spokesperson on democracy Senator Larissa Waters said:
 
“The Morrison Government is the most secretive government in history. They eagerly relied on cabinet secrecy to hide information about Covid decisions, the ‘gas-led recovery’, the women’s safety taskforce. 

The government and One Nation have blocked crucial amendments from the Greens and Labor that would have implemented the centrepiece of the Respect@Work recommendations - a positive duty on employers to make workplaces safe.

On Equal Pay Day the Greens have called on the PM to act immediately to close the gender pay gap, with the gulf between men’s and women’s earnings increasing during the pandemic.

Greens deputy leader and spokesperson on women Senator Larissa Waters said:
 
“Today is Equal Pay Day, representing the 61 extra days that women have to work to earn the same average income as men in the last financial year.

The Australian Greens have savaged Labor’s decision to vote with the Liberals today in the Senate to spend public money opening up massive gas fields in the Beetaloo Basin, saying the move raised questions as to whether Labor still believes the climate crisis is real.

If Labor had voted with the Greens and crossbench, the fund would have been abolished, given the numbers in the Senate. Labor is responsible for the continued existence of the $50 million Beetaloo Co-operative Drilling Program to open up new gas projects.

The Australian Greens have slammed Labor for joining the Liberals in allowing $21 million of public money to be handed to a company deeply connected to Minister Taylor and the Liberals, using public money to fund new gas projects in a time of climate crisis.

At today’s Labor Caucus meeting, the party confirmed it intends to vote with the government on a Greens disallowance motion that would have blocked $50m from being gifted to gas companies headquartered in tax havens that want to kick start a 6% rise in Australia’s pollution.  

The Greens say Labor’s decision today to wave through changes to the Electoral Act that will increase membership minimums and give existing parties veto power over new rivals’ names, limits democratic participation and entrenches the two-party system.

Greens deputy leader and spokesperson on democracy Senator Larissa Waters said:
 
“The Libs and Labor are running scared. They know they’re on the nose with the electorate and they know their share of the primary vote is collapsing. This is a blatant and utterly shameless attempt to shore up their power.

The Greens have renewed their calls for action on closing the gender pay gap after the Workplace Gender Equality Agency today revealed that the earnings gulf between men and women had widened over the last six months from 13.4% to 14.2%.

This means Equal Pay Day will this year fall on 31 August, marking the 61 extra days from the end of the financial year that women must work to earn the same annual pay as men.

Greens senators Larissa Waters, Mehreen Faruqi and Janet Rice have written to the Minister for Women and Foreign Affairs Marise Payne to urge the Government to provide immediate and increased aid to help women and girls now subject to Taliban rule in Afghanistan.

To ensure that aid is targeted to those most in need the aid should be delivered through partnerships with civil society and aid organisations working on the ground.