Greens Leader Adam Bandt announced today that the Greens would preference Labor ahead of the Liberals across the country. Greens Local and State branches finalised preference recommendations for how-to-vote cards this week ahead of early voting polling booths opening on May 9.

Greens how-to-vote cards, that recommend preferences, will recommend a preference for Labor above the Coalition and place other right wing parties last. The Greens will also recommend a preference for climate independents in key Liberal held seats.

With joint state and federal funding set to run out in June, the Greens have pledged $30 million to extend the Yellow Crazy Ant Eradication Program and fund a coordinated eradication program in Townsville, protecting North Queensland’s ecological health and tourism industry from one of the world’s most invasive species.

The Greens will provide:

The Greens say they would fast track a future Labor government’s ICAC bill through the Senate provided it was able to hold public hearings, act on anonymous tip-offs and investigate historical matters, including the shady dealings of the current Coalition front bench.

Lines attributable to Greens deputy leader and spokesperson on democracy Senator Larissa Waters:

“The Greens have been pushing for a national corruption watchdog for 13 years, so we welcome that Labor have said they would prioritise this in the next term of government. 

The Greens say the PM’s admission that he has no interest in legislating an effective federal corruption watchdog is the final nail in the coffin of an historically terrible government.

Lines attributable to Greens deputy leader and spokesperson on democracy Senator Larissa Waters:

The Greens say the Morrison Government has bungled its last chance to show it takes women’s safety and economic security seriously with an underwhelming budget of half-measures and spin.

Lines attributable to Greens deputy leader and spokesperson on women Senator Larissa Waters:

“With an election looming it’s little wonder that the Morrison Government is desperately trying to improve its standing with Australian women, who have been abandoning the Liberals in droves.

On the eve of the 2022 Budget, and in the wake of successive pork-barrelling scandals, the Greens have announced that they will establish a $2 million Public Interest Democracy Fund to explore new initiatives that would allow more public participation in decision-making and the allocation of public money.

The fund, which will be administered by the Department of Parliamentary Services, will support trials of innovative programs to increase democratic participation, including:

The Greens say shocking new data from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority confirming mass coral bleaching shows the Reef in startling decline, and lays bare the Morrison Government’s near-decade of failure on climate action.

Data released today confirms the Reef has suffered the fourth mass bleaching event since 2016 and despite La Nina conditions.

Lines attributable to Greens deputy leader and Queensland Senator Larissa Waters:

The Greens have called on universities to take a zero tolerance approach to sexual violence and harassment on campuses, after the results of the latest National Student Safety Survey revealed that many university settings remain unsafe and unsupportive of student survivors, especially young women.

Lines attributable to Greens deputy leader and spokesperson on women Senator Larissa Waters:

“It’s shocking how little has changed since the 2017 survey that formed part of the Human Rights Commission’s Change the Course report.

The Greens have responded with alarm to reports that Labor will dump its policy to add superannuation contributions to parental leave payments, abandoning young families and women at a time of mounting cost of living pressures and rising rates of poverty and homelessness among older women.

Lines attributable to Greens deputy leader and spokesperson on women Senator Larissa Waters:

With a likely sixth mass bleaching event now unfolding across the Great Barrier Reef, the Greens have called on the Morrison Government to cooperate fully and transparently with UNESCO’s 10-day monitoring mission, which begins next Monday.