TONY EASTLEY: While last night’s Community Cabinet meeting might have given him a break of sorts, Environment Minister Peter Garrett can expect no let up from the Federal Opposition. A Senate inquiry into the insulation scheme has decided to call Department of Environment officials to appear before it on Monday. They’ll be quizzed about…
The Rudd Government is living in an alternate universe, spending millions of taxpayer dollars recruiting ever more staff to manage its twice defeated emissions trading scheme (ETS), Senator Simon Birmingham said today. Revelations in relation to wasteful hiring practices have been made at Senate Additional Estimates overnight under questioning from Senator Birmingham, Shadow…
A key election promise of thousands of loans for environmentally friendly home improvements has been disappearing before our very eyes, Senator Simon Birmingham said today. Revelations of appallingly low take up rates have been made in Senate Additional Budget Estimates under questioning from Senator Birmingham, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Climate Action. “Labor…
Claims to have achieved national management of the Murray Darling Basin have been exposed as little more than a sham under questioning in Senate Estimates, Senator Simon Birmingham said today. Department officials, under questioning from Coalition Murray Darling spokesman Simon Birmingham, have confirmed overnight that the New South Wales Government retains a veto…
Environment Minister Peter Garrett is so embarrassed at his underperforming Green Loans program that he’s now trying to distance himself from any of the program’s targets, Senator Simon Birmingham said today. In a laughable television performance this morning, Mr Garrett also tried to blame Home Sustainability Assessors for the delays they’ve experienced in…
The Government’s proposed emissions trading scheme is so confusing that even Mr Rudd and his Government’s Leader in the Senate can’t explain its impact nearly nine months after the legislation’s introduction, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Climate Action Simon Birmingham said today. Asked yesterday by Senator Birmingham how many Australian families will be worse…
The arrogance of the Rudd Labor Government has been on display, with the Government’s Leader in the Senate today suggesting the cost impacts of its proposed massive new tax on everything was not a relevant matter for Question Time. The comment from Senator Chris Evans came in response to a question from Senator…
(Sonya Feldhoff: Good afternoon, Senator.) Good afternoon, Sonya and listeners, a pleasure to be with you. (Feldhoff: This policy, how does it differ from the climate change policy we’ve seen from the Government in the past?) Sonya, this is a markedly different approach that the Coalition is taking to climate change in Australia and it’s an…
(Leon Byner: Simon, yesterday your boss announced a remedy to reduce CO2 emissions but it’s received a degree of criticism. In a nutshell, what does Mr Abbott’s and your Opposition policy do?) Good morning, Leon and listeners. Yesterday, Tony Abbott released what is a very clear alternative to the Government’s emissions trading scheme and the alternative is…
The Rudd Government is refusing to answer key Estimates questions relating to water policy, Coalition Murray Darling spokesman Simon Birmingham said today. “The Government’s failure to answer key questions makes a mockery of the Senate Estimates process, usually one of the more effective means of accountability,” Senator Birmingham said. The October round…