Labor and the Greens must rule out a taxpayer funded advertising campaign to sell their carbon tax, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for the Environment Simon Birmingham said today. It follows strong signals in the last 24 hours from Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Greens Senator Christine Milne that a carbon tax advertising blitz is…
DetailsLEON BYNER: We’re talking today about this proposed carbon tax, its impact on South Australia … let’s talk to Simon Birmingham, Senator in South Australia for the Opposition. Good morning. SIMON BIRMINGHAM: Good morning, Leon, and good morning to your listeners. Leon, you and Haydon Manning [Department of Politics and Public Policy, Flinders University] this morning…
DetailsIt is untenable for the Water Minister and his newly appointed Chair of the Murray–Darling Basin Authority to neither express confidence in the Authority’s board nor explain why or how they plan to fix it, Coalition Basin spokesman Simon Birmingham said today. Tony Burke and Craig Knowles were both interviewed for a Four…
DetailsWater Minister Tony Burke must guarantee that neither he nor Murray-Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) Chair Craig Knowles encouraged Dr Diana Day to resign from the MDBA board, Coalition Basin spokesman Simon Birmingham said today. “Given recent media reports that Mr Knowles has been planning to sideline the board and Mr Burke planning to…
DetailsA Parliamentary inquiry should consider whether Water Minister Tony Burke has interfered with the independent Murray-Darling Basin Authority’s (MDBA’s) preparation of its Basin Plan, Coalition Basin spokesman Simon Birmingham said today. Senator Birmingham has written to the chair of an inquiry into the Basin Plan’s effects on regional Australia, Independent MP Tony Windsor,…
DetailsWater Minister Tony Burke must rule out interfering in the Murray-Darling Basin Authority’s (MDBA’s) decision making surrounding last year’s release of its Guide to the proposed Basin Plan or else explain why he did interfere, Senator Simon Birmingham said today. It follows revelations in Senate Additional Estimates this morning that the Authority only…
DetailsThe Coalition has called for an urgent inquiry into a renewable energy scheme after authorities were forced to cancel permits worth approximately $113 million because of compliance problems. Andrew Livingston, the Renewable Energy Regulator, told a Senate Estimates hearing on Monday that he had cancelled 3.3 million Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs). RECs…
DetailsWater Minister Tony Burke should state clearly whether the Government expects to spend all of the amounts budgeted for water buybacks in this and future years, Coalition Murray-Darling Basin spokesman Simon Birmingham said today. It follows Mr Burke signalling changes to the Gillard Government’s buyback program despite having criticised the Coalition’s proposal to…
DetailsHAYDEN COOPER: Gentlemen, thanks for joining us. SIMON BIRMINGHAM: A pleasure, Hayden. DAVID BRADBURY: Afternoon. HAYDEN COOPER: Well timing is everything and Scott Morrison has admitted that he got it wrong. You’ll remember that yesterday he raised questions about the cost to taxpayers of flying relatives to Sydney for the funerals of some of the Christmas…
DetailsThe Coalition’s proposed partial deferral of water buybacks in the Murray-Darling Basin could be a win-win that would actually help Basin reform, Coalition Basin spokesman Simon Birmingham said today. Leader Tony Abbott has today outlined $600 million of deferred water buybacks over the forward estimates, as part of more than $2 billion…
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