Boosting public service productivity is apparently as simple as installing expensive coffee machines, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for the Environment Simon Birmingham said today. It follows confirmation from the Clean Energy Regulator in Senate Estimates today, under questioning from Senator Birmingham, that the installation of eight ‘Nespresso’ coffee machines at a cost of $20,175…
DetailsAustralian taxpayers have been informed that the late Home Insulation Program has cost them an estimated $2.156 billion in installation and clean up over four years. Final costs and written off bad debts associated with the disastrous program have been detailed by Climate Change departmental officials at Senate Estimates under questioning from Shadow…
DetailsANNABELLE HOMER: Well, pressure is being put on the South Australian Government to justify why so much Federal Government money was invested to increase the size of the desal plant. Federal Coalition spokesperson for the Murray-Darling Basin Simon Birmingham is calling for the Commonwealth Auditor-General to investigate this further. The Federal Government invested $228…
DetailsSouth Australian Premier Jay Weatherill should apologise for misguided remarks attacking irrigators over Murray-Darling Basin water use, Coalition Basin spokesman Simon Birmingham said today. Mr Weatherill has suggested farmers suffering stock loss and property damage as a result of any flooding associated with increased environmental flows in the Basin do not deserve compensation.…
DetailsBELINDA HEGGEN: What an end to a tumultuous day in Federal Parliament yesterday, of course, which finished off in grand style last night I was glued to ABC 24 last night with the shock resignation of controversial Speaker Peter Slipper, but only hours after fierce debate in which the Prime Minister and…
DetailsThe Coalition welcomes the release of today’s hydrologic modelling report. We hope it will assist the state and federal governments to end the bickering and reach some agreement around this important reform. The Coalition remains committed to Murray-Darling reform that delivers a triple bottom line that considers economic, environmental and social sustainability…
DetailsThe Auditor-General should investigate the provision of hundreds of millions of dollars in Commonwealth grants for a mothballed desalination plant, Coalition Murray-Darling Basin spokesman Simon Birmingham said today. Senator Birmingham’s letter* to Auditor-General Ian McPhee follows the decision last week to place the $1.8 billion Adelaide Desalination Plant ‘in standby mode’ until at…
DetailsElectricity prices would be lower under a Coalition Government and without Labor’s carbon tax, an independent state regulator has confirmed today. Paul Kerin, Chief Executive Officer of the Essential Services Commission of South Australia, was commenting this morning in the wake of this week’s draft determination by the Commission on standing contract prices…
DetailsTaxpayers deserve explanations from Federal and SA Labor about the spending of both federal and state taxpayer dollars on a mothballed desalination plant, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for the Murray-Darling Basin Simon Birmingham said today. It follows SA Water’s shock announcement today that intends to ‘mothball’ the $1.8 billion Adelaide Desalination Plant until at…
Details