The Senate’s decision to block the controversial Melbourne pipeline has been enthusiastically welcomed by Senator Simon Birmingham as an historic opportunity for the Rudd Government. The Senate has this evening voted 33-20 in favour of an amendment to the Government’s Water Amendment Bill 2008 blocking the construction and operation of the heavily criticised…
DetailsThe Rudd Government today has a key opportunity to take a meaningful stand in support of the Murray-Darling Basin, Senator Simon Birmingham said today. Debate in the Senate commences on the Water Amendment Bill 2008 today, with Coalition Senators to move key amendments to further protect the river and achieve greater water savings…
DetailsSenator Simon Birmingham today asked why a River Murray infrastructure project that saves no water can be built in months, while others that could save billions of litres are years away from starting. “I welcome the start of construction of pipelines providing greater water security for Lower Lakes communities,” Senator Birmingham said today. ”This…
DetailsA timeline of events linked to the appointment of new whaling envoy Sandy Hollway has become only more puzzling after a Parliamentary committee hearing overnight, Senator Simon Birmingham said today. Despite reports in early May denied by the Government at the time that Mr Hollway had been selected as Australia’s first…
DetailsThe Rudd Government must guarantee the future of the solar rebate program, after refusing even to commit to it still being available by the New Year. A failure to commit more funding means the program is surviving only on a week-by-week basis. Under questioning in Senate Estimates, Senator Penny Wong has dodged…
DetailsThe Rudd Labor Government has revealed it can’t yet say how much water is likely to be returned to environmental flows as a result of almost $4 billion in infrastructure funding already allocated in principle, Senator Simon Birmingham said today. Under questioning in Senate Supplementary Budget Estimates, Water Minister Penny Wong today revealed…
DetailsThe Rudd Labor Government’s newly announced process for selecting ABC and SBS Board members has more holes than a block of Swiss cheese, Senator Simon Birmingham said today. The Government has based its model on the so-called “Nolan principles” used in the UK to make appointments to the Board of the British Broadcasting…
DetailsThe Rudd Labor Government today revealed none of its election policy statements on the proposed National Broadband Network (NBN) are core requirements under the Request for Proposals (RFP). Despite supposed policy commitments relating to a minimum 12 megabytes per second, coverage for 98 per cent of Australian homes and businesses, government equity and…
DetailsCoalition Senators think the Lower Lakes can be saved, despite the Rudd Government waving the white flag on preserving them as freshwater. Coalition Senators have issued Additional Comments to the Government-controlled majority report of a Senate committee inquiry into water management of the Lower Lakes and Coorong, released today. The most damning…
DetailsThe Rudd Government must use today’s Council of Australian Governments (COAG) meeting to make decisions that deliver immediate certainty for the solar industry, Liberal Senator Simon Birmingham said today. With support for solar installations listed as an agenda item for today’s meeting in Perth, Senator Birmingham said the Rudd Government also needed to…
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