Chairman of the Inquiry into the impact of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan in Regional Australia, Tony Windsor, must confirm if he knows more than the Government has let on about the Basin Plan. ?Mr Windsor has reportedly today suggested the Murray-Darling Basin Authority, now preparing a proposed Basin Plan, is revising downwards the…
Julia Gillard must not dust off plans to use taxpayers’ money as part of a carbon tax sales pitch, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for the Environment Simon Birmingham said today. It follows revelations, under Freedom of Information legislation, of the Labor Government’s plans for a multi-million dollar taxpayer funded political ad blitz in early…
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…
It is untenable for the Water Minister and his newly appointed Chair of the MurrayDarling 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…
Water 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…
A 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,…
The 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…
Water 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…
Water 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…
The 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…