Labor’s chaotic budget fails to provide for the transport needed to maintain Australia’s Antarctic program, officials have confirmed in Senate Budget Estimates hearings. Under questioning from Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for the Environment Simon Birmingham, officials in the Australian Antarctic Division of the Environment department confirmed that: They will need a new ship by…
DetailsMurray-Darling Basin reform has slowed to a snail’s pace under Labor, according to evidence given in Senate Estimates today under questioning from Coalition Basin spokesman Simon Birmingham. Officials have today confirmed that the Gillard Government: · still hasn’t signed off on an Intergovernmental Agreement with Basin states, despite more than 25 drafts having…
DetailsLUKE GRANT: Now, I want to follow up on these green schemes and, in particular, solar panel installations because I was astounded to learn that at Senate Estimates on Monday, the head* of the Clean Energy Regulator, Andrew Livingston, told the inquiry that, after random checks of 7000 solar units, 19 per cent were…
DetailsThe enormous cost of Labor’s green waste now includes empty desks with a million dollar price tag and many millions of dollars in bad debts, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for the Environment Simon Birmingham said today. Department officials have revealed through Senate Estimates hearings the gross underutilisation of hugely costly office space, while further…
DetailsKIERAN GILBERT: It was meant to be the most secure building ever to be built in Canberra and it’s not off to a great start the new ASIO [Australian Security Intelligence Organisation] headquarters has been, well, the victim of a cyber hit… the reports last night on the ABC suggesting that Chinese hackers…
DetailsSenator BIRMINGHAM: (South Australia) (12:43): I rise to speak on the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Amendment Bill 2013, which the government has just rushed into the Senate chamber. It is noteworthy that the Senate committee report on this bill was only concluded and tabled this morning, but this of course is symptomatic of a…
DetailsSenator BIRMINGHAM: (South Australia) (16:25): I thank the Greens for the opportunity to speak to this matter of public importance and note the fact that in doing so the Greens have highlighted another Labor broken promise. I am pleased that the Greens have done so. There are a number of ways in which they and their…
DetailsSenator BIRMINGHAM:(South Australia) (11:09): The Referendum (Machinery Provisions) Amendment Bill 2013 has been brought to the chamber unexpectedly today in a way that demonstrates the ongoing chaos that exists in the government's ranks, the ongoing chaos that exists in the government's legislative program and the chaos they are now extending to the treatment of this…
DetailsThe Government’s own senior Climate officials have today confirmed that revenue projections for carbon permits contained in this year’s budget are double and triple what the market is predicting. The consequence is that there is $6 billion in phantom revenue and therefore a $6 billion budget black hole in a document that is…
DetailsFederal and State Labor are both treating taxpayers with contempt by refusing to release information surrounding decisions to fund the Adelaide Desalination Plant, the Coalition’s Murray-Darling Basin spokesman Simon Birmingham said today. It follows this month’s damning report of the Commonwealth Auditor-General* into $328 million in federal funding for the Desal Plant, including…
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