Simon BIRMINGHAM: (South Australia) (17:38): I rise to support the arguments put so eloquently by my colleague Senator Fifield and by other colleagues-Senators Abetz, Cormann, Joyce and Nash-that the Senate should deny the government’s move that these carbon tax bills proceed without formalities and that the Senate should deny the government’s move that these bills…
DetailsSenator BIRMINGHAM: (South Australia) (17:39): I rise to take note of this Joint Select Committee on Australia’s Clean Energy Future Legislation advisory report on the clean energy bills and the Steel Transformation Plan Bill 2011. I am pleased to speak after Senator Milne because after listening to her you would be forgiven for believing that…
DetailsSenators Barnaby Joyce and Simon Birmingham have today released a petition* asking people to call on the Murray-Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) to hold public meetings after the release of the draft Basin Plan and for the Water Minister, Tony Burke, to attend those meetings. Yesterday, it was revealed to the Senate that the…
DetailsSouth Australia is being left behind all other states on the rollout of Labor’s hapless National Broadband Network (NBN), Senator Simon Birmingham said today. NBN Co the Government owned company charged with delivering the NBN today released its rollout schedule confirming there is no NBN construction currently underway in South Australia…
DetailsThe Murray-Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) appears reluctant to appreciate the importance of robust science underpinning its plans for reduced water use across the Basin, Coalition Basin spokesman Simon Birmingham said today. It follows confirmation in Senate Estimates today, under questioning from Senator Birmingham, that there is no scientific basis for the Authority’s split…
DetailsThe Gillard Government is handing over $20 million to the New South Wales Government for a water project despite the collapse of the agreement under which it was committed. Federal departmental officials confirmed in Senate Estimates today, under questioning from Coalition Murray-Darling Basin spokesman Simon Birmingham, that funding for a pipeline between Orange…
DetailsPAUL MURRAY: … in the Senate Estimates committee. Under the spotlight at that stage was the amount of money that the Federal Government has been spending advertising its carbon tax package. Senator Simon Birmingham was in those Senate Estimates yesterday. What we found out was that the Government has actually blown the budget on…
DetailsANDREW REIMER: You heard just a moment ago, on the News Hour, that construction work is about to begin on the infrastructure for the next stage of the rollout of the high speed National Broadband Network. The company undertaking the work for the Federal Government, NBN Co, released a 12-month plan today listing the…
DetailsThe carbon tax isn’t even law yet but the Gillard Government has already started building the massive bureaucracy it needs to administer it, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for the Environment Simon Birmingham said today. In response to questioning from Senator Birmingham in a Senate Supplementary Budget Estimates hearing this morning, the Department of Climate…
DetailsMillions of taxpayer dollars are going to a cheer squad of organisations supporting Julia Gillard’s carbon tax at the same time as the Government’s taxpayer funded advertising campaign has blown out to twice the announced cost, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for the Environment Simon Birmingham said today. Under questioning from Senator Birmingham in a…
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