Senators in Sydney to hear people talk rubbish

  Sydney today plays host to a Senate Committee inquiring into the management of Australia’s waste streams.   Today’s is the third of four public hearings – in four different cities – being held as part of an inquiry initiated by South Australian Liberal Senator Simon Birmingham with a wide brief to examine how Australia…

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Murray needs more than buyback

  The Rudd Government continues to avoid taking immediate steps to provide immediate assistance to the Coorong and Lower Lakes, Senator Simon Birmingham said today.   “Today’s announcement of a tender to purchase water entitlements in Queensland and northern New South Wales is welcome, but it will do little to address the immediate needs of…

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Unions & lobbyists exempt in Labor grab for cash

  “Labor’s secret agenda to rig the political donations and disclosure system to give them an unfair political advantage has been exposed today,” Senator Simon Birmingham said today.   Senator Birmingham is a member of the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters which today heard evidence as part of its inquiry into Labor’s plans to…

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Saving the Lower Lakes – Act now or tell us why not

  “Kevin Rudd, Penny Wong, Mike Rann and Karlene Maywald must either release emergency flows for the Lower Lakes or tell South Australians in clear and simple terms why they can’t,” Senator Simon Birmingham said today.   Senator Birmingham joined Independent Senator Nick Xenophon at a forum hosted by the Alexandrina Council in Goolwa today…

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Garrett thumbs nose at Senators, approves pipeline

  Environment Minister Peter Garrett has cynically approved a pipeline allowing Victoria to rip more water out of the Murray before a relevant Parliamentary Committee reports, Senator Simon Birmingham said today.   “In approving the north-south pipeline, Mr Garrett has today put water for Melbourne ahead of water for the Murray,” Senator Birmingham said today.…

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Coalition opposed to Communications Fund raid

  Coalition Senators have stated their opposition to a Bill enabling the Rudd Government to raid the $2 billion regional Communications Fund in order to fund its election promise of an ill-defined National Broadband Network, Senator Simon Birmingham said today.   Coalition Senators have issued a dissenting report on the inquiry by the Senate Standing…

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Exposed: Minister instructed non-attendance

  Senator Simon Birmingham has accused Environment Minister Peter Garrett of stalling in a bid to avoid scrutiny over the impact of the Rudd Government’s new means test on solar rebates.   It follows confirmation Mr Garrett instructed his Department to pull out of appearing at today’s Senate Committee first hearings into the impact of…

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COAG must deliver solar certainty today

  The 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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Inflated claimed water savings must be investigated

  Claims that estimated water savings underpinning a controversial planned pipeline have been inflated must be investigated, Senator Simon Birmingham said today.   The claims have today been presented by the ‘Plug the Pipe’ campaign to a Senate committee inquiry into a Bill designed to prevent the Sugarloaf or ‘North-South’ pipeline from sending 75 billion…

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