Parliament

Senate Motion by Senator Brown- I move: That the Senate calls for approval of the pulp mill proposed by Gunns Limited to be subject to all environmental considerations being fully satisfied. For the accompanying speech and Senate division results, please see attached pdf

Senator Milne's motion points to the important and serious role that the Greens take, and have taken over the last decade and more, in trying to bring to the attention and the notice of government and this parliament the incredible impact that climate change is going to have on every Australian's life over the coming centuries.... ...Gunns pulp mill which will have a forest furnace attached to it, which will burn 500,000 tonnes of forest wood per annum, next to a pulp mill which at the outset is going to have 80 per cent of its resource stock of native forests.

Motion by Senator Brown: That the Senate- (a) calls on the Government to ensure that, in the spirit of the open market, no subsidies, payments or escape of taxes or payments be given to the Gunns Limited's proposed pulp mill in Tasmania; and (b) prefers that if taxpayer support for business is available it go to non-polluting, clean, green and environmentally-sustainable business. For Senate division results, see attached pdf. Only the Greens supported this motion.

...I want that on the record, so that no-one reading about this moment in history 10, 50, 100 or 500 years from now can say, 'If only they had known what they were doing to Indigenous culture in Australia.' We all know. The government has made its choice. It has the bulldozer; it has the numbers, and we do not. But let nobody in this place say that it did not know what this would do to Indigenous culture, custom, law, language, pride and wellbeing into the future of this nation.

Please see below for pdf of the legislation Bob introduced to the parliament to protect Australia's farmers and consumers. Bob Brown introduced this bill to the Senate to ensure truth in food labelling, which including a requirement that country of origin be clearly marked on all products in Australia. This legislation would have greatly benefited Australian farmers as well as consumers – however, it was opposed by both the Coalition and Labor.