The first Rudd / Swan Budget fails miserably to meet the urgent challenge of climate change, Australians Greens Leader Bob Brown said tonight.
"It is blinkered budgeting. It squibs on building the carbon-constrained Australia needed to tackle global warming. This is not futuristic. It is Howard-Costello lite," Senator Brown said.
"Labor is spending 40 times as much on Defence ($22 billion) as it is on tackling climate change - to around half a billion in the coming year."

The nation's first Minister for Climate Change ducked the questions put to her on the issue by Greens Leader Bob Brown today.
 
Senator Wong avoided committing to urgently ending import tariff concessions for gas-guzzling Humvees and 4WDs over fuel efficient cars. She made no direct commitment to greening the government car fleet.
 

Greens Leader Bob Brown says the fragile Tarkine rainforest wilderness in North-West Tasmania should be protected from a planned two-lane highway proposed by Forestry Tasmania, using taxpayers' money. (pg 1. The Australian)
 
"This is a pointy-headed project by a loggers' agency wanting to dress up its appalling image for forest and wildlife habitat destruction right across Tasmania," Senator Brown said.
 

Greens leader Bob Brown says that climate change is much higher on the public agenda than with either major political party.
 
"The Howard' government's neglect of this huge and threatening issue now threatens themselves. The first step to tackling climate change is to change the government 13 days from now," Senator Brown said.
 

Labor leader Kevin Rudd's promise to swap to a hybrid car is welcome catch-up, Greens Leader Bob Brown said today.
All four Greens senators have hybrid cars and, previously, Senator Brown had LPG (gas) powered cars.
"And we welcome Queensland Premier Peter Beattie's plan to charge higher registration fees for gas guzzlers, a move the Greens have advocated for a decade," Senator Brown said.

Greens release Terms of Reference for Senate inquiry into Qantas sale
 
Greens Leader Bob Brown today released the Terms of Reference for the Greens' proposed Senate inquiry into the sale of Qantas.
 
Senator Brown will introduce the following motion into the Senate tomorrow:
 
I move:
1)      That the Senate notes that:
a)      Qantas plays a unique role in the Australian economy and in Australian society.

 
The Howard Policy Agenda 1996 to 2006
 
Over the last 10 years the Howard government has repeatedly pushed climate change policy in the wrong direction. The economics of climate change are straight forward, we need to charge polluters for their emissions and give people and companies incentives to increase efficiency. The politics of climate change, however, has encouraged the Howard Government to spend billions of dollars pushing the economy in the wrong direction. The biggest mistakes of the last decade are:
 

Perverse policy measure

Greens Leader Bob Brown says the sudden announcement by Qantas that it is abandoning Burnie and downgrading Launceston is appalling.
 
"No public discussion. No loyalty to Tasmania, just a high-handed kick in the teeth.
 
"Qantas sees it Sydney – Melbourne axis as the be-all and end-all. Provincial Australian is being treated with disdain," Senator Brown said.
 
Further information: Ebony Bennett 0409 164 603

All seven Democrats are set to vote for the GST diesel package which comes before the Senate this week.

Senator Brown today announced that he will move a second reading amendment to have the GST diesel package of bills delayed until the supposed environmental offset provisions are legislated for.

"Once again the Democrats are on a collision course with environmentalists and the Greens.

"They should be ashamed" - Brown

Documents released by the Greens show that the Democrats were duped by the Howard Government on the environment. The Democrats' 'wins', measures for reducing air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, were already in train.

The documents show that

* Mr Howard had promised the air pollution controls (to meet international standards by 2006) in his statement before the Kyoto global warming conference in 1997

* The large bus and truck industry was aware of and had agreed to emission control measures