For months the Government has been claiming the reason it gave nearly half a billion dollars to the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, rather than using the normal Government agencies, was because the Foundation has a unique capacity to leverage private investment. It has now emerged exactly how the foundation goes on to spend the money that it has leveraged.
Read MoreThe entire basis the Government gave for it’s half a billion dollar give away to the Great Barrier Reef Foundation has collapsed.
The reason the Government gave was they repeatedly said that this Foundation was capable of leveraging $80 million or $90 million worth of private money. The Foundation has been claiming $80 million, the Government’s been claiming $90 million. Neither are correct.
In extraordinary new revelations, the Australian has today reported that the Expenditure Review Committee determined to “seek a commercial partner for a (Great Barrier) reef plan” on 28 March 2018. This was 11 days prior to the meeting with the Prime Minister, Josh Frydenberg and Dr John Schubert where he gave the foundation $444 million of public money.
Read MoreLast night on the ABC program 7:30, the Prime Minister was unable to point to any policy or probity behind his decision to award almost half a billion dollars of taxpayers money to a Foundation with six staff. He then went on to make a series of misleading claims.
Read MoreYesterday, Labor sought assurances from the Government that they would send a senior Minister to the International Whaling Commission (IWC) to oppose moves by Japan to lift the global moratorium on commercial whaling.
The Turnbull Government must show it is serious about stopping Japan’s proposal to lift the global moratorium on commercial whaling by sending a senior Minister to the International Whaling Commission (IWC) to tackle the issue head on.
On April 29 the Turnbull Government announced the largest donation of taxpayers money to a private foundation in history. Half a billion dollars was given to the Great Barrier Reef Foundation instead of going to government agencies including the CSIRO, the Environment Department and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.
Read MoreAlmost $500,000,000 has been trusted to an organisation to protect the Great Barrier Reef even though that organisation apparently has no policy view on the critical threats to the Great Barrier Reef.
Under questioning, Great Barrier Reef Foundation managing director Anna Marsden said that the charity would "do what the reef needs us to do" yet made clear that this excludes action in combating climate change.
Tony Burke and Justine Keay have today announced a Shorten Labor Government will provide a research grant of $750,000 for research in to the health of Tasmania’s oceans as part of Labor’s support for fishers and healthy oceans in Tasmania.
Read MoreAs part of Labor’s support for fishers and healthy oceans, Tony Burke and Justine Keay have today announced a Shorten Labor Government will permanently ban super trawlers - or factory freezer vessels - from Australia’s Small Pelagic Fishery.
Read MoreLast night Labor voted to disallow the Government’s cruel removal of a discount for pensioners, veterans, and widows who normally pay $20 or $40 for citizenship applications instead of $285.
Read MoreThe Government’s response to Labor’s freedom of information (FOI) request has revealed that there was absolutely no consultation between the Minister for the Environment
Read MoreFederal Labor is alarmed by reports today claiming that Adani plans to dodge proper approvals to pump water in Queensland for its Carmichael mine project.
Read MoreFederal Labor is making freedom of information requests into the Government’s discussions regarding the funding to be provided to the Great Barrier Reef Foundation.
Read MoreThis morning in Senate Estimates, the Department of Environment and Energy could not explain how or why $444 million is being allocated to one organisation, the Great Barrier Reef Foundation.
Read MoreThe vote this evening in the Senate guarantees that we still have a Murray-Darling Basin Plan. It doesn’t change the fact that there will be continued risks to the Plan in to the future.
Read MoreLabor has today called on the Turnbull Government to reverse its unfair changes to Assurance of Support requirements.
Read MoreFederal Labor has today determined that it will not support the disallowance of Basin Plan Amendment SDL Adjustments Instrument for the Murray-Darling Basin Plan nor will it support a future disallowance motion on the Northern Basin review.
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