Labor and Coalition MPs united in the Senate late last night to increase secrecy around MPs expenses and the workings of parliament by rejecting Greens' amendments and voting in favour of a bill to exempt parliament from the scrutiny of freedom of information (FOI). The Parliamentary Service Amendment (FOI) Bill will shield the Senate, House of Represen […]
The Government and Opposition colluded today to block a request for a statement by the Attorney General on implications for Australia of the PRISM surveillance scandal in the US. Labor and the Coalition combined their numbers to block the move. "The US National Security Agency is using PRISM to conduct warrantless surveillance through the servers of com […]
The Coalition today refused to rule out selling the ABC, voting against a Greens motion reaffirming the Parliament's commitment to keeping the broadcaster in public hands. "Today the Greens tested the Coalition's real intentions, and it turned out Malcolm Turnbull's fine words are as useful as a non-core promise," said Greens communi […]
The World Heritage Committee has today strengthened its warning that the Great Barrier Reef could be added to the World Heritage list of sites in danger at its meeting in Cambodia. “The World Heritage Committee has stepped up its warning, expressing concern over ongoing coastal development and giving the government one last chance – one more year – to act o […]
The federal government's decision to slash funding to local councils to improve energy efficiency is a blow to ratepayers around the nation, Australian Greens Leader Senator Christine Milne told the annual local government conference in Canberra today. "The low carbon communities fund was helping local councils to reduce the costs of running commun […]