Waste & Recycling spokesperson, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson, today welcomed Labor’s new commitment to tackling Australia’s waste crisis but urged them to go further. 

“After more than 10 years of gathering dust under successive Labor and Liberal Governments, the Greens welcome Labor’s new commitment to kickstarting parts of the 2009 National Waste Plan.

Greens Defence spokesperson, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson, commented on the release of the Auditor-General’s report into Defence’s Management of its Projects of Concern.

"The Auditor-General’s finding that Defence no longer has an appropriate framework to manage projects of concern comes as no surprise.

"Defence is basically given a blank cheque.

"For example, the White Paper lists the cost of 12 new submarines at simply ">$50bn".

Greens Senator for Tasmania, Peter Whish-Wilson, has welcomed the Australian National University’s recent discovery of the critically endangered King Island brown thornbill and called for immediate action from the Federal Government. 

Senator Whish-Wilson said, "Finally some good news for Australian wildlife and particularly for King Island, home to two of the top five bird species most likely to become extinct.

Australian Greens Defence spokesperson, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson, commented today on the US Senate’s call for an end to US support for the Saudi-led coalition’s war in Yemen.

Senator Whish-Wilson said, "The US Senate has taken decisive action in calling for the withdrawal of US support for the Saudi-led coalition by invoking the War Powers Act for the first time in US history.

"The world’s worst humanitarian disaster is unfolding in Yemen. This disaster is primarily the result of the military campaign led by Saudi Arabia.

Greens spokesperson for Waste & Recycling and Healthy Oceans, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson, says dire predictions from WWF that plastic pollution is set to double by 2030 could be avoided with federal legislation.

Senator Whish-Wilson said, "Australia’s recycling industry is in crisis and plastic pollution is choking our oceans. 

"Enacting federal legislation with real teeth and achievable recycling and packaging targets will provide a national framework for local councils and state governments to enforce.

Greens spokesperson for Waste & Recycling and Healthy Oceans, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson, and the Environment spokesperson, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, today released the exposure draft of a Bill that bans single-use plastics, helps tackle our current waste and recycling crisis, and reduces the toxic plastic pollution that is choking our oceans.

The Product Stewardship Amendment (Packaging and Certain Plastics) Bill 2019 will establish a mandatory product stewardship scheme that:

Senator Whish-Wilson said, "The evidence is out there that container deposit schemes are crucial to a healthy recycling system, and would help end Australia’s recycling crisis, but still both the Victorian and Tasmanian Governments remain opposed to them.

"Container deposit schemes are a massive benefit that would reduce the plastic pollution that is choking our oceans, improve recycling, create jobs and return money to individuals and community groups.

Greens Healthy Oceans spokesperson, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson, said the findings of a CSIRO-led study, linking climate change to the abundance of krill in the Southern Hemisphere, are a gloomy reminder of the harsh impacts of climate change.

“Our oceans are facing their greatest threat in history from climate change, plastic pollution and overfishing.

“Our oceans are warming at a rate never before seen, up to 90 per cent of global fisheries are either overfished or fully exploited, and there will be more plastic than fish in the world’s oceans by 2050.

Greens Waste & Recycling spokesperson, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson, says urgent federal action is needed to end Australia’s recycling crisis and stop recycling going to landfill in Victoria.

Senator Whish-Wilson said, "Several years ago China announced it would stop taking Australia’s low-quality waste and the waste industry accepted it faced a major national crisis.

"Major stakeholders across the waste industry called for urgent action, immediate funding and Federal Government leadership, if this crisis was to be avoided.