Parliament

We are rapidly hurtling towards a future in New South Wales where our next generations will not see a koala in the bush or in a national park and perhaps not even in a zoo. They will have to go to a museum because governments continue to make reckless, irresponsible and greedy decisions that push our iconic species to the brink. Koalas are on track to be extinct in New South Wales by 2050 if we continue our current path. This is an absolute tragedy.

I rise on behalf of the Greens to speak on the report of the inquiry into the management of PFAS contamination in and around Defence bases, which was tabled earlier today. I want to thank the committee for establishing the inquiry into this important issue, and thank my fellow senators and MPs in the other place who were on the subcommittee and did a very detailed inquiry and produced a report that makes some quite strong recommendations.

I'm very proud to be the Greens spokesperson on education because the Greens are the only party who will stand up for public education at every single opportunity. We are unashamedly the party of public education. We are unapologetic in our advocacy for well-resourced, world-class public education from early childhood to schools and all the way to TAFE and university. I do want to thank up-front the Australian Education Union, the New South Wales Teachers Federation and the teachers federations in other states and territories for their advocacy and activism on public education.

Hundreds of Australian greyhounds were exported to be raced to death in Macau. This is Australia's shame. With the closure of the Canidrome, hundreds of Australian greyhounds have been rescued and are awaiting rehoming. It's time the government took responsibility for their role in this disgusting chapter and helped these groups desperately working to save these really gentle animals. At the moment, there is nothing to stop this travesty from happening again.

I rise on behalf of the Greens to speak to the Higher Education Support Amendment (VET FEE-HELP Student Protection) Bill 2018. This bill provides a long-awaited remedy for students who have incurred debts due to the inappropriate conduct of their VET providers. For that reason, the Greens support the bill.

The Social Services and Other Legislation Amendment (Promoting Sustainable Welfare) Bill 2018 is an outrageous attack on migrants. It is punitive and it's xenophobic. There is no other way to describe it. This bill is an inhumane piece of legislation. It completely ignores the specific circumstances and the vulnerabilities of those it will most impact—those who most need support and help. And there is a human cost to measures like this. It may be a piece of paper for most of us in this place, but for me it's much more than that.

The gun lobby's attempts to replicate NRA tactics in Australia are reprehensible and must be rejected. The NRA is a blight on American democracy. The Shooting Industry Foundation of Australia, SIFA, is bankrolled by the gun industry heavyweights, such as Beretta. The gun lobby is becoming increasingly active in election campaigns, with a clear strategy to weaken our gun laws. SIFA contributed $220,000 to a political campaign in Queensland last year and at least $165,000 to a political campaign in Victoria this year. This shouldn't just alarm us; it should terrify us all.

I move:

That the following documents be laid on the table by the Minister representing the Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources, no later than 9.50 pm on 3 December 2018:

(a) any draft versions of the 'Review of the Regulatory Capability and Culture of the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources in the Regulation of Live Animal Exports' provided to the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources or the Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources; and

Violence against women is at epidemic levels in our country. Every year we count the numbers and every year they're distressingly high. Last year 53 women were killed, mostly by men known to them. So far this year, 63 women have been brutally murdered, almost six women every single month. Where is the outrage, where is the urgency and where is the change?

The Greens are proudly the party of public education. We are unapologetic in our advocacy for a well-resourced, world-class public education system. I'm proud to have announced the Greens plan to ensure that every public school is to be fully funded. We must make sure that every public school receives 100 per cent of the Schooling Resource Standard by 2023 and has the capital funds to build the learning and teaching facilities that are needed, and that funding cuts for students with disability are reversed.