It's true: a day can be a long time in politics. Friday 1 October was a long day for the then Premier Gladys Berejiklian, who resigned from her position as the first woman ever elected Premier of New South Wales when it was revealed that the New South Wales Independent Commission Against Corruption would investigate her. We've had similar days before in New South Wales politics. Liberal Premier Barry O'Farrell resigned a day after giving evidence to ICAC in April 2014 about that bottle of Grange.

I move:

That the Senate—

(a) notes:

(i) that the New South Wales (NSW) government has included the former IBM site at 55 Coonara Avenue West Pennant Hills in its planning acceleration program, despite the proposal for rezoning from Business to Residential and Environmental use being opposed by the Hills Shire Council and Hornsby Shire Council,

The Greens were the first party to call for a national anticorruption body and have long advocated for a national integrity commission. In fact, the Greens' bills to establish a national integrity commission passed the Senate last September, and this government has stopped the bill from getting a vote in the House. We also led the way to the royal commissions into banking and aged care. We are absolutely opposed to this so-called ensuring integrity bill, which is nothing but an attack on workers and their unions. There is no integrity in this bill.

Crisis can bring about the best in people, and indeed it has brought out the best in our communities this summer. But sadly it has also brought out the worst in the Prime Minister of Australia. What we needed during this bushfire and climate disaster was courageous, truthful and wise leadership. What we got from the Prime Minister and this government was the exact opposite. They have been cowardly, dishonest and incompetent. Full of science deniers, they have behaved like a bunch of climate criminals, with 'Scotty from marketing' at their head.

I table a nonconforming petition relating to truth in election advertising, and I seek leave to make a short statement.

The ACTING DEPUTY PRESIDENT ( Senator Fawcett ): Leave is granted for one minute.

Freedom of press and freedom to protest are fundamental tenets of our democracy. But they are being increasingly trampled on and squeezed by this government. If Senator Stoker is actually interested in facts, these are the facts that you should be really concerned about: that our democratic rights are being trampled on by your government.

Australian Greens Leader Senator Richard Di Natale has welcomed the official start of the election campaign, declaring that the party has never been better equipped to offer a progressive alternative to the old parties. 
 
“We’re ready. On May 18, we’ll give the Australian people a genuine alternative to the old parties, one that offers a positive plan for Australia that will create a better future for all of us,” Sen. Di Natale said.
 

Just a few weeks ago, I was out at Menindee to see firsthand the Murray-Darling Basin in ecosystem collapse. The Darling River, the Barka, is dying. The Murray-Darling Basin Plan isn't working and the government tells us: 'Everything is fine. Nothing to see here.' I saw stagnant rivers, cracked, dry earth and locals red hot with anger at the federal government and the New South Wales Liberal-National government for their role in the slow death of the Murray-Darling Basin.

Australian Greens Spokesperson for Gun Control, Senator Mehreen Faruqi and Greens spokesperson for Democracy, Senator Larissa Waters, have reacted to today's reports that the gun lobby is trying to weaken Australia's gun laws and that pro-gun groups have used Ministerial Advisory Panels to lobby against greater gun controls.

The Australian Greens today announced portfolio allocations for their Senators and MPs ahead of the upcoming Federal Election.

Australian Greens Leader Dr Richard Di Natale said a reallocation had occurred as a result of Mehreen Faruqi’s arrival in the Senate yesterday and Larissa Water’s imminent return.

“We’ve got to hold the big parties to account – and the Australian Greens Senate team will fight for the causes that matter to our community,” Dr Di Natale said.

“This new allocation of portfolios will make the most of each of our Senator’s strengths and passions."