The Greens have said that a report of the Australian National Audit Office on a land purchase for Western Sydney Airport is damning and demands explanations by senior Commonwealth ministers.

Senator Mehreen Faruqi, Greens Senator for NSW, said:

“This report is damning. On top of enormous incompetence, it reveals instances of completely inappropriate and unethical decision-making.

“The Prime Minister and his ministers must explain this rotten mess. The buck stops with them.

I rise to speak to the Customs Amendment (Safer Cladding) Bill 2019. The bill amends the Customs Act 1901 to expressly ban the importation of polyethylene aluminium composite panels, which are a type of flammable cladding. I support the comments by Senator Patrick and Senator Pratt with regards to banning this type of cladding.

Australian Greens Senator for NSW, Dr Mehreen Faruqi, has announced that the Australian Greens will set aside $1.5 billion to start construction of the Thirroul Tunnel to slash rail travel times to Sydney for the people of the Illawarra as part of their Federal Election platform. 

Senator Faruqi, who is also a civil and environmental engineer, said: 

I rise to briefly speak on the Airports Amendment Bill 2018. I support the remarks made by my colleague Senator Rice on this bill. This bill actually weakens planning regulations and community consultation processes for federally-leased airports. I'll get straight to the point: Western Sydney Airport in New South Wales. The Western Sydney Airport is a complete scam being foisted on the people of Western Sydney by the federal government and by the state government in New South Wales. The people of Western Sydney are being totally conned.