A Greens motion of congratulations for the outstanding work of the LGBTIQ community group Tropical Fruits was supported yesterday in the New South Wales Legislative Council.

NSW Greens MP and Environment Spokesperson Cate Faehrmann has introduced a Bill into the NSW Parliament to limit the amount of toxic air pollution from NSW coal fired power stations.  Currently the standards for emissions in NSW are much lower than in the EU, US or China with power stations allowed to emit eight and a half times more sulphur dioxide and seven and half times more oxides of nitrogen than the EU and China.

Today's announcement of a Special Commission of Inquiry into Ice by NSW Premier Berejiklian is a welcome move that must have all options on the table, including treating drug use as a health issue rather than a criminal one, Greens MP and Spokesperson for Drug Law Reform Cate Faehrmann said.

The recommendations announced today from the NSW Premier’s expert panel into safety at music festivals are doomed to fail and won’t save lives, Greens MP and spokesperson for Drug Law Reform, Cate Faehrmann says. “Just like the war on drugs, these recommendations are doomed to fail,” Ms Faehrmann said. “If the Premier cared more about saving the lives of young people than appearing tough on crime we’d have a very different set of recommendations today.

Greens MP and spokesperson on women Cate Faehrmann has called on the NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian to clarify whether a Bill introduced by Christian Democrats MP Fred Nile to fundamentally change the law regarding the legal status of a foetus would be debated in the NSW Parliament tomorrow. “Rumours are flying thick and fast around the NSW Parliament that the Government will allow Fred Nile to bring his Bill to a vote tomorrow, but no one can get a clear answer about what is happening,” said Greens MP Cate Faehrmann.

The NSW Greens have expressed disappointment that late last night the Labor Party voted with the Liberal-National Government to vote down Greens amendments to add over 200,000 hectares of high conservation value state forests to the National Parks estate.  This included the establishment of a Great Koala National Park on the mid-north coast and ensuring protections for the iconic Gardens of Stone in the Blue Mountains.

NSW Greens Transport Spokeswoman Cate Faehrmann has branded the troubled Westconnex toll road a textbook example of Government mismanagement, poor planning and skewed priorities following the first day of public hearings at the NSW Parliamentary Inquiry into the impacts of the Westconnex project. “Today we heard compelling evidence from experts and community members which highlighted that Westconnex is a textbook example of Government mismanagement, poor planning and skewed priorities,” Greens MP Cate Faehrmann said.