[Greens-Media] Infrastructure funds must be transparent and build green economy

[Hollo, Tim (Sen C. Milne)]

Infrastructure funds must be transparent and build green economy

Canberra, Wednesday 3 December 2008

The Australian Greens will today move to amend Labor's Nation Building
Bills to ensure that the multi-billion dollar funds help build a new,
zero emissions economy, and are properly scrutinised.

The amendments, to be moved by Australian Greens Deputy Leader and
Climate Change Spokesperson, Senator Christine Milne, would:
*	establish a new Parliamentary Joint Committee on Nation Building
to oversee the Minister's allocations from the funds;
*	require all advice from the advisory boards to be made public
immediately;
*	insert principles into the Bills that would require projects
financed by the funds to address climate change and peak oil, amongst
other objectives; and
*	require the Board of Infrastructure Australia to include at
least two people with expertise in climate change or peak oil.

"Any government serious about climate change must put it front and
centre in its infrastructure planning," Senator Milne said.

"Forward-thinking, transparent infrastructure planning can replace
Australia's history of pork-barrelling and white elephants with a Green
New Deal to build a zero emissions economy.

"But bad infrastructure planning will lock us into our high-polluting,
oil- and coal-dependent economy for decades longer. If the Government
continues to focus infrastructure spending on roads and coal ports, it
will become far more difficult and expensive, if not impossible, for
Australia to reduce our emissions and prepare for peak oil.

"It would be a terrible irony if we raid the future fund to pay for
investments which don't future-proof Australia.

"With such tremendous sums of money being spent through these funds, it
is vital that there be appropriate scrutiny of how it is allocated, and
I am particularly pleased that the Opposition is open to working with
the Greens to amend the legislation to increase transparency.

"A Joint Parliamentary Committee would play a vital role in overseeing
expenditure. Where more than $50 million will be spent, the Parliament
will have the opportunity to scrutinise it.

"It is extremely important that all the advice to the Minister from the
advisory boards be tabled and made public immediately. We cannot allow a
situation where Ministers may make multi-billion dollar decisions
without the public being able to test them against the evidence.

"If the Government is serious about climate change, reducing emissions
must be front and centre in its infrastructure and nation-building
plans. These amendments will go a long way to putting it there."

Tim Hollo 
Media and Communications Adviser 
Senator Christine Milne 
Australian Greens Deputy Leader
ph: (02) 6277 3588 
mob: 0437 587 562
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