Trade deals should not be able to include clauses that allow foreign companies to sue the Australian Government for legislative changes, known as ISDS clauses, the Australian Greens have said.

The Greens Finance and Trade spokesperson, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, has announced that she will introduce a Bill into the Senate that would disallow any ISDS clauses from future trade negotiations.

Future trade deals need to hold every day Australians at their centre, not just corporations, Australian Greens Trade spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said today, following reports of Trade Minister Steven Ciobo trying to revive the dodgy Trans Pacific Partnership.

“Trade deals need people, not corporations, at their core. The mark was missed with the TPP and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership when corporations took the wheel and left Australians in the dust,” Senator Hanson-Young said.

Labor must end the cat and mouse game over the TTP, the Australian Greens have said today, calling on the Opposition to clarify how they will vote when implementing legislation is presented to Parliament. 

"Labor needs to stop the double speak on the TTP and commit to voting the dodgy trade deal down when it reaches the Senate," the Australian Greens Trade spokesperson Sarah Hanson-Young said. 

The Australian Greens will vote against ratifying the Trans Pacific Partnership in the Senate, following reports of the Prime Minister’s misguided plan to revive it, and are urging Labor and the crossbench to do the same.

“We’re calling on Labor and the crossbench to join us in rejecting that the Trans-Pacific Partnership. It’s a disastrous deal that would only help major corporations and it should never have progressed as far as it did,” Greens Trade spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.

Senators David Leyonhjelm and Pauline Hanson have shown that they’re not up to taking part in a constructive discussion around reforming Australia’s childcare sector with ill-informed comments equating early childhood education with ‘wiping noses’, the Australian Greens have said.

“Senator Leyonhjelm clearly has no understanding of the early childhood education sector or the needs of Australian parents,” the Greens’ education spokesperson, Senator Hanson-Young said.

Proposed changes to copyright laws in Australia do nothing to protect artists and devalue their contribution to our society, The Australian Greens say.

"The Productivity Commission's report is more about a establishing a protection racket for the big multi-national corporations like Google, than a genuine response to audience needs or investing in Australian jobs or industry," Greens Arts spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.

Australian Greens Finance and Youth spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young has slammed the Turnbull government for its inaction in bridging the generation gap in today’s MYEFO.
 
“The Turnbull government has done nothing today to tackle looming generational inequality,” Senator Hanson-Young said.
 
"With budget cuts to services and little to tackle slow wage growth or housing affordability, young Australians remain the big losers under this Government. 
 

The Australian Greens are calling for the return of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s backbone and resolve on climate policy – and the reward is lower power prices and a healthier environment for future generations.

“The Prime Minister appears to have again misplaced his backbone after uttering the words ‘emissions intensity scheme’ this week,” Greens Senator for South Australia, Sarah Hanson-Young said.

The Australian Greens have expressed fears for the future of public education after it was revealed today many Adelaide high schools are struggling to pay the bills.

“If South Australian high schools have to cut courses and teaching staff to keep their buildings up to scratch, something is very wrong with the way schools are funded. What is happening in Adelaide is telling of the scarcity of funding across the board for Australian schools,” Greens education spokesperson Senator Hanson-Young said.

The Senate has given recognition to the importance of the Australian arts industry and community by supporting greater representation to artistic and creative courses on the VET student loans eligible course list following an amendment to the VET Student Loans Bill moved by the Australian Greens.