Greens Finance Spokesperson, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, says there is no point in Scott Morrison repeating the exact phrase said ad nauseum by previous PMs and Treasurers past like Kevin Rudd, Wayne Swan and Joe Hockey, “If you don’t like your bank then change it.” This phrase has done nothing to help consumers in the decades it has been uttered.

Senator Hanson-Young said, “There is no competition for interest rates in banking. The ACCC knows it, the Productivity Commission knows it and unless the Government has had its head in the sand, the Government knows it too.

The Australian Greens have welcomed the defeat of the Liberal Government’s corporate tax cuts Bill in the Senate today.

“South Australians can breathe a sigh of relief that their schools and hospitals won’t take another hit after the Liberal Government’s tax cuts were knocked back today,” Greens finance spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.

“Tax revenue plays an integral part in ensuring South Australia’s schools, hospitals and other essential services are adequately funded.

South Australians will lose $554 million in funding for essential services after Nick Xenophon’s Centre Alliance voted with the Government and Pauline Hanson’s One Nation to give tax cuts to the wealthiest Australians, including politicians and millionaires.

“Centre Alliance has sold out South Australia and enabled the Government to dismantle our country’s progressive taxation system, making the rich richer, the poor poorer and inequality worse.

The Centre Alliance party has let down South Australians by voting with the Turnbull Government to force unfair tax cuts for high income earners including politicians and millionaires through the Senate tonight.

South Australia is set to lose $554 million in funding for essential services if the Turnbull Government’s income tax cuts pass the Senate this week.

Greens’ analysis of Government and Productivity Commission figures show South Australians and Tasmanians will be the biggest losers to essential services funding under income tax cuts.

News today that the European Union and Australia are set to commence free trade agreement negotiations are notable for what is non-negotiable – specifically, any inclusion of investor-state dispute settlement provisions.

“These negotiations are an opportunity for Australia to break with the past and improve how trade deals are done. Australia should follow the EU’s example by committing to making the process more transparent and dropping our insistence on including insidious ISDS clauses,” Australian Greens trade spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.

The live animal export trade is a barbaric practice that must end despite Liberal National Government infighting over the issue, Australian Greens trade spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.

“This morning Agriculture Minister David Littleproud criticised Sussan Ley of being ‘emotional’ in  her response to live exports – I bet he wouldn’t have said that if she were a Liberal man,” Senator Hanson-Young said.

Reports that US President Donald Trump is looking to join the revived TPP are bad news for Australia’s economy and democracy, Australian Greens trade spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said today.

“Many of the worst features of the first dud deal were put on ice as an attempt to build a new deal out of the rubble. But everything that’s on ice gets defrosted if the US comes back to the table,” she said.

The Greens stand with the Australian community in the fight to defeat the corporation-serving Trans Pacific Partnership.

“The Greens will fight tooth and nail to defeat this dodgy trade deal. This behind-closed-doors deal Malcolm Turnbull and his Trade Minister have signed Australia up to today is loathed by the community, who are well aware it was made by corporations, for corporations,” Greens Trade spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.