A mandatory national scheme is needed to make Australian companies work towards improving the terrible and dangerous conditions in foreign sweatshops, like those revealed in a Four Corners report this evening, the Australian Greens have said.

“The real cost of Australia’s cheap clothes isn’t measured in dollars and cents, it’s measured in human suffering,” the Greens’ consumer affairs spokesperson, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.

The 2013 Labor Budget will do little to ease the stress on country South Australians, say Australian Greens Senators Sarah Hanson Young and Penny Wright.

"Labor has spent more time listening to mining companies, the big banks and their factions than the people in rural and regional communities," Senator Hanson-Young said.

"The Greens stood up for regional South Australia during the Murray Darling Basin debate while our colleagues in the old parties and those upstream tried to sell us down the river.

It is shameful that the government has chosen to spend more than double on its no advantage rule and offshore processing regime than it has on its new education and disability programs over the forward estimates, the Australian Greens have said.

“Tonight’s budget has revealed the hideous cost that Australians are paying for Labor’s inhumane and ineffective refugee policy,” the Greens immigration spokesperson, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.

In the wake of today’s High Court decision overturning John Howard and Julia Gillard’s school chaplaincy program, the Greens are offering to work with the government to ensure the remainder of the $222 million is spent to the benefit of students in employing properly qualified counsellors and student support officers.

Audio from Sarah's door stop in Canberra on referring the Greens' marriage equality bill to a Senate inquiry. Also joined by Alex Greenwich from Australian Marriage Equality and Shelley Argent from Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays. Other topics covered include childre in detention and sexism toward women politicians.

Audio from Sarah's doors appearance in the Senate. She spoke about keeping asylum seeker numbers in perspective and a great year for the Australian Greens.