Queensland Senator Andrew Bartlett is welcoming the kayak trip along the threatened Mary River being undertaken by Steve Posselt to draw attention to the major damage that will be caused by the Labor government’s Traveston Dam. Senator Bartlett will be attending the start of Steve Posselt’s kayak trip tomorrow morning in Brisbane. Mr Posselt will…

Queensland Senator Andrew Bartlett says that while tomorrow night’s Earth Hour is a welcome initiative, we could all make a bigger and more immediate difference by going without meat or dairy products for a day. "Overall greenhouse emissions from livestock are greater than that from all forms of transport put together, yet the significant impact…

Queensland Senator Andrew Bartlett has urged federal Indigenous Affairs Minister Jenny Macklin to intervene on the Queensland government’s continued refusal to pay back wages rightly earned by Aboriginal people in that state. "Six years after their original inadequate response for repaying wages, the state government has not offered one extra cent, and instead has taken…

Queensland Senator Andrew Bartlett says the State Government is once again refusing to return money to Indigenous Queenslanders who rightly earned it. "The announcement today by the Queensland Government regarding Indigenous Stolen Wages compounds the injustice of the original inadequate offer made on this issue six years ago," Senator Bartlett said. "It has been established…

The federal Immigration Minister’s aims to fast-track skilled worker visas and consider helping with the wider labour shortage through Pacific Island workers should be supported, according to Queensland Democrat Senator Andrew Bartlett. Senator Bartlett said the genuine need to ensure migrant workers are protected from exploitation should not be used as an excuse to put…

Queensland Senator Andrew Bartlett has introduced a Bill into Parliament to establish an independent National Commissioner for Children. "With no political voice of their own, the rights of children are often ignored or marginalised," Senator Bartlett said. "A Children’s Commissioner would ensure that the needs, views and rights of people under the age of eighteen…

Queensland Senator Andrew Bartlett has successfully referred his Stolen Generation Compensation Bill 2008 for scrutiny by the Senate Legal and Constitutional Committee. The Bill seeks to implement a reparations process for victims of the Stolen Generation, based on recommendations from the decade old Bringing them Home report. "I strongly urge anyone interested in the issue…

Queensland Senator Andrew Bartlett has called on the federal Labor government to set up a public inquiry into allegations of bribery and intimidation by Australian government and wool industry officials. Newspaper reports say many large clothing retailers in Sweden have banned Australian wool products; Sweden’s Minister for Agriculture Eskil Erlandsson has urged consumers to boycott…

Queensland Democrat Senator Andrew Bartlett says the federal government’s actions so far to tackle housing affordability are welcome, but are just scratching the surface of a very deep problem. "Every option must be considered, including modifying negative gearing and the existing capital gains tax discounts and exemptions," Senator Bartlett said. "This problem will never be…

Queensland Senator Andrew Bartlett has welcomed Housing Minister Tanya Plibersek’s commitment to proceed with tax credits to encourage affordable housing. "In amongst all the focus on inflation and interest rates, the affordable housing crisis has continued to worsen, for renters as much as home buyers," Senator Bartlett said. "The indication from Minister Plibersek that Labor…

Queensland Democrat Senator Andrew Bartlett has called for the federal government to begin allowing workers from Pacific Island countries into Australia to fill labour market vacancies, rather than further expand the rules for backpackers visiting on working holiday visas. "A scheme for Pacific Island workers to fill seasonal or regional labour market gaps would need…

Queensland Senator Andrew Bartlett says yesterday’s low jobless rate and the related labour market shortages in many areas points to the need for further increases in our migration intake. "Even with sharp increases in recent years in the number of permanent migrants, temporary skilled workers and people on working holiday visas, employers in many areas…

Queensland Democrat Senator Andrew Bartlett has hit out at Coalition critics of the Prime Minister’s planned non-partisan ‘war cabinet’ on Indigenous issues. "There is no other area of policy where government and politicians of all political persuasions have failed as comprehensively and unacceptably, decade after decade, as we have in regards to Indigenous Australians," Senator…

Democrats’ Indigenous Affairs spokesperson Senator Andrew Bartlett reintroduced his Stolen Generation Compensation Bill in the Senate today as a practical step to heal the hurt following yesterday’s historic apology to the Stolen Generation. This Bill was first introduced as an exposure draft in March 2007 and then formally in September 2007 following public comment and…

Queensland Senator Andrew Bartlett has welcomed the establishing today of a Senate inquiry into housing affordability. "I have been urging for years for the federal parliament to give more attention to the long-standing and growing crisis in housing affordability," Senator Bartlett said. "This inquiry should allow an open and thorough examination of this crucial issue…

Australian Democrats Indigenous Affairs’ spokesperson Andrew Bartlett says this morning’s Welcome to Country to open the new federal Parliament is an important step forward which is as significant in some ways as tomorrow’s apology to the Stolen Generations. "Enabling a welcome to country from the traditional owners is a significant action, and the new Labor…

Queensland Senator Andrew Bartlett has called on the federal government to put a stop to the live export trade following the court verdict in the Western Australian Government’s animal cruelty case against Emanuel Exports Pty Ltd. "The government can no longer dodge its complicity in allowing verified cruelty," Senator Bartlett said. "The inhumane practice of…

Queensland Senator Andrew Bartlett has labelled the Coalition’s hand-wringing about whether to support an apology to the Stolen Generations as ‘pathetic’, and warns the Liberals are letting Labor off the hook on the issue. "Labor has breached their own party platform by refusing to consider a compensation scheme for the many people affected by Stolen…

Queensland Democrat Senator Andrew Bartlett has formally congratulated Labor Senator elect Mark Furner on winning the Democrat Senate seat following the final distribution of preferences by the Australian Electoral Commission today. "This result marks the end of an era," Senator Bartlett said. "Queenslanders have had a Democrat representative in the Senate since 1981, and this…