The final report of a Senate Inquiry into water use by mining operations has recommended expanding Commonwealth control over water use, and dramatically improving understanding of water use by mining industries to help reduce the conflict between water use by mining operations, and agriculture and the environment.

Greens LGBTIQ+ spokesperson Senator Janet Rice today said that voting for the Greens’ bill to end exemptions to anti-discrimination laws that allow religious schools to expel LGBT+ students is Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s chance to “act right now” and deal with this issue “once and for all”.

The Greens introduced the Discrimination Free Schools Bill 2018 into the Senate this afternoon.

“Prime Minister Scott Morrison is right: we need to ‘act right now’ to end this unfair discrimination while both parties are feeling the pressure in Wentworth,” Senator Rice said.

As the Greens voted to support the establishment of a Senate inquiry into the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority, Greens Agriculture spokesperson Senator Janet Rice reiterated the Greens’ call for the Coalition government to establish an independent and transparent review into the safety of glyphosate.

“Today the Greens voted in support of the inquiry into the independence of the APVMA, particularly to examine how Barnaby Joyce’s forced relocation of the authority has affected its ability to undertake chemical reviews,” Senator Rice said.

The Australian Greens met today with intersex community representatives at Parliament House as part of recognition of celebrations for Intersex Awareness Day next Friday 26 October.

“My Greens colleagues and I were pleased to meet with members of our intersex community to hear their lived experiences and discuss the urgent actions needed to protect the human rights of people born with variations in sex characteristics” said Senator Janet Rice, Australian Greens LGBTIQ+ spokesperson.

Greens LGBTIQ+ spokesperson Senator Janet Rice today said that if Prime Minister Scott Morrison works in good faith with the Greens and Labor, the Parliament could end exemptions this week to Federal anti-discrimination laws that currently allow religious schools to fire LGBT+ teachers and staff because of who they are.

“For years the Greens have fought to remove exemptions to our laws that allow religious schools to expel students and fire teachers and staff members simply because of who they are,” Senator Rice said.

Following the release of the report into LGBT+ conversion attempts by La Trobe University, the Human Rights Law Centre and Gay and Lesbian Health Victoria, Greens LGBTIQ+ spokesperson Senator Janet Rice said governments must do more to stop these harmful practices.

"Gay and trans conversion practices are grounded in homophobia and transphobia. Conversion practices still exist in many forms across the country and are often insidiously hidden or dressed up as 'mentoring' or 'counselling'," Senator Rice said.

Following the leak of the Ruddock Review into Religious Freedom, Prime Minister Scott Morrison told journalists this morning that "this has not been through cabinet at this point. It hasn’t been considered by cabinet, so we will take it through that orderly process, and we will come out with our response to the Ruddock review." However, last month Sen. Mathias Cormann refused to comply with an order from the Senate to produce the review, citing ongoing confidential cabinet deliberations.

The Ruddock review recommendations to allow religious schools to expel LGBTIQ+ students and fire LGBTIQ+ teachers would be disastrous, say the Greens.

“Last year in the marriage equality postal survey Australians voted for equality for LGBTIQ+ Australians, not for more discrimination,” Greens LGBTIQ+ spokesperson Senator Janet Rice said.

“The Ruddock review recommendations to change our laws to allow religious schools to expel students on the basis of who they are or who they love at a time when they are already vulnerable is unacceptable.”

Following the ABC’s Four Corners investigation into glyphosate, the Greens Agriculture spokesperson Senator Janet Rice has called on the Coalition government to immediately instigate an independent and transparent review into the chemical’s impact on people’s health.

“The concerns over the safety of the chemical glyphosate raised by the World Health Organisation and now Cancer Council Australia are very serious. It is imperative that the Coalition government immediately instigate an independent and transparent review into the health effects of the chemical,” Senator Rice said.