The minority Labor Government is scrambling to accommodate a host of Greens policies ahead of their formal assumption of the balance of power in July, giving a clear “hint” of much more appeasement to come, according to Senator Ron Boswell.

“The biggest concession to the Greens agenda is of course the carbon tax, which the Greens have claimed as their own - and which the Prime Minister has effectively conceded as the reason she broke her no-carbon-tax promise.

“But several other important policies of the Greens have been either the subject of pre-Budget kite flying by the Government, like constraints on the child care rebate, to outright softening up campaigns, like changes to independent school funding, and clear policy support for Greens policies, such as attacking family trusts, killing the 30% private health insurance rebate, and establishing tough restrictions in vast new marine parks.

“The Government’s reported threat to the child care rebate is straight out of Greens policy, which calls ‘reforming the Child Care Rebate and Family Tax Benefit to more accurately address the ability to pay, including substantially increasing the amount paid to low and middle income earners.’

“The new attack on family trusts is based on the Greens policy of ‘taxing family trusts in the same way as companies.’

“The reform of school funding is in line with the Greens call to end public funding to wealthy private schools and limiting funding for all private schools at 2003-2004 levels.

“The attack on the private health insurance rebate is in line with the Greens call for its abolition ‘in order to increase funding for public hospitals.’

“The Greens call for vast constraints on professional fishing in a new network of marine parks appears headed for support based on reported briefings to WA fishermen on the impact of the first park, due to be announced soon, in the vast South West Bioregion, stretching from Adelaide to beyond Perth, as well as hints from the Government that it will provide strong protection for the Coral Sea.”

Senator Boswell said the Green tail was obviously wagging the Labor dog.

“The Prime Minister says the Greens are extremists and out of touch with the lives of ordinary Australians while she works feverishly to implement their policies to stay in government.”

ENDS