The Abbott Government last night passed a bill through the Lower House to hand federal environmental approval powers to the states, ignoring the World Heritage Committee’s concern about this environmentally disastrous plan.

“UNESCO is currently meeting to decide whether to downgrade the Great Barrier Reef’s World Heritage status to ‘In Danger’ and has expressed concern about the Abbott Government’s hasty handover of federal approval powers to the states,” Senator Larissa Waters, Australian Greens environment spokesperson, said.

The Abbott and Newman governments’ Great Barrier Reef report card out today shows that the good work of farmers reducing their runoff is being undermined by the big mining companies directly dumping sediment into the Reef.

“Despite welcome gains in reducing agricultural runoff, the Reef’s inshore water quality remains poor, which will only get worse with mass dredging and dumping planned for the Reef’s coastline,” Senator Larissa Waters, Australian Greens environment spokesperson, said.

The Newman Government’s Queensland Ports Strategy, released today, is an invitation to the World Heritage Committee to place the Great Barrier Reef on the list of World Heritage Sites ‘In Danger’.

“Jeff Seeney says he’s protecting the Reef, except for here, here, here and here, oh and here,” Senator Larissa Waters, Australian Greens environment spokesperson, said.

On World Environment Day today the Australian Greens announced they will move for a Senate Inquiry into Abbott’s attacks on the environment.

“Tony Abbott has been relentlessly hacking away at our environment protections and climate action, proving he is prepared to sacrifice our children and grandchildren’s future for the profits of the big mining companies,” Senator Larissa Waters, Australian Greens environment spokesperson, said.

The Abbott Government is undermining threatened species conservation, despite a new report showing Australia has the worst rate of mammal extinctions in the world.

“Greg Hunt is all talk and no action on threatened species conservation,” Senator Larissa Waters, Australian Greens environment spokesperson, said.

“The Abbott Government has scrapped the $1 billion Biodiversity Fund, slashed Environment Department staff and funding for conservation groups, and wants to abandon action on climate change

The Australian Greens warmly welcome the decision by Deutsche Bank overnight not to finance the Abbot Point coal port expansion, given the World Heritage Committee’s concerns about the Great Barrier Reef.

“The big names are all pulling out of Abbot Point – Deutsche Bank’s decision not to have anything to do with this Reef-destroying project, follows BHP, Rio Tinto, Anglo American and Lend Lease all getting out,” Senator Larissa Waters, Australian Greens mining spokesperson, said.

The Abbott Government has introduced a bill to the Lower House today to devolve national protection for water resources from coal seam gas to state governments, adding to its environment attacks inflicted by the budget.

Senate estimates revelations that the Abbott Government has slashed staff working on the Cape York World Heritage nomination, and expected further staff cuts in the budget, show the Abbott Government has abandoned protection for iconic Cape York.

"Minister Hunt has dumped the Cape York World Heritage nomination by stealth, starving it of the resources to progress the nomination," Australian Greens Senator for Queensland, Larissa Waters, said.

The Australian Greens are calling on the Abbott Government to revoke the Abbot Point dredging and dumping approval and to increase compliance staff, following today's report into Gladstone Harbour slamming poor compliance and monitoring with environmental conditions.

"This report is an indictment on Australia's environmental management, compliance monitoring was inadequate, records weren't kept, and complaints about breaches were not followed up," Australian Greens spokesperson for the environment, Senator Larissa Waters said.

The Australian Greens are calling on QRC to cancel their blatant propaganda campaign as a report out today, commissioned by AMCS, shows dredging and dumping will cause significant damage to the Great Barrier Reef.

"This report is yet more evidence showing dredging and dumping for ports and shipping has a major impact on the Great Barrier Reef. QRC should cut their high-rotation television ads and spend that money usefully on fixing the problems they are creating and exacerbating in the Reef," Australian Greens spokesperson for the environment, Senator Larissa Waters, said.