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. 

The Australian Greens welcome reports that the Mitchell Group's Fitzroy Terminal Project has lapsed, opening up a critical opportunity to protect Keppel Bay and the Fitzroy Delta.

"The Greens congratulate the strong community campaign to protect the Reef, particularly the work of the Keppel and Fitzroy Delta Alliance - Queenslanders have had enough of their beloved Reef being trashed," Australian Greens spokesperson for the environment, Senator Larissa Waters, said.

Today's announcement by Clive Palmer's Waratah Coal that he will seek to take over BHP's abandoned proposal to develop Abbot Point coal terminal, underscores just how urgently we need better national laws to ensure business cannot improperly influence politics, say the Australian Greens.

"Australians deserve to know what Mr Palmer and his Senators will abstain from voting on in the Parliament, given Mr Palmer's business interests," Australian Greens spokesperson for the environment, Senator Larissa Waters, said.

The Australian Greens today lamented the fossil fuel blind spot in the Australian Government's $40 million Reef Trust discussion paper released today, describing it as a continuation of Tony Abbott's protection racket for overseas mining companies.

"If the Abbott Government wanted to protect the Great Barrier Reef they would keep the carbon price and ban dredging and offshore dumping - instead they are protecting their mining magnate mates and try to distract from the key threats to the Reef," Senator Larissa Waters, Greens environment spokesperson, said.

Commenting on documents released today, in response to an Australian Greens' Senate order, which provide further evidence that Whitehaven Coal provided false and misleading information to get approval for a massive coal mine, Senator Larissa Waters, Australian Greens Spokesperson for the environment, said:
"Whitehaven Coal should be prosecuted for providing the Government with false information in order to get approval for their environmentally disastrous mine at Maules Creek.