The Australian Greens will give the Nationals the opportunity to cross the floor on coal seam gas, with a Senate motion for vote tomorrow (Thursday).

"The Nationals say one thing in the community and then do another in Parliament," Senator Larissa Waters, Australian Greens mining spokesperson, said.

"On the Q and A program this week, Nationals Senator Fiona Nash wouldn't answer whether she would cross the floor for a vote on CSG because she said it was a hypothetical question.

The Australian Greens are calling for urgent climate action based on advice by Professor Terry Hughes, co-author of new research in Science on poor management of World Heritage areas, including the Great Barrier Reef.

"The Abbott and Palaszczuk governments need to take heed of this serious warning from one of the world's leading coral reef scientists," Senator Larissa Waters, Australian Greens environment spokesperson, said.

"Based on the science, the choice is simple - coal or the Reef?

The federal Nationals today again deserted the Senate chamber to avoid voting on a Greens' motion putting forward the Victorian Nationals' recent policy position that landholders should have the right to say no to CSG on their land.

"The Greens, at every level, in every state and territory, have a long track record of fighting for landholders to have the right to say no to CSG to protect their land, water and climate," Senator Larissa Waters, Australian Greens mining spokesperson, said.

The Australian Greens will introduce a bill to the federal Parliament today that exercises constitutional powers to give landholders nationally the right to say no to coal and gas mining on their land.

New research shows $784 million is needed to improve Great Barrier Reef water quality, even before new the coal mines and ports, supported by the major parties, are built.

A new report out today by The Australia Institute shows that the Newman Government has already spent almost $2 billion of Queensland taxpayers’ money on the existing Abbot Point coal port.

Australian Greens leader Senator Christine Milne reinforced the connection between Campbell Newman and Tony Abbott in the eyes of the electorate, while in Brisbane today.   

On new research published by Nature showing stating 95% of Australia’s coal reserves are unburnable by 2050 if the world is to have a 50% chance of avoiding global warming in excess of 2 degrees Celsius. 

The Abbott Government’s taskforce of diplomats, revealed today, set up to lobby other countries over the threat of an ‘In Danger’ listing for the Great Barrier Reef, is not what the Reef needs.