The Australian Greens are urging the Senate to block the Abbott Government's bill to gut public enforcement of environment law now being debated in the Lower House.

Senator Larissa Waters, Australian Greens Deputy Leader and environment and climate change spokesperson, said:

"Tony Abbott and George Brandis want to put big mining companies above the law and stop Australians who care about the environment and climate from upholding the law.

The mining lobby's advertising blitz today neglects to mention the jobs it is killing in other industries and the carbon pollution it is threatening our very way of life with.

"The mining lobby doesn't want to talk about the jobs it is killing in the agriculture, tourism and renewable energy industries," Senator Larissa Waters, Australian Greens Deputy Leader and climate change spokesperson, said

"Queenslanders clearly saw through this waste of their own money and it's insulting that the Newman Government tried to fool them.

"It was clear to Queenslanders that Campbell Newman was intent on putting coal above the Reef and they booted him out at the election.

"Queenslanders will feel betrayed that the new Labor Government has continued down the track of dredging to turn the Reef into a shipping super highway for coal exports to cook the planet. 

The draft environmental impact statement on the Abbot Point coal port for the Adani Carmichael mine includes alarming environmental impacts and shows there is no difference between the Abbott and Palaszczuk governments on coal.

"The Palaszczuk Government is pushing ahead with one of the world's largest coal ports in the Great Barrier Reef for coal mines that probably won't go ahead," Senator Larissa Waters, Australian Greens environment spokesperson, said.

The first public hearing of the Senate Inquiry into the Greens’ bill to give landholders the right to say ‘no’ to gas and coal mining on their land and to ban fracking was held in Brisbane today.

Greens Senator for Queensland Larissa Waters says it's outrageous that the Queensland Labor government has taken the step of pouring $34 million into the Callide Power Station at Biloela, in the new State Budget.

"Callide is a relic of the coal age that should be shut down, not propped up with taxpayer's dollars," said Senator Waters.

"It is the most polluting power station in the state and one of the worst in the country. For every megawatt of power produced, it emits 1.1 tonnes of carbon dioxide.

The Greens strongly condemn the Abbott Government's approval of the Chinese-owned Shenhua Watermark coal mine in the Liverpool Plains to ruin high-quality farmland and cook the planet.

Australian Greens Deputy Leader and mining spokesperson, Senator Larissa Waters, said:

"The Abbott Government is again putting overseas mining interests ahead of farmers and our climate.

The Australian Greens will move for a Senate Inquiry into the fossil fuel industry's influence over politics, as the House of Representatives inquiry hearings into removing tax deductibility from environment groups begin today.

Senator Larissa Waters, Australian Greens Deputy Leader and climate and environment spokesperson, who will lodge Terms of Reference for the Inquiry in the Senate today, said:

"The Abbott Government is out to destroy the environment and those who seek to protect it, on behalf of its big fossil fuel industry mates.