• New industry report confirms global coal demand in terminal structural decline
• Taxpayers and state governments will be left with a mine clean-up bill worth billions of dollars
• Greens release plan to transition thousands of jobs and fund rehabilitation costs

The Greens have today released a plan to deal with the structural decline in Australia's coal export sector, in response to a report from the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis that confirms the sector is in terminal decline.

Senator Larissa Waters, Australian Greens environment spokesperson, comments on the new Lonergan Research poll about the Abbott Government trying to change environment law to limit its public enforcement:

“Again we see how out of touch the Abbott Government is with the Australian people.

“Nearly three quarters of Australians believe environment groups should be able to use the courts to ensure existing environment laws are upheld, and the government's plan is completely at odds with this.  

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

"Even though coal workers are losing their jobs, because the coal price is in structural decline, the big parties aren't providing them with an alternative.

"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.

Court overturning Adani Carmichael mine is good news for the climate, Great Barrier Reef and Queensland economy

The Federal Court’s decision today to overturn the Abbott Government’s approval of Adani’s Carmichael coal mine is good news for the climate, environment and Queensland economy.                                       

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.

Queensland Senator Larissa Waters, the Australian Greens Acting Leader and mining spokesperson, who introduced the bill to the Parliament, said:

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.