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.

To save the Great Barrier Reef from an ‘In Danger’ listing, the Abbott Government needs to follow the World Heritage Committee’s recommendations, instead of telling other countries to back off, as reported today.