The old parties today voted against a Greens' Senate motion to refuse the world's largest coal port being built in the Great Barrier Reef.

"With the decision on the Abbot Point coal terminal expansion expected in December, today's Senate vote was a concerning sign that we'll be getting coal for Christmas from the Abbott Government," Senator Larissa Waters, Australian Greens environment spokesperson, said.

On November 13, Larissa Waters moved a motion in the Senate calling on the government to save the reef's waters, our coral reefs, fishing grounds and seagrass meadows from another 3 million tonnes of smothering dredge spoil.

That the Senate-

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The Australian Greens today called for changes to prohibit people with coal and gas interests from sitting on the Great Barrier Reef's management board, and backed calls for the Abbott Government to pause port approvals until the inquiry into conflicts of interest is completed.

"Big coal and gas should get their hands off the Reef, and off the Reef's management board," Senator Larissa Waters, Australian Greens environment spokesperson, said.

Commenting on tonight's 7:30 investigation that suggests members of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority's (GBRMPA) Board have a conflict of interest because of links to mining companies, Senator Larissa Waters Australian Greens spokesperson on the Reef, said:

"Allegations about conflict of interest on the Great Barrier Reef's management board are extremely worrying and require investigation.

"If these allegations are true, those board members should step down immediately.

The Coalition has today squibbed a chance to protect the Reef by ruling out further development on Gladstone's Curtis Island, by deferring the approval decision on Arrow's LNG plant to just days before Christmas, say the Australian Greens.

"The Reef didn't need another deferral from the government today - this threat of even further industralisation of the largest island within the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area needed to be ruled out once and for all," Senator Larissa Waters, Australian Greens environment spokesperson, said.