The Australian Greens, the Labor government and the Independent MPs today announced an historic agreement on a climate action package that will put a $23 per tonne price on carbon pollution, as was first proposed by the Greens, support householders and invest billions of dollars in clean, renewable energy.

This package, which the Greens have helped shape, is the first vital step towards tackling the climate crisis and building a cleaner, healthier, more secure Australia for all of us.

The Australian Greens, the Labor government and the Independent MPs today announced an historic agreement on a climate action package that will put a $23 per tonne price on carbon pollution, as was first proposed by the Greens in January 2010, support householders and invest billions of dollars in clean, renewable energy.

Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown released a new poll showing that when voters are presented with Tony Abbott’s plan or the Gillard/Greens/Independents plan, overwhelming numbers of voters favour the carbon price option.

The Essential Poll surveyed 1,037 voters last weekend and asked the question:

Q. All sides of Australian politics have policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to help address climate change. Do you believe that the best way to achieve this is to pay money to the big polluters to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions or tax the big polluters?

Tasmania will be winners in the clean energy package, Australian Greens Leader and Tasmanian Senator Bob Brown said in Canberra today.

"The hard work over months of Christine Milne and I will bring real dividends, for example through household payments, to Tasmanians.

"We have generally lower average incomes than mainland states so stand to get higher household payments proportionate to incomes. If used wisely, for example in making homes more energy efficient (see dosomething.com.au), these payments can lead to long term lower power bills.

Bob Brown and Christine Milne press conference at Parliament House's Mural hall regarding fuel and the carbon price

Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown spoke to ABC News Radio’s Marius Benson today about the carbon price talks.

Some $50 billion reaped from Australia's mineral resources will be sent overseas as dividends to foreign owners over the next five years, according to a report released by Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown during his press club address today.
Key findings of the report Foreign ownership of Australian mining profits are:
*In the next five years foreign owners will earn about $265 billion from their investments in Australia's mineral resources;
*Increasing foreign ownership is creating a significant drag on Australia's current account balance;

Transcript is after the break

Ladies and Gentlemen

I acknowledge the traditional owners of the Canberra region and all the Indigenous people of Australia.

This Friday, 1 July, is the 28th anniversary of the High Court judgement which stopped the Franklin Dam. But in the preceding week of 1983, Tasmania recorded the lowest temperatures in history. It snowed heavily to sea level. The bulldozers in the Franklin and Gordon Valley were stopped. So, Mother Nature got into the act ahead of the High Court!

Greens Leader Bob Brown spoke to reporters in Canberra today about President Obama’s Afghanistan announcement, carbon price talks and Viscount Monckton.

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott should rethink plans to associate with Lord Monckton, Greens Leader Bob Brown said today.

"Monckton's despicable abuse of Professor Ross Garnaut can't simply be shaken off and accommodated as free speech," Senator Brown said in Canberra.

"Last year, Mr Abbott met Viscount Monckton of Brenchley and he will renew that association next week at a mining conference in Perth. I urge Mr Abbott to think again," Senator Brown said.