Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown said in Hobart today that the deal struck between Forestry Tasmania CEO Bob Gordon and federal independent facilitator Bill Kelty was a breach of public trust in the forest principles process.

"Mr Kelty says 'let me place on record our appreciation of Bob Gordon and Forestry Tasmania for your support in this difficult process' - no mention of environmentalists."

The Australian Greens are pleased that the inquiry into territory powers, blocked three years ago, will proceed and hope that the bill to enhance democracy for the territories will be law within months, Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown said today.

"Support for the bill is an outcome of the new politics in Australia where people have voted for greater diversity. There is a growing acceptance that representation in the territories should be improved," Senator Brown said in Canberra today.

Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown today welcomed the Labor government's support for the Greens' bill remove the ability of federal ministers to override legislation in the Australian Capital Territory, Northern Territory and Norfolk Island.

“No Australian official ever saw Mr Habib in Egypt,” the Australian government says. What do you think?

The Australian government has expressed its "concerns" about events in Cairo but there has been no call for Hosni Mubarak to go, even as Egypt's government issues further warnings of a crackdown, Greens Leader Bob Brown said today.

"The government should do more and join others in urging President Mubarak to move swiftly out of office and to stop the thugs who have attacked demonstrators and detained journalists in recent days and weeks," Senator Brown said.

The Greens opposed the second reading of the Social Security Amendment (Income Support for Regional Students) Bill 2010 and I want to explain our position as far as not just this legislation is concerned but also the new configuration that we have in this parliament with a minority government and a balance of power shared by, at the moment, a number of entities in the Senate.

The Senate day has begun with two hours and 20 minutes of debate on private senators' bills - a breakthrough after a century of the Senate being almost exclusively run to facilitate governments' agendas, Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown said today.

Bills debated today were from Senator Nash on student income support and Senator Ronaldson on Defence Force retirement benefits.