Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown spoke to reporters at Senate doors this morning about protecting the Coral Sea.

Senator Brown also answered questions about the "coup" reports in the Daily Telegraph, and whether individual newspapers should be the subject of scrutiny at the media inquiry. Senator Brown said it would be a good gesture if Mr Murdoch attended the inquiry.

Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown today expressed his disappointment that the Gillard Government has no plans to send a monitoring vessel to the Southern Ocean.

"Minister Burke might as well direct his call for calm to the whales, for all the good that will come of it," Senator Brown said in Launceston.

The Gillard government should be sending a naval presence into the Antarctic whale sanctuary this summer and seeking an injunction against Japan's slaughter of whales, Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown said today.

"It's illegal to kill whales in the whale sanctuary. It is that simple," Senator Brown said in Canberra.

"Pictures of this bloody slaughter by Japanese whalers, capturing images of their grenade-tipped harpoons turning the Antarctic seas red, should be sent around the world."

The reported decision of Japan to spend $27 million of public money on killing whales in Antarctica this summer must rate as one of the most stupid PR decisions of any equivalent nation in recent times, Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown said today.

“It is $27 million wasted on defending the indefensible,” Senator Brown said today.

“The question the world will ask is why not put this money into cleaning up the other great environmental disaster, the Fukushima nuclear complex.

"Some might call the predicted thousands of trucks descending on Canberra ending up as hundreds (ABC, 21/8/11) a ‘flop', but these Australians have every right to a peaceful presence on the parliamentary lawns," Greens Leader Bob Brown said today.

"It seems like the prime qualification to be there is to be angry about something - these are Abbott's angry people," Senator Brown said.

"But it seems their views on some issues are fairly shorted sighted, very ‘me-now'."

Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown has expressed concern about the Papua New Guinea National Court's decision not to ban a nickel mine from dumping waste into the sea off Madang on PNG’s north coast.

A group of landowners had taken the court action to prevent the Ramu nickel mining dumping up to 5 million tonnes of mine waste into the Astrolabe and Basamuk bays off Madang.

Senator Brown said that the judge recognised that it is likely the dumping would cause ‘serious environmental harm’ but that it isn't illegal under domestic laws. 

Deep seabed mining threatens our oceans and the marine environment of our neighbours, particularly Papua New Guinea where seabed mining experiments are going unchecked, Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown said today.

"The Australian Greens are calling for scrutiny of what deep seabed mining means for the health of our oceans and our own country's natural marine resources and fisheries into the future," Senator Brown said in Hobart after ABC TV's Catalyst program examined deep seabed mining.

Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown today congratulated the Marine Farming Review Panel on its decision to reject Tassal's application to expand its Soldier's Point salmon farm in the D'Entrecasteaux Channel.

"In the submissions to the application decision, scientists and concerned citizens pointed out the lack of big picture planning for aquaculture, use of antibiotics and anti-foulant on nets, nutrient overload of marine systems and the paucity of information about the Channel and the dolerite reef which has ultimately scuttled the application," Senator Brown said in Hobart.

An official complaint should be sent to Japan over its misuse ofAustralian police resources following another raid on the Sea Shepherdships in Hobart today, Greens Leader Bob Brown said.

"This morning in Hobart we've seen the third consecutive AustralianFederal Police raid on Sea Shepherd vessels following Sea Shepherd'ssuccessful campaign against illegal whaling in the Southern Ocean.

A warm welcome is being organised for Sea Shepherd ships, the Bob Barker and the Steve Irwin, on Sunday 6 March, Greens Leader Bob Brown said today.

"At least 800 whales are alive and swimming free in the ocean south of Tasmania due to Sea Shepherd's courageous crew," Senator Brown said in Hobart.

"I hope there will be an even bigger turn out of Hobartians than last year and I am looking forward to joining the welcome as Paul Watson and his crew step ashore."