Environment Minister Peter Garrett's approval of Victoria's giant and unnecessary desalination plant is a failure of his responsibility, Greens Leader Bob Brown said today.

"He is Minister for the Environment, not for saltworks. His condition that the Victoria Government ‘develop' management plans ‘to minimise the impacts' on rare or endangered species of wildlife would better fit a Minister for mines than a Minister for the environment."

Environment Minister Peter Garrett should be taking national leadership on Container Deposit Legislation rather than leaving it to a ministerial meeting with the states sometime later this month, Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown said today.

"The Rudd government has been quick to respond to corporations wanting action on the financial crisis; Mr Garrett should be equally forceful in resisting the inevitable corporate opposition to have a deposit on beverage containers across Australia," Senator Brown said.

The Government and the Greens have agreed to amendments to the $42 billion economic stimulus package, Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown said today.

"We have improved this package to create thousands of green jobs in communities across Australia," Senator Brown said.

"These involve approximately half a billion dollars and will create thousands of local green jobs and provide greater assistance to unemployed and low-income Australians."

New economic direction required

"The Greens welcome the Rudd government's planned investment in education, community and defence housing and energy efficiency programs. Taxpayers' money is much better spent on public services and infrastructure than it is on supporting big banks, big polluters and big developers," Senator Brown said.

"The Greens congratulate the Rudd government on adopting part of the Greens plan to retrofit Australian homes to reduce energy consumption.

Contrary to the assurance to Gunns from Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard, the Greens have released legal advice that the construction of Gunns' pulp mill cannot begin before all issues affecting threatened and migratory species have been assessed.

This, in turn, requires the hydrodynamic modelling of mill effluent pouring into Bass Strait to be completed.

The advice was provided to Tasmanian Greens Senator Christine Milne by Bleyer Lawyers and released today by Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown (attached).