Australia's tired, old political parties today blocked a move by the Greens for a standalone Senate inquiry into the coal seam gas industry, Greens Leader Bob Brown said. In a split with the Liberals, the Nationals abstained.

"The prospect of coal seam gas mines across the country, from the Kimberley to Queensland to Tasmania, encroaching on Sydney and broader New South Wales, as well as in South Australia is truly appalling," Senator Brown said.

Expectations that the watered-down mining tax will heighten the vulnerability of the economy reinforces the need to put off the government's plan to give tax breaks to large corporations, including BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto, Greens Leader Bob Brown said today. 

The government claimed in its budget yesterday that implementing the Minerals Resource Rent tax "provides the basis for cutting the company income tax rate, which will help to broaden the benefits of the mining boom".

Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown today released polling results that show overwhelming support for redirecting the government's $11 billion a year hand-out to fossil fuel companies to renewable energy research and development.

"Taxpayers' money is being used to support polluters, including coal and oil companies. Building a cleaner, safer, healthier 21st century economy means we need to cut pollution and focus on developing renewable energy, rather than prop up the carbon-intensive past," Senator Brown said.

The Australian Greens will push for a sovereign wealth fund to help fund the needs of future generations, as well as seek to improve budget measures in the immediate budget cycle, Greens Leader Bob Brown said today.

"A sovereign wealth fund could underpin Australia's move into a low-carbon future, serving as a source of funding for long-term projects such as high-speed rail and metro light rail," Senator Brown said in Hobart.

Australian Greens Leader Senator Bob Brown gave a press conference where he discussed the Brighton Bypass in Tasmania, the upcoming federal budget, the Greens agreement with the Prime Minister around Leaders' election debates, the attacks on Andrew Wilkie MP and Rob Oakeshott, and other issues.

Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown has welcomed the federal government’s acknowledgement of accommodation options outside the Tasman National Park as part of the controversial Three Capes proposal.

“Federal Infrastructure Minister Anthony Albanese has told us that the Parks service is taking the community’s concerns into account in its planning for where accommodation for a revamped walk will go,” Senator Brown said in Hobart.

Dear Editor,

As The Australian’s National Affairs Correspondent, readers may expect Jennifer Hewett to be factually correct on key legislative commitments made in Canberra.

However, her statement (26 March) that ‘Bob Brown is promising to oppose the [mining tax] bill in the Senate’ is wrong.

At the Parliament House press conference on Friday, I made it clear that the Greens will not oppose the bill because to do so would leave us in Tony Abbott’s position of raising no tax from the mining super profits at all.

The Minister for Resources and Energy is on thin ice when branding the Greens with the tired 1970s epithet of "basket weavers", Greens Leader Bob Brown said today.

"Mr Ferguson is feeling fragile over caving in to the mining corporations over the resources tax. Ignoring Treasury advice, he has emptied $100 billion out of the public basket over the next 10 years."

"He is now conceding billions more by threatening the states over mining royalties."

"It may be time for the Senate to reassert its constitutional role as the states' house," Senator Brown said.

Greens Leader Bob Brown today condemned the Treasurer's decision to stymie any increases in state taxes on mining.

"This decision by the government to accept the Argus report is another dip into the ordinary Australian taxpayer's pocket to featherbed further the big mining corporations who export a great deal of that profit overseas. It is wrong," Senator Brown said in Canberra.

Greens Leader Bob Brown joined Australian Agenda's Peter Van Onselen and Paul Kelly in the Sky News studio in Sydney on March 13, 2011.

You can read the transcript after the link:

Peter Van Onselen: Welcome to Australian Agenda. I'm Peter Van Onselen. Well we've got a big program for you. Shortly we'll be speaking to the Leader of the Australian Greens, Bob Brown. Paul Kelly, thank you. Without further ado, we are joined here in the studio by the Leader of the Australian Greens, as I mentioned earlier, Bob Brown. Thanks for your company.