What a year to be Green!

Right from the start, 2011 has been a year of victory for the planet and for a more compassionate, equal Australia. Together we have achieved great things!

Australian Greens Leader Senator Bob Brown appeared on ABC News Breakfast to discuss the political budget surplus, the Afghanistan conflict, dental care, preferencing of votes, and the Australian Greens National Conference.

Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown, Senator for Queensland Larissa Waters, Senators for Western Australia Rachel Siewert and Scott Ludlam, and Member for Melbourne Adam Bandt spoke to the media about the Australian Greens National Conference in Fremantle, WA.

Topics included the allocation of preferences, the environmental threats posed by developments in the Kimberley, and the Nationals' call for a "discussion paper" on coal seam gas. 

Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown congratulates the Senate for supporting President Barack Obama's push for a millionaire's tax.

The Greens today moved the following motion which was passed by the Senate:

The Senate supports moves by President Obama to close tax loopholes for those earning a million dollars a year, ensuring that millionaires pay a minimum rate of tax that at least matches that of middle-class families.

1 September marks one year since the Australian Greens signed an historic agreement with Prime Minister Julia Gillard's Labor Government.

The Gillard agreement has achieved outcomes for Australians in terms of passage of bills and lack of confrontation between the houses. We have consultation instead of confrontation.

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!

Australian Greens Leader Senator Bob Brown spoke with ABC News Radio's Fran Kelly about the 2011-12 federal budget.

Australian Greens Leader Senator Bob Brown delivers the Keynote address to the Australian Council of Social Service conference, 29 March 2011

Read more about the detail of Senator Brown's speech here.

Banking is an essential service. A basic bank account is essential to function properly in present day Australian society. This means that the nature of banking services – the kinds of financial products that are offered and the fees that are charged – has a very broad impact.

Consequently, the welfare of consumers should be protected by law and not, as is currently the case, by the self-regulation of the banking industry.