Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown today launched a new plan to link Brisbane's suburbs with light rail.

The Greens are campaigning for better public transport planning and light rail networks and upgrades across the country. 

Announcing the plan with Queensland Senate candidate Larissa Waters, Senator Brown said the Greens would push in the Senate for greater federal funding of public transport.

Within months of voting down a Greens Senate proposal for a study into High Speed Rial between Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne, Labor has done an about turn and adopted the Greens proposal.

Greens Leader Bob Brown who has been vigorously advocating High Speed Rail throughout the election campaign, is delighted with Labor's back flip.

"However the first phase should be between Sydney and Melbourne (including Canberra), the world's third busiest air route, Senator Brown said.

Today in Canberra the Greens launched an ambitious plan to give the national capital a state-of-the-art light rail system, and called for better public transport planning across the country.

The Greens have launched an ambitious plan to give the national capital a state-of-the-art light rail system, and called for better public transport planning across the country.

"Access to efficient public transport would make a huge difference to millions of Australians daily lives," said Australian Greens leader Senator Bob Brown.

"But public transport is severely lacking for many suburbs in all our capital cities.

The Rudd government should sell better the huge dividend from the mining boom tax to the Australian public who will benefit from it, Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown said in Hobart today.

"Unfortunately, the large section of the Australian populace who has so much to gain from a minerals tax is not getting the message. For example, small business needs to know it will not get a 2 percent tax reduction if the big mining corporations win and the mining boom tax is dropped," Senator Brown said.

The Government and Opposition have voted down Greens Leader Bob Brown's motion advocating a feasibility study into a high speed passenger rail service linking Brisbane, Newcastle, Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne.

The Government opposed the study but presented no reason. Speaking for the coalition, Senator MacDonald said the study would cost too much.

"This is a good idea derailed by sheer ignorance," Senator Brown said.

"High Speed Rail is established or being built in Japan, China France, Britain, Spain, the USA and Saudi Arabia.

With the Melbourne-Sydney flight route the 4th busiest in the world, Australian Greens Leader Senator Bob Brown today called for work to begin on establishing a High Speed Rail (HSR) link between the nation's biggest capital cities.

Launching the Greens proposal for a major concept study into an east coast High Speed Rail link at Southern Cross Station in Melbourne, Senator Brown said travel between Sydney and Melbourne or Brisbane on a High Speed Rail network would take only 4 hours city centre to city centre, with comfortable seats, phone and internet access.

"It's like looking down on an unclaimed bag in a subway," Australian Greens leader Bob Brown said today after flying over the coal tanker stuck fast on the Great Barrier Reef. Just one other small vessel is nearby.

From the air the pristine blue ocean dotted with coral ringed emerald lagoons of the Marine Park dominates, but the Shen Neng 1 sits below like an environmental time-bomb.

"I congratulate all those who are insisting no measure is too expensive to help rescue the Reef and coast from this threat," said Senator Brown.