Today Australian Greens Senators Bob Brown and Larissa Waters are releasing their Koala Protection Bill which will be introduced into the Senate in June.

"The purpose of the Bill is to make sure koalas, as an iconic Australian species and of significant cultural heritage, have special protection," said Senator Brown.
 
The Bill makes it unlawful to kill, harm or otherwise deal with a koala anywhere is Australia and further makes it an offence to destroy or harm koala habitat in areas where the koala has been listed as threatened by the Environment Minster.

Queensland Premier Campbell Newman's call to abandon federal laws to protect the environment is a clear sign that Tony Abbott will dismantle the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act if he were to win the 2013 election, Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown said today.

"Newman says the Gillard government is influenced by me on the environment. But you can read his own words as Tony Abbott's future action," Senator Brown said in Canberra.

Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown today condemned the government-business agenda to wreck environmental laws.

"There is no evidence that delays are jeopardising the viability of any projects. The boom is still booming. In fact, no major resource extraction projects have been refused under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act," Senator Brown said.

Today's call to strip down environmental processes and fast track everything - mining mega-developments to shopping centres - is a war on the Australian people's quality of life and the environment by the big end of town, Greens Leader Bob Brown said today.

"The idea of not providing protections for wild and scenic Australia as the big mining corporations roll in and do what they like will horrify Australians who respect this nation's wildlife and scenic beauty," Senator Brown said.

Under questioning from the Greens today, Australian Government has acknowledged it has the power to use the national environment laws to protect Wild Rivers from Campbell Newman and a future LNP Queensland Government, which has pledged to roll back the laws against the wishes of many Aboriginal communities.

“Tony Abbott and Campbell Newman are trying to wind back these laws which protect our most pristine and valuable river systems from the ravages of big mining,” Australian Greens environment spokesperson Senator Larissa Waters said.

Tasmania's birds are in the greatest danger of extinction according to a new a paper from researchers at the Universities of Queensland and Charles Darwin and Birdlife International.

"The researchers took the international 'red list' of all birds that were in danger of extinction and applied it to Australia," Senator Brown said.

Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown and Senator for Queensland Larissa Waters spoke to reporters in Canberra today about the government's support for making the Great Barrier reef a rubbish dump and called for action in the public interest from the media inquiry report due out today.

The looming Cabinet reshuffle, including hopes for an effective environment minister, and the need to inform the public about the power of lobbyists were among other topics discussed.

Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown joined Greens Senator for Queensland Larissa Waters in Gladstone today to see the environmental crisis in the harbour firsthand and listen to the concerns of the Gladstone community.

"I am very pleased to be back here, getting a firsthand account from Queensland's most engaged Senator, Larissa Waters. A vote for either of the old parties is a vote for this mess," Senator Brown said.

Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown and Greens Senator for Queensland Larissa Waters, alongside local Greens candidates Jonathon Dykyj and Luke Mathews, speak to reporters in Mackay about the coastal impacts of mining, the Great Barrier Reef, Google maps, and the ALP leadership saga.

Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown, alongside Greens Senator Larissa Waters and Queensland Greens candidate for Mt Coot-tha Adam Stone, spoke to reporters in Brisbane today about food and water security, coal seam gas, health, and climate change. Other topics included the Labor leadership saga.