In his statement today on monetary policy Reserve Bank Governor Glenn Stevens confirmed that the RBA has "taken careful note of the likely economic effects of drought". The current drought and reduced rainfall patterns, are exacerbated by climate change.
 
"Climate change is going to drive up the costs of food, the costs of fuel and the costs of water. The Howard Government likes to talk about its record on fighting inflation, yet it has failed to tackle the number one long run cause of increased cost of living in Australia," said Greens Leader, Senator Bob Brown.
 

The Prime Minister's Melbourne Cup water crisis summit is 10 years too late, Greens Leader Bob Brown said today.
 
"After eleven years of his government and seven years of this Howard-enhanced drought, the Prime Minister is waking up to the rural calamity and national alarm on climate change.  Suddenly, he is calling a summit on Cup day.  So while 20 million Australians are concentrating on Efficient, Mr Howard will be concentrating on the inefficient – himself, his own decade of lost opportunity on climate change," Senator Brown said.
 

 
The Howard Policy Agenda 1996 to 2006
 
Over the last 10 years the Howard government has repeatedly pushed climate change policy in the wrong direction. The economics of climate change are straight forward, we need to charge polluters for their emissions and give people and companies incentives to increase efficiency. The politics of climate change, however, has encouraged the Howard Government to spend billions of dollars pushing the economy in the wrong direction. The biggest mistakes of the last decade are:
 

Perverse policy measure

The disastrous drought is Howard-enhanced, Greens Leader Bob Brown said today.  
"No national leader has had a better box seat to take a world lead against climate change in the last decade. But Prime Minister Howard has scorned the science, ramped up coal burning and starved fantastic renewable energy science of funds in Australia. No comparable leader is more responsible for the effects of climate change damaging Australia's prospects," Senator Brown said.
 

The Greens say Environment Minister Ian Campbell's Environment and Heritage Legislation Amendment Bill is a horror bill for environmentalists.  
"While most other countries are strengthening green laws, this bill means Australian environment protection will be weaker than at any time since the Whitlam government," Greens Leader Bob Brown said today.
 

The Greens say Environment Minister Ian Campbell's Environment and Heritage Legislation Amendment Bill is a horror bill for environmentalists.  
"While most other countries are strengthening green laws, this bill means Australian environment protection will be weaker than at any time since the Whitlam government," Greens Leader Bob Brown said today.
 

Environment Minister Ian Campbell has failed to produce any rescue plan for the bird populations facing collapse in NSW's Macquarie Marshes.
 
In the Senate today, Greens Leader Bob Brown (who visited the marshes on the weekend) called for action as more than 80 per cent of the world-renowned Macquarie Marshes is dead or dying.
 
"It's mainly due to the big foreign-owned cotton growers siphoning the water off upstream, not drought," Senator Brown said.
 

 Democrats founder and former leader Don Chipp was one of Australia's great humanitarians, Greens Leader Bob Brown said today.
 
"As Liberal Minister for Customs Don helped Australia break out of its Victorian braces by ending censorship of literature. His greatest contribution was the Democrats. But I remember him most for his contribution to saving Tasmania's World Heritage Franklin River," Senator Brown said.
 

The Greens are looking forward to the 9 September election in Queensland, National Greens Leader Bob Brown said in Canberra today.  
Senator Brown, who recently led a protest flotilla of canoes down the Mary River where Premier Beattie plans a dam, said the environment will be a huge issue for voters.
 
"Peter Beattie's promotion of coal mines and dams is last-century," Senator Brown said.
 

Greens Leader Bob Brown called on the Minister for the Environment, Ian Campbell to stop Premier Beattie's proposed Mary River Dam because it threatens prime breeding habitat of the Queensland lung fish.
 
Senator Brown said the proposal also threatens the Mary River Cod, and the Mary River Turtle.
 
"This is a clear cut case of taking the better alternatives which include supplying Brisbane through proven water efficiency, tank storage and recycling technologies," Senator Brown said.