Australian Greens lead spokesperson, Senator Richard Di Natale, said today that Tony Abbott’s first days as Prime Minister have taken Australia backwards and shown a complete disregard for the law.

“The first acts of an Abbott government have taken Australia back decades and made us an international embarrassment; one woman in cabinet, no science minister and unwinding climate change action,” said Senator Di Natale

“Even worse, advice from the Clerks of the Senate indicates that Tony Abbott’s demand that the Clean Energy Finance Corporation cease operating is illegal.

Australian Greens spokesperson, Senator Richard Di Natale, said today that Tony Abbott should announce that Maurice Newman will be excluded from the new government’s Business Advisory Council.

“It would be simply untenable for Tony Abbott to appoint an advisor who dismisses climate change as a myth,” said Senator Di Natale.

“Given the enormous challenge climate change represents to the Australian economy and Australian business, somebody who denies it is occurring is hardly qualified to advise the Prime Minister on the challenges ahead.”

Australian Greens spokesperson, Senator Richard Di Natale, said today that news reports that pre-empt the release of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Assessment were designed to downplay the seriousness of the issue and delay action on climate change.

“News stories claiming that climate scientists have expressed doubts about the seriousness of global warming are ludicrous given that the IPCC reports are essentially a summary of climate science published over preceding years,” said Senator Di Natale.

Australia has good healthcare but it can come at a high environmental cost. We will help the health sector to reduce pollution and waste.

The Greens will create a Health Sustainability Unit which will deliver leadership to help drive behaviour change, provide expert advice and support to the healthcare sector.

The Health Sustainability Unit will:

Greens back Victorian fossil fuel moratorium: coal profits cost our health, land and climate

The Australians Greens have today backed a call for a moratorium on fossil fuel projects in Victoria.

“Community groups across Victoria clearly understand what Ted Baillieu does not - that short term profits from coal and coal seam gas will cost Australians our health, our prime agricultural land and our climate,” said Australian Greens Deputy Leader, Senator Christine Milne.

The Australian Greens have rejected a renewed push by the Baillieu government to expand brown coal mining in Victoria. The Greens will also look at what action can be taken by the Federal government to slow down the push.

"Minister Comber should not be encouraging these moves by the Baillieu government. The Clean Energy Future package is about transitioning away from our dependence on coal, in particular brown coal. The Gillard government should not undermine that by backing this move. It is economically and environmentally irresponsible," Deputy Greens Leader Senator Milne said.

The Greens have responded to a global call to action on climate change and health from the international health community by again urging the government to create a Climate Change and Health Taskforce.

“The international health community has spoken as one to warn of the threat to health posed by climate change,” said Greens’ health spokesperson, Dr. Richard Di Natale.

Some of the most prominent health professionals and organisations in the world have met in Durban and issued a joint declaration that warns of the grave health consequences of climate change.