Peter Garrett has made his first significant positive decision for the environment since becoming Environment Minister, Australian Greens climate change spokesperson, Senator Christine Milne, said today.

Senator Milne said "If ever there was a clear-cut case of protecting Australia's interests against the greed of the coal corporations, blocking Shoalwater Bay was it.

"Shoalwater Bay would have been on a Ramsar wetland site, would have had tremendous ramifications for the World Heritage-listed Great Barrier Reef, and would have worsened the prospects for several endangered species including dugong and loggerhead turtles.

"I congratulate the Minister on his decision. It would have been a travesty if the community had had to go through a stressful, expensive and drawn-out assessment process when from the beginning it was obvious that this coal development was globally and locally irresponsible and destructive."

Contact: Tim Hollo on 0437 587 562