The Australian Greens have called for Prime Minister Rudd to follow President Obama's lead and launch a 30,000 green jobs target for Australia, acknowledging that the solution to climbing job losses is a renewable green economy.

Greens Deputy Leader Senator Christine Milne said that overnight, President Obama had reversed eight years of stonewalling by the US administration by setting higher vehicle fuel efficiency targets and signalling the US was prepared to lead the world on climate change.

This follows the announcement of $90b. investment in renewable energy as part of his first US stimulus package.

Senator Milne said that with tens of thousands of jobs being axed in several industry sectors across the globe in a single day today, now was the time for the Prime Minister to act.

"The heat is on - and the Prime Minister should immediately announce a green jobs target of 30,000 greens jobs to be created this term - supported by an infrastructure spending package."

"And the Rudd Government should ensure it supports jobs through infrastructure spending - not here-today, gone-tomorrow tax cuts."

"It's important that the Rudd government not cave-in to industry pressure to bring forward tax cuts - now is the time for an active government with the financial clout to reshape the economy."

"When times are tough wages should be fairly structured - and a tax cut will guarantee a wages freeze for Australia's workers. It's not the way to go."

Senator Milne also responded to reports that global renewable energy companies are shunning Australia for want of supportive polices, such as the Greens gross feed-in tariff.

"The Rudd Government continues to treat the renewable energy industry with disdain. Their policies are late, ad hoc and inadequate, and sending investment and jobs growth overseas."

"The Renewable Energy Target, for example, still hasn't been legislated, and so will not provide long-term investment security for the cheapest renewable energy such as wind, and does virtually nothing to support the development of emerging technology such as geothermal or solar-thermal - both of which can provide base-load power."

"The sun is shining in Australia, but not on the solar industry because the Rudd Government hasn't acted to implement the gross feed-in tariff."

"The Government's astonishing indifference to the massive growth in renewable energy investment abroad beggars belief. It requires studied ignorance for the Government to continue to put all Australia's eggs in the so called 'clean-coal' basket. It makes no sense and is a high-risk strategy if the primary interest is the long-term competitiveness of the nation."