PM Abbott a coal lobbyist at international negotiations

Greens Leader Christine Milne says it's no surprise that Australian officials have been instructed to try to protect fossil fuel subsidies at the OECD.

"The Abbott government is a wholly owned subsidiary of the coal industry. There's no other way of looking at it," said Senator Milne.

"Anyone who was unsure if the government's attack on the Renewable Energy Target was anything other than attempt to prop up coal would now be in no doubt.

"Can you believe that Australia is using its position internationally to try to stop other countries from curbing subsidies for coal fired power?

"There's only one reason for that: they want to prop up Australian coal exports and protect the profits of their mates at the big end of town.

"Our government, which is meant to represent Australian people, is out there reciting language straight out of a huge American coal company's PR campaign.

"One of the world's biggest PR companies, Burson-Marsteller, has taught Peabody Energy how to say, "Coal is good for humanity." Mr Abbott has toed the line at the G20 in Australia and now on the global stage at the OECD.

"It is bad governance: for the rich, by the rich, at the expense of everyone else and the climate," said Senator Milne.

"As long as we have got Tony Abbott as Prime Minister, as long as we have got a whole government committed to not acting on global warming, propping up coal exports, destroying the environment, and opening up the Galilee Basin, we are going to be global pariahs on this issue, and the problems are going to keep getting worse: health impacts, extreme weather events, hits to our food security and agricultural exports, loss of species.

"It is time that the Australian community recognised the extent to which the Abbott government is just a puppet on the hand of international coal. We need to take the power back and restore democracy."