In this, the Australian Year of the Farmer, the Australian Greens encourage all Australians to support our farmers by putting Australian food and beverages on the table as families and communities join together to enjoy Australia Day, Acting Australian Greens Leader, Senator Christine Milne said today.

"The "Eat Australian on Australia Day" campaign is a great initiative supporting our primary producers and showcasing the best of the food, wines, beers and soft drinks grown and processed in Australia. I urge all Australians to get behind it.

The spill of toxic copper concentrate from a train derailment off a privately-run rail line in central Australia raises substantial questions for Environment Minister Tony Burke about the environmental assessment for the Olympic Dam expansion, the Australian Greens said today.

"Since the use of this rail line is critical to BHP's massive Olympic Dam expansion, Tony Burke needs to urgently reconsider his approval of the project in the light of new concerns," Australian Greens Acting Leader, Senator Christine Milne, said.

Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown and Deputy Leader Christine Milne spoke to reporters in Hobart today amid the growing international furore over Malaysian logging company Ta Ann's destruction of Tasmania's native forests.

Senators Brown and Milne also answered questions about the onshore processing of asylum seekers, calling for the Australian government to adhere to international legal obligations.

The Greens encourage local communities to apply for funds to replant and restore bushland, restore native habitats including wetlands and to reduce the impacts of weeds and feral animals under the Commonwealth $946 million Biodiversity Fund grants program they negotiated as part of the Clean Energy Future Package.

"Enhancing and restoring carbon in the landscape and creating jobs in rural Australia is a win‐win for the climate and the community," Acting Greens Leader, Christine Milne said.

The major Greens policies are supportive of Tasmania. For example, the Greens support will get the mining tax through -- and we'll be trying to make it much stronger -- which will redistribute some money from overseas shareholders to Australians including Tasmanians.

A more measured pace in extraction of our mineral resources would mean a lower exchange rate which would help Tasmanian tourism and lower interest rates that would benefit other Tasmanian industries.

Negotiations in Durban are in serious danger of breaking down completely as countries wrestle to weaken any outcomes and Australia is right in the midst of it, Australian Greens Deputy Leader Christine Milne said today.

Federal Environment Minister, Tony Burke, must explain why he will allow the assessment of mining proposals to occur in the Tarkine before acting on advice before him to permanently heritage list the region, Australian Greens Deputy Leader, Christine Milne said today.

"Minister Burke today claimed on ABC local radio to have no information leading to the emergency heritage listing of the Tarkine, but failed to mention a report buried in his department recommending the Tarkine be listed.

Federal Environment Minister Tony Burke must use his powers to reject the Abbot Point coal export terminal now that the Queensland Government has given it the go ahead, the Australian Greens said today.

The six new coal terminals proposed at Abbot Point would enable the export of an additional 180 megatonnes of coal each year, leading to some 450 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions when burnt. Australia's total domestic emissions are 542 million tonnes.

The newly appointed members of the independent Land Sector Carbon and Biodiversity Board have an exciting and challenging job to manage $1.7 billion in funds to protect biodiversity and create jobs in rural Australia and indigenous communities, the Australian Greens said today.

"The $1.7 billion biodiversity funds are one of the most exciting aspects of the Clean Energy Future package," Australian Greens Deputy Leader, Senator Christine Milne, said.

The re-lodgement of the Tarkine Road for federal approval gives Environment Minister, Tony Burke, an immediate reason to finally put the Tarkine wilderness on the National Heritage list, the Australian Greens said today.

The Tasmanian government's withdrawal of the Tarkine Road proposal, which would have a devastating impact on the last remaining disease-free Tasmanian devil population, was given by the Minister as the key reason previous emergency listing of the Tarkine was allowed to expire.