The Australian Greens say Tony Abbott is trying to burn up important protections in his so-called regulation bonfire.

"When Tony Abbott has a bonfire of regulations he hides his true agenda in the smoke," Greens Leader Christine Milne said.

"The Prime Minister's rhetoric on this repeal day is all about storytelling and hiding help for his mates. Many of these changes are routine review of redundant regulations, but there are some very bitter pills.

The Australian Greens Leader, Senator Christine Milne, questions the Abbott Government on the impact of the South Korean free trade agreement on the future of the car manufacturing industry in Australia.

The Australian Greens say the Prime Minister's announcement of a $100 million fund for Victoria and South Australia is no guarantee of future jobs after the closure of Holden factories.

"The Prime Minister's fund is a band-aid on a massive wound in the Victorian and South Australian economies," Greens Leader Christine Milne said.

"This announcement does nothing to counter the fact that the economy will be driven backwards in the south-eastern states when the Prime Minister and Treasurer continue with savage cuts in upcoming budgets.

The Australian Greens have announced a plan to ease the pressure on small business by expanding tax breaks and strengthening the role of the national Small Business Commissioner.

These new initiatives follow yesterday's announcement that the Greens would lower the company tax rate from 30% to 28% for companies with turnovers of less than $2 million dollars.

Australian Greens Leader Christine Milne today announced an $85 million plan to help farmers bypass the big two supermarkets and sell direct to consumers.

"People care about where their food comes from and that local farmers get paid a reasonable price for it," Senator Milne said.

"Farmers don't have many options for selling their produce outside the low prices offered by the big supermarket chains.

The Greens' $85 million plan to help farmers bypass the Big Two supermarkets and sell directly to consumers will make it easier to get healthy food, help our farmers get a fair price, and create local jobs.

Read our plan to bring farmers and consumers together.

Today's projected budget surplus is on the back of single parents, trainees and apprentices, researchers and job-seekers, instead of sensibly plugging loopholes in the mining tax and building a stronger revenue base for future investments, the Australian Greens said.

"Today's Budget update confirms that Labor is more committed to Australia being a coal country than a caring or clever country," Australian Greens Leader, Senator Christine Milne, said.

Christine has met with Prime Minister Gillard to raise concerns about the threats to a number of Hobart's science institutions that are central to the nation's scientific knowledge and the local Tasmanian economy.

Science is integral to Hobart's economic DNA - we have hundreds of marine and Antarctic scientists working here, and several world-renowned institutions based here.

It makes no economic or environmental sense to subsidise brown coal and this new $90 million injection into yet another brown coal subsidy undermines the federal government's climate credibility, the Australian Greens said today.

 "Why are the Commonwealth and Victorian governments wasting money on yet more hand-outs for yesterday's polluting energy instead of investing in clean renewable sunrise industries like solar and wind power?" Australian Greens Leader, Senator Christine Milne, said today.

Australian Greens Deputy Leader, Senator Christine Milne, said:

"Three big companies having effective control over the vast bulk of both power generation and retail in the country can only be a bad thing for both consumers and clean energy producers.

"An efficient, 100% renewable energy grid will keep power bills down, create jobs and protect the climate, but it won't necessarily serve the interests of the existing big players in the market. That's why I've asked the ACCC to look into their market power.