The Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility criteria, released by the Turnbull Government today, fail to rule out the $5 billion facility becoming a slush fund for big mining companies.

Senator Larissa Waters, Australian Greens Deputy Leader and mining spokesperson, said the draft criteria do not consider environmental, cultural or social impacts.

The Government is acting like a bull in a china shop when it comes to tipping $5 billion into development in Northern Australia that was today outlined in the Northern Australia white paper announced by the Prime Minister.

Australian Greens Senator Rachel Siewert said today that ‘development in Northern Australia must be innovative, sustainable and in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’.  

The Australian Greens said today they are shocked that the Federal Government's Agricultural Competitiveness Green Paper doesn’t address climate change, one of the biggest threats posed to the future of Australia’s agriculture and rural communities.

The Australian Greens said today that we need to take a cautious approach to development in Northern Australia, saying a priority must be placed on protecting the region's people, environment and diverse economy.

Speaking on the release of the Joint Standing Committee on Northern Australia final report, Senator Rachel Siewert, Australian Greens spokesperson on Agriculture and Rural Affairs said it was important that mistakes of the past were not repeated.

The Australian Greens have called on the cross bench Senators to recognise the wide ranging negative consequences of repealing the carbon price, amid reports Traditional Owners in the Kimberley will lose millions if the package is abolished.

The Australian Greens said today that further development of the north has to be sustainable and in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

"The Government wants to ‘capitalise on the untapped potential of the north', but are in danger of repeating the mistakes of the past when it comes to plans for large scale agriculture and unsustainable development," Senator Rachel Siewert, Australian Greens agriculture spokesperson said today.

The Australian Greens said today that Tony Abbott's cruel budget was fuelling a strong backlash in WA, with a new grass-roots campaign to harness this energy as budget measures are debated in Parliament.

Senators Rachel Siewert and Scott Ludlam hosted a ‘Bust the Budget' forum in Perth last night, outlining the threats the budget poses to people across WA, and kicking off a new wave of community campaigning, building on the success of the recent Senate by-election.

The Australian Greens said today that new research linking the increased presence of C02 in our oceans to changes in the behaviour of fish species shows the widespread threat of climate change to the marine environment, sustainable industries and food security.

"Reports today on the findings of a Australian Institute of Marine Science, James Cook University and the Georgia Institute of Technology study underscores the significant stresses that oceans are experiencing as a result of climate change," Senator Rachel Siewert, Australian Greens marine spokesperson said today.