The Australian Greens have called on the Labor and Liberal Parties to properly invest in renewable energy and infrastructure projects to make sure that there are jobs for young people across the country.

"You can have all the training in the world, but if there aren't jobs waiting for young people at the end of it, it won't mean anything," the Greens' youth affairs spokesperson, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.

Today NSW Senator Lee Rhiannon will join Greens second Senate candidate Michael Osborne, Senate candidate Jane Oakley, candidate for Newcastle Dr John Mackenzie and candidate for Paterson John Brown to launch The Greens Jobs Rich Plan for the Hunter.

Australia's whole stock of public and community housing would be retrofitted with solar panels to ease power bills for low income earners and make them more comfortable to live in, under a Greens plan announced today.

The nationwide upgrade of Australia's 421,000 public and community dwellings by 2030 would cost $2000 per house to install a 2Kw solar PV system,  energy efficient appliances, as part of a host of refurbishments to make the homes cheaper to run and more comfortable to live in.

Greens candidate for New England Mercurius Goldstein and Senator Rhiannon today launched the ‘Protecting our precious environment' campaign that calls for improved environmental protection for the Pilliga and Leard forests.

Former Greens leader Bob Brown is supporting the campaign.

Mr Goldstein said "We are seeing areas of great environmental significance like our public Pilliga state forest face serious threats from CSG mining.

Greens New England candidate Mercurius Goldstein and Greens NSW Senator Lee Rhiannon say that the relocation of the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority to the Northern Tablelands smacks of pork barrelling three weeks before an election.

Mr Goldstein said: "It looks like Barnaby Joyce is relocating jobs to Armidale in an attempt to save his own.

"Mr Joyce should have waited for the results of a cost benefit analysis that we understand is required from the Prime Minister.

Greens Senator for SA Robert Simms has challenged conservative Family First Senator Bob Day to a debate ahead of the July 2 election following the launch of the website www.robnotbob.com.

"The final senate seat in South Australia is likely to come down to myself or Bob Day, and the choice couldn't be starker. The climate change denying, homophobia of the Family First party versus the progressive, forward-looking agenda of the Greens," Senator Simms said.

The Australian Greens have welcomed plans from a second company working towards building a solar thermal plant in Port Augusta.

"It's fantastic to see a second solid proposal to build a solar thermal plant in Port Augusta. The world is seeing what the community and The Greens have seen for years: Port Augusta is on the cusp of being a renewables powerhouse," Greens Senator for South Australia Robert Simms said.

Greens announce support for solar on homes and businesses

The Australian Greens have today released their plan to help homes, businesses and schools embrace solar technology: Renew Australia – repowering our homes and businesses.

“The Greens want to see Australia powered by 90 per cent renewable energy by 2030,” said Senator Richard Di Natale, Australian Greens Leader.

New costings from the independent Parliamentary Budget Office show the Budget would be $51b better off it the government’s big business tax cuts were blocked, suggesting the measure will cost more than the $48b estimated by the government, said Greens Treasury spokesperson, Adam Bandt.

“This report delivers the death blow to any argument that big business tax cuts are affordable,” said Mr Bandt.