The Tasmanian Legislative Council has today cost the Tasmanian economy millions of dollars of additional tourism income through rejecting the Same-Sex marriage bill, Greens Tourism spokesperson Senator Peter Whish-Wilson stated earlier today.

“What the Upper House has done today is pave the way for another state, such as South Australia, which is considering similar legislation, to profit from the Council’s blinkered approach,’ Senator Whish-Wilson said.

Tasmanian Greens Senator and tourism spokesperson Peter Whish-Wilson has called on his home state to capitalise on the opportunities from becoming the first jurisdiction in the country to legalise same-sex marriage.

“It’s not just about being socially progressive, something Tasmania has a proud history on in this area, but I urge Tasmanians to look at the economic benefits as well.

“Tourism employs nearly 15 per cent of the Tasmanian workforce and is a major contributor to gross state product.

Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown joined Greens Senator for Queensland Larissa Waters in Gladstone today to see the environmental crisis in the harbour firsthand and listen to the concerns of the Gladstone community.

"I am very pleased to be back here, getting a firsthand account from Queensland's most engaged Senator, Larissa Waters. A vote for either of the old parties is a vote for this mess," Senator Brown said.

Today will be a great day for Australians who have waited years for their government to take our warming planet seriously.

After years of talk and a few backward steps, the Senate will pass a suite of legislation that will put a price on pollution from July next year.

Australians - who in 2007 and 2010 voted for politicians to back widespread community support for taking action - will be able to finally say that most of their elected representatives listened and acted.

Senator HANSON»-«YOUNG» (South Australia) (11:01): It is with great pride that I rise today to commend the Clean Energy Bill 2011 and associated bills to the Senate.

"Some might call the predicted thousands of trucks descending on Canberra ending up as hundreds (ABC, 21/8/11) a ‘flop', but these Australians have every right to a peaceful presence on the parliamentary lawns," Greens Leader Bob Brown said today.

"It seems like the prime qualification to be there is to be angry about something - these are Abbott's angry people," Senator Brown said.

"But it seems their views on some issues are fairly shorted sighted, very ‘me-now'."

The exclusion of coal and coal bed methane from Mecrus Resources’ exploration licence application is a big win for regional Victoria’s agriculture and tourism industries, Victorian Greens Senator Richard Di Natale said today.

“Mecrus Resources is the second mining company in Victoria recently to listen to widespread community concerns about coal and coal seam gas mining, and withdraw their exploration licence application in these areas,” Senator Di Natale said.

The proposal to explore 500 square kilometres of prime agricultural and forestry land in the Otways with a view to strip-mining is economic and environmental stupidity, Federal Greens Senator Richard Di Natale said today.

“The impact on the environment and on communities in the Otways would be devastating,” Senator Di Natale said.

“Every local enterprise, from tourism to farming, would be affected by a polluting brown coal mine that could end up stretching from Colac to Deans Marsh.

Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown says the oil spill catastrophe now threatening the coastline of several US states highlights both the vulnerability of the Australian marine environment to oil spills and the serious incapacity of the industry to control such events.

"A spill like that now unfolding in the US would decimate the Great Barrier Reef or Western Australia's World Heritage Ningaloo Reef for example," said Senator Brown.