The Australian Greens will today move to amend Labor's Nation Building Bills to ensure that the multi-billion dollar funds help build a new, zero emissions economy, and are properly scrutinised.

The amendments, to be moved by Australian Greens Deputy Leader and Climate Change Spokesperson, Senator Christine Milne, would:
• establish a new Parliamentary Joint Committee on Nation Building to oversee the Minister's allocations from the funds;
• require all advice from the advisory boards to be made public immediately;
• insert principles into the Bills that would require projects financed by the funds to address climate change and peak oil, amongst other objectives; and
• require the Board of Infrastructure Australia to include at least two people with expertise in climate change or peak oil.

"Any government serious about climate change must put it front and centre in its infrastructure planning," Senator Milne said.

"Forward-thinking, transparent infrastructure planning can replace Australia's history of pork-barrelling and white elephants with a Green New Deal to build a zero emissions economy.

"But bad infrastructure planning will lock us into our high-polluting, oil- and coal-dependent economy for decades longer. If the Government continues to focus infrastructure spending on roads and coal ports, it will become far more difficult and expensive, if not impossible, for Australia to reduce our emissions and prepare for peak oil.

"It would be a terrible irony if we raid the future fund to pay for investments which don't future-proof Australia.

"With such tremendous sums of money being spent through these funds, it is vital that there be appropriate scrutiny of how it is allocated, and I am particularly pleased that the Opposition is open to working with the Greens to amend the legislation to increase transparency.

"A Joint Parliamentary Committee would play a vital role in overseeing expenditure. Where more than $50 million will be spent, the Parliament will have the opportunity to scrutinise it.

"It is extremely important that all the advice to the Minister from the advisory boards be tabled and made public immediately. We cannot allow a situation where Ministers may make multi-billion dollar decisions without the public being able to test them against the evidence.

"If the Government is serious about climate change, reducing emissions must be front and centre in its infrastructure and nation-building plans. These amendments will go a long way to putting it there."