Great Barrier Reef Review Announced by QLD Government
Tuesday 17 March 2015 @ 1.04 p.m. | Legal Research
The new Government in Queensland has moved to update a key plan for the Great Barrier Reef to reflect its proactive approach to protecting the Reef and address UNESCO’s concerns about the protection of the state’s single biggest natural asset.
Negotiations at Federal Level
The Federal Government has ramped up its campaign to prevent the Great Barrier Reef from being declared "in danger" by UNESCO, appointing a taskforce to coordinate the lobbying effort. Over the last 12 months environment minister Greg Hunt has met ministers and delegates from Serbia, Croatia, Malaysia, Colombia and Germany. All are on the United Nations World Heritage Committee, which is deciding whether to place the Great Barrier Reef on the "in danger" list.
According to the German Foreign Office, Mr Hunt stressed that the reef had very comprehensive protective measures and had tightened the legal framework conditions for use in order to meet the demands of the World Heritage Committee.
The Intergenerational Report also mentioned the challenges facing the Great Barrier Reef. While the report described the reef as the "best managed ecosystem in the world", it acknowledges challenges such as:
"A growing population ... as well as expanding tourism numbers will require careful policy management to support economic development in the surrounding areas whilst minimising the environmental impact."
The World Heritage Committee is to make a final determination on the Great Barrier Reef in June 2015, with many committee members flagging serious concerns with the decision to approve the expansion of the Abbot Point coal terminal near Bowen in north Queensland.
Response from Queensland
Minister for the Great Barrier Reef Dr Steven Miles said the new government had already acted to stop retrograde changes the previous Government planned to the state’s Water Act that would have adversely impacted the Great Barrier Reef.
Dr Miles said the State government has also sought Federal government support to amend the draft Reef 2050 Long-Term Sustainability Plan to reflect the Palaszczuk Government’s commitments to protecting the Great Barrier Reef.
“We want updates included in the final Plan to be lodged by early March for UNESCO’s consideration before it meets in Bonn, Germany in June to consider the status of the Reef’s listing.”
The amendments being sought would outline initiatives planned by the Palaszczuk Government including:
- a ban on sea dumping of capital dredge spoil within the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area;
- convening a high-level taskforce with representatives from regional communities, conservation organisations, industry groups (including primary producers, tourism operators and local government) and leading scientists to determine the best possible approach to achieve an 80% reduction in nitrogen run-off and a 50% reduction in sediment run-off into the Great Barrier Reef by 2025;
- providing an additional $100 million over five years towards water quality initiatives, scientific research and helping businesses transition to better environmental practices in the primary production and fishing industries;
- implementing vegetation protection laws in consultation with landowners to minimise damaging run-off to the reef;
- reinstating coastal planning laws axed by the LNP Government;
- working with the Federal Government and the International Maritime Organisation to develop a new vessel class which will ensure bulk goods carriers travelling in the World Heritage area meet stringent safety codes; and
- fighting to ensure the Abbott Government pays a fair share to help save the Great Barrier Reef.
However, the announcement on 11 March 2015 of the approval of two separate mining projects for Indian conglomerates Adani Enterprises and GVK, removing support for dredging at Abbot Point, while requiring that seabed to be dumped onshore next to the port instead of in sensitive wetlands or in reef waters, puts the support for “responsible and sustainable development” of the port and the Galilee Basin, into direct conflict with preservation of the reef.
Queensland Greens senator Larissa Waters said the climate impacts of opening up the Galilee meant “effectively signing a death warrant for the Great Barrier Reef”:
“In this age, when the biggest threat to the reef, and the planet for that matter, is climate change, you can’t call the expansion of a coal port environmentally sustainable...Likewise, you can’t protect the Great Barrier Reef if you’re opening up the Galilee Basin and expanding the Abbot Point coal terminal to send more coal ships out, with all the dredging and all that climate impact.”
The Federal Government in January this year passed legislation with a formal ban on all dredge spoil dumping on the Great Barrier Reef, instead proposing to dump the waste on-shore in a non-classified area. The Queensland government will submit a new application to the Federal environment minister Greg Hunt for the dredging proposal, centred on the “T2” site, previously abandoned by BHP.
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