Media Release
1 May 2014
A report released by the United Nations Educational, Scientific
and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has found that the Newman Government
cannot be trusted with the protection and management of our greatest
natural asset – the Great Barrier Reef (GBR).
The UNESCO report raises significant concerns with the health and management of the GBR and has recommended considering listing it as ‘in danger’ at its 39th session in 2015 unless substantial progress and key issues are addressed.
Labor Environment Spokesperson Jackie Trad said the possible listing of the GBR as ‘in danger’ would have a devastating impact on our economy, particularly tourism and regional jobs.
“While the Newman Government’s Environment Minister spends his time attacking ice-cream companies, the big issues that are confronting our Reef are being ignored,” Ms Trad said.
“The first thing the Newman Government should do is take back responsibility for enforcing, monitoring and reporting on water quality in the GBR catchment, which it abandoned soon after coming to government.
“Instead, the LNP continue to allow rural producers to self-manage, self-assess and self-report on the reduction of run-off from their farms into the GBR http://www.qld.gov.au/environment/agriculture/sustainable-farming/reef-legislation/.
“It’s like schools allocating their students’ OP scores, based on whatever the students think they deserve – it’s absurd.”
Ms Trad said a recent advertising campaign released by the Queensland Resources Council (QRC) also reveals whose side the Newman LNP Government is really on when it comes to the GBR.
“The QRC commercial, currently on air, refers viewers directly to the Queensland’s Government discredited ‘Reef Facts’ campaign,” Ms Trad said.
“Clearly big mining companies and the Queensland Government are united on their view of Great Barrier Reef, it’s just a view not shared by the vast majority of Australians, Queenslanders and the World Heritage body, UNESCO.
“Abbott and Newman have proven they can’t be trusted on the Reef – Australians know it, Queenslanders know it and now the World knows it.”
The big issues as identified by UNESCO are:
Impact of climate change on the Reef – both climate change sceptic Abbott and Newman Governments have shelved any effective action on climate change with the Newman Government axing all renewable energy programs across Queensland.
Port Expansion outside the Strategic Environmental Assessment Process – the decision to approve the expansion of the Abbott Point Coal Terminal with significant dredging and dumping in the GBR Marine Park without waiting for the conclusion of the Strategic Assessment Process.
The Newman Government have also scrapped Queensland’s Coastal Plan leaving our coastline open to development of all sorts and not just ports.
The increase in nutrient and sediment loads entering the Reef as a consequence of the reintroduction of broad-scale tree-clearing into Queensland, despite Newman promising at the 2012 State Election that there would be no weakening of protections.
The referral of full approval powers under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 – UNESCO says Newman cannot be trusted with the Reef when they state:
“Increased attention is needed to complete the required work on reviewing governance of the property and the transfer of decision-making powers from the Federal Level to the State Level appears premature until the governance requirements to implement the LTPSD (long-term plan for sustainable development) have been considered.”
The UNESCO report raises significant concerns with the health and management of the GBR and has recommended considering listing it as ‘in danger’ at its 39th session in 2015 unless substantial progress and key issues are addressed.
Labor Environment Spokesperson Jackie Trad said the possible listing of the GBR as ‘in danger’ would have a devastating impact on our economy, particularly tourism and regional jobs.
“While the Newman Government’s Environment Minister spends his time attacking ice-cream companies, the big issues that are confronting our Reef are being ignored,” Ms Trad said.
“The first thing the Newman Government should do is take back responsibility for enforcing, monitoring and reporting on water quality in the GBR catchment, which it abandoned soon after coming to government.
“Instead, the LNP continue to allow rural producers to self-manage, self-assess and self-report on the reduction of run-off from their farms into the GBR http://www.qld.gov.au/environment/agriculture/sustainable-farming/reef-legislation/.
“It’s like schools allocating their students’ OP scores, based on whatever the students think they deserve – it’s absurd.”
Ms Trad said a recent advertising campaign released by the Queensland Resources Council (QRC) also reveals whose side the Newman LNP Government is really on when it comes to the GBR.
“The QRC commercial, currently on air, refers viewers directly to the Queensland’s Government discredited ‘Reef Facts’ campaign,” Ms Trad said.
“Clearly big mining companies and the Queensland Government are united on their view of Great Barrier Reef, it’s just a view not shared by the vast majority of Australians, Queenslanders and the World Heritage body, UNESCO.
“Abbott and Newman have proven they can’t be trusted on the Reef – Australians know it, Queenslanders know it and now the World knows it.”
The big issues as identified by UNESCO are:
Impact of climate change on the Reef – both climate change sceptic Abbott and Newman Governments have shelved any effective action on climate change with the Newman Government axing all renewable energy programs across Queensland.
Port Expansion outside the Strategic Environmental Assessment Process – the decision to approve the expansion of the Abbott Point Coal Terminal with significant dredging and dumping in the GBR Marine Park without waiting for the conclusion of the Strategic Assessment Process.
The Newman Government have also scrapped Queensland’s Coastal Plan leaving our coastline open to development of all sorts and not just ports.
The increase in nutrient and sediment loads entering the Reef as a consequence of the reintroduction of broad-scale tree-clearing into Queensland, despite Newman promising at the 2012 State Election that there would be no weakening of protections.
The referral of full approval powers under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 – UNESCO says Newman cannot be trusted with the Reef when they state:
“Increased attention is needed to complete the required work on reviewing governance of the property and the transfer of decision-making powers from the Federal Level to the State Level appears premature until the governance requirements to implement the LTPSD (long-term plan for sustainable development) have been considered.”
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