Media Release
Mark Butler MP.
Shadow Minister for Environment
Climate Change and Water
The
World Heritage Committee has delivered a harsh verdict on the Abbott
Government’s failure to protect the Great Barrier Reef tonight, voting
to keep alive their threat to list our Australian icon as “in danger”.
The
Committee expressed its serious “concern and regret” with the Abbott
Government’s plans for Australia’s environment in the deliberation of
its decision regarding the Reef, including the decision by Tony Abbott
and Greg Hunt to allow the dumping of 3 million cubic metres of dredge
spoil in Reef Waters at Abbot Point – despite the Government’s best
efforts to have those words removed.At its annual meeting, the Committee also reiterated its concern about the handover of federal environmental protection powers to the Queensland Government, labelling it as “premature”.
“The
World Heritage Committee does not trust Campbell Newman with the Reef;
Australians don’t either,” Shadow Environment Minister Mark Butler said.
“With
this latest warning from the World Heritage Committee, Labor calls on
Tony Abbott to reconsider his dangerous handover of federal
environmental approval powers.
“Protection
of the Great Barrier Reef should be the responsibility of the national
government. That’s how the World Heritage Committee sees it; it’s how
Australians see it too.
“This Government has taken its anti-environment agenda to the international stage and has been embarrassed as a result.
“Tony Abbott has yet again embarrassed Australia on the world stage.
“Whether
he’s destroying the Reef, plundering World Heritage Forests,
threatening to end renewable energy, introducing dud policies to tackle
carbon pollution that all the experts agree won’t work and will cost the
taxpayer billions of dollars, or even “agreeing to disagree” with the
President of the United States on climate change; Tony Abbott has made
Australia an international laughing stock.
“Thankfully, the World Heritage Committee knows better.”
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