One Year Anniversary of Reef 2050 Plan

The Palaszczuk Government has marked the first anniversary of the release of the most comprehensive plan ever developed to ensure the health of the Great Barrier Reef by urging the Commonwealth to bring forward a credible climate policy.

Minister for the Environment and Great Barrier Reef Dr Steven Miles said the Queensland Government had delivered on many of its commitments under the Reef 2050 Long-Term Sustainability Plan (Reef 2050) but said further reef protection efforts would be undermined if the Federal Government failed to act on climate change.

“The Palaszczuk Government is focused on protecting the reef for the future of our environment and for the future of Queensland tourism,’ Dr Miles said.

“We acted immediately to implement measures that address the immediate and short-term threats to the Reef – namely dredging and dumping of dredge spoil, and water pollution.

“But the greatest long-term threat facing the Reef is climate change. The current coral bleaching outbreak in the northern most parts of the Reef is a stark reminder of this.

“Prime Minister Turnbull and Minister Hunt cannot seriously claim to be committed to protecting our Reef while failing to put forward a credible plan for Australia to meet its greenhouse gas pollution reduction targets,” Dr Miles said.

The Palaszczuk Government has committed to deliver 54 actions under Reef 2050, released by the Federal and Queensland governments a year ago.

In those twelve months, the Queensland Government has already completed nine actions while another 33 are on track with “significant progress”.

Major achievements include committing $100 million over five years towards water quality initiatives and research; introducing new ports legislation (Sustainable Ports Development Act 2015); establishing three net-free fishing zones in Cairns, Mackay and Rockhampton, and establishing the Great Barrier Reef Water Science Taskforce.

“We’re well on track with delivering our Reef 2050 actions and I am confident we can further demonstrate progress when we report to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee at the end of this year,’ Dr Miles said.

“The actions we’re taking as part of Reef 2050 will better improve the reef’s resilience to the kinds of warming events causing the current devastating outbreak of coral bleaching’.

Professor Justin Marshall of The University of Queensland CoralWatch team and The Queensland Brain Institute has spent the last ten days at Lizard Island Research Station gathering data and images of the coral bleaching in the north of The Great Barrier Reef.

“These have been among the saddest and most distressing days I can remember in a 30 year career in coral reef science,” Professor Marshall said.

“The reefs I saw, including the outer Barrier Reef were almost 100% bleached. I have never seen it this bad.

“We need to work harder as a global community to leave some reef behind for our children to marvel at. I have often taken my kids to the reef but would have been ashamed to show them what I saw this past week or so.

“To see not just corals but sea anemones and giant clams also bleaching underlines the fact that this event impacts the whole reef community, including fish.

“The Reef 2050 Plan outlines many important steps to alleviate local reef stressors, such as improving water quality and improving farming practise, and I congratulate Premier Palaszczuk, Minister Miles and their teams on their rapid and decisive steps under this plan.”

Dr Miles said the Great Barrier Reef Water Science Taskforce would shortly deliver its final recommendations on the best approach to meeting the water quality targets and the priority areas for expenditure.

BACKGROUND

Major achievements in the first twelve months under the Reef 2050 Plan include:

• Introducing new ports legislation(Sustainable Ports Development Act 2015):

o   banning sea-based disposal of dredge spoil in the marine park

o   mandating beneficial reuse of dredge spoil where possible

o   limiting port development to within the existing port limits

o   mandating master planning for Queensland’s priority ports - Gladstone, Hay Point/Mackay, Abbot Point, and Townsville.

• Establishing the Great Barrier Reef Water Science Taskforce to provide advice on the best possible approach to achieving the 2025 pollution run-off targets - the Taskforce’s final report is due in May.
• Committing an additional $100 million over five years towards water quality initiatives, research and transitioning to better agricultural and fishing practices.
• Establishing the Reef 2050 Advisory Committee and Independent Expert Panel to provide advice on implementing the plan.
• Establishing three net-free fishing zones in Cairns, Mackay and Rockhampton.
• Seeking comments on the draft framework for implementing ports master planning.
• Releasing regional report cards for Gladstone and Mackay and starting a new partnership in the Wet Tropics.

Further milestones expected over the next 12 months include:

• Master planning for the priority ports (guideline expected to be finalised mid-year, work on Gladstone master plan already underway)
• Finalising the state-wide coordinated maintenance dredging strategy (expected to be completed by mid-year)
• Further expanding the regional report card program to include the Wet Tropics and Burdekin.
• Review the Reef Water Quality Protection Plan to more fully reflect the water quality actions in the Reef 2050 Plan and new developments (such as the government response tothe Taskforce recommendations)

Reef 2050 is available at http://www.environment.gov.au/marine/gbr/long-term-sustainability-plan. More information on the Queensland Government’s commitments is available at http://www.gbr.qld.gov.au/priorities/

ENDS

MEDIA Neil Doorley 0412 393 909

Click on following links for footage and imags of bleached coral:

• https://www.dropbox.com/sh/2k4yx30ykr78yld/AABvLZbl_-wSNeM-uRx6FHmwa?dl=0
• https://www.dropbox.com/sh/2uujj6jfzpbp3vl/AADTg0CGqWA52krwyBlLHVFHa?dl=0