Palaszczuk Government calls for innovators to help the Great Barrier Reef

The Palaszczuk Government is offering a multi-million dollar incentive to attract innovative ways of helping improve the water quality of the Great Barrier Reef.

Minister for the Great Barrier Reef Dr Steven Miles said he hoped the government’s $3.2 million “cash carrot’ would “have a lasting effect’ on reducing the nutrients, sediments and pesticides in water flowing into the reef.

“I’m calling on innovators in water treatment system technology, agricultural management practices and ecosystem repair to come forward to help the Palaszczuk Government better protect the Great Barrier Reef,” Dr Miles said.

“We’re looking for innovative approaches and technologies that will deliver real improvements for the reef”.

Dr Miles said the call for expressions of interest was an action that came out of the response to the Great Barrier Reef Water Science Taskforce recommendations—a $9 million Reef Innovation Fund to support the development of new technologies and approaches to improve reef water quality.

“The Palaszczuk Government is looking for proposals that will trial new technologies and practices that, once proven, can be adopted more widely,” Dr Miles said.

“A total of $2.25 million is earmarked to run trials in reef catchments of water technologies that are new or have been successfully used elsewhere in agriculture, industry or urban settings.

“Water treatment systems such as wetlands, bioreactors and algae treatment will be considered to reduce nutrients and pesticides in agricultural run-off.

“A further $950,000 is available to support the development and trialling of innovative farming practices, new tools and technologies and novel ecosystem repair methods (e.g. for streambank restoration or gully remediation).

“The expressions of interest are open to all individuals and groups and will require proponents to offer matched funding (in-kind or cash) equivalent to the department’s contribution,” he said.

One of the key objectives of the Reef Innovation Fund is to double Queensland’s $9 million commitment by matching the investment with private, philanthropic or other government funds to increase the number of options explored.

The Innovation Fund is one of a number of initiatives being implemented through the Government’s additional $90 million investment into reef water quality over four years.

Expressions of interest can be submitted electronically to the Queensland Government QTenders website from tomorrow (27 February) until Friday 7 April 2017.

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