Joanne Ryan (Lalor, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I'm pleased to rise tonight to support the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Amendment Bill 2017 and to give the bipartisan support the member for Ryan seeks. I'm also pleased to follow the member for Ryan, who shared some of the history of the coalition and their concern for the Great Barrier Reef, referencing former Senator Hill. It harks back to a time when the majority of those opposite cared about marine life and cared about the planet. But I didn't hear a lot about action on climate change, and I think that's part of what this conversation needs to be about.

As my colleagues have said, Labor supports this bill because the meat of the bill is around a technical issue that needs support. But I wanted to take the opportunity, as a Victorian, to put my marker in the ground for people living in my electorate—many of whom holiday on the reef and many of whom, more importantly, come to talk to me about the importance of the reef—and to remind this House that it isn't just Queenslanders who care about the Great Barrier Reef. Their southern cousins care deeply about ensuring the future of the Great Barrier Reef and ensuring that it is protected.

It goes without saying that the Great Barrier Reef is iconic and holds a special place in the Australian imagination and the hearts of all Australians. This amendment, while a technical change, speaks to the need for continuity of care for the reef. In this space, Labor has a proud history of protecting and defending the Great Barrier Reef. The Whitlam government implemented Australia's first marine reserve over the reef. More recently, Labor established Australia's marine reserve network, the largest network of marine protected areas anywhere in the world—and looking at the maps does bring great pride about the work that the former Labor government did. Labor established a $200 million reef plan to work with farmers to improve the water quality of the reef. It extended the reef VTS—the vessel tracking system—to the whole World Heritage area. It worked in cooperation with traditional owners under the Land and Sea Country Partnerships Program. It established agreements for the traditional use of marine resources with a number of traditional owner groups. It established the Great Barrier Reef Climate Change Action Plan, which is of course critical for the future of the reef, and began the strategic assessment process.

Labor has a proud history here, and we support this bill, because the meat of this bill is around the plans of management that are already in place. In light of the extensive loss of coral, and significant threats to the reef's health posed by climate change, it is even more pressing that there be a continuous and long-term strategic plan for the reef. Plans of management assist with the implementation of ecologically-sustainable practices and effective environmental management, especially for at-risk or vulnerable species and ecosystems in need of protection. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, the world's largest coral reef ecosystem, currently has four plans of management in place. They operate in Cairns, Hinchinbrook Island, Shoalwater Bay and the Whitsundays.

This bill addresses issues associated with the sunset clause in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act 1975. When the regulations are reviewed as mandated by the sunset clause in the legislation, in effect the plans of management will be repealed without being replaced. It takes time to come up with a new plan, get the research right and get stakeholders on board, so Labor supports this bill to ensure that that sunset clause doesn't trigger the repeal without replacement. The issue is that this process was not started early enough, so now, when the sunset is enacted on the existing legislation in 2018, there will be no plan to replace it. The changes proposed by this bill are designed to prevent this automatic revocation and ensure continuity of the plan. The amendments have no further consequence for policy or budgeting, and Labor therefore is happy to support the bill, as it corrects a technical issue with the existing legislation.

While this bill does something positive, I must take this opportunity to speak about why continued care for the reef is essential. We often speak about the beauty and significance of the reef in our joint imaginations; however, the reef also acts as a buffer between the savagery of the ocean and the coastline. Coral growth means there are natural deposits of coastal sediments. The reef's ability to protect the Queensland shoreline depends on the ability of individual reefs in the system to grow as sea levels continue to rise. As the bleaching continues, the health of the reef deteriorates, and its ability to grow to the levels required is diminished. Furthermore, as the sea becomes more acidic, because of increased levels of carbon dioxide, the very spines or the bones of the reef dissolve and degrade rapidly. While the research is still out on whether or not the reef will be able to grow alongside increasing sea levels, at this stage it looks like the reef growth will diminish. The Climate Council estimates that at least $226 billion of assets and infrastructure will be exposed to inundation if sea levels rise by 1.1 metres, so it is critically important that the reef be protected not just for tourism, its beauty, the love that Australians have for the reef, our history of connection to the reef and the jobs it provides but for the very important role it has to play in the ecosystem other than itself.

The government's new proposed marine park plans suggest that you can conserve ocean wildlife while allowing fishing and oil and gas exploration. Under the proposed plans there will be no changes to the boundaries of existing marine parks, which cover 36 per cent of Commonwealth waters, but areas inside the boundaries will be rezoned to allow for activities other than conservation. They are proposing a new zoning system for marine parks. The parts of the map that are green will be national park zones with full conservation protection, the yellow areas will be habitat protection zones where fishing is allowed as long as the sea floor is not harmed, and blue special purpose zones will allow for specific commercial activities. Effectively, this means the green zones will be reduced from the overarching 36 per cent to 20 per cent, and yellow or fishing zones will double from 24 per cent to 43 per cent of the marine park network. All of the science suggests that the health of the seabed is best in areas where there is no commercial activity. Remember, with sea levels rising, we need reefs and coral to be growing, not to be put at risk by increased commercial activity. In this instance, as in everything with this government, they are relying on flash and slick marketing over policy substance.

In contrast, while this legislation is welcome, Labor's environmental policy commitments go much further in their protective efforts. Specifically, Labor's Great Barrier Reef plan involves more coordinated and efficient long-term management of the reef that is appropriately funded and resourced. This includes investing up to $100 million to review and improve current management practices involving the reef, in consultation with relevant stakeholders. This is further supported by Labor's comprehensive Climate Change Action Plan, which will deliver real action on climate change and, in doing so, preclude its harmful effect on the reef, including coral bleaching, and ensure the reef can continue to protect the coastline.

We have heard speakers on this side of the House tonight speak not only about their passion for the reef but also about the importance to their local communities of the reef for tourism. It was also interesting to listen to the member for Herbert discuss the implications for universities and research and the notion of Townsville as a sea marine hub in research. These are all critical elements whenever we as legislators look at the implementation of marine parks or changes to marine parks.

I stand with my colleagues in being pleased to support this legislation, but I suggest that those opposite need to think about the attitudes across their party room. There are those who want to look at the science and prepare for the worst, as they say, to ensure that we protect the reef appropriately and therefore protect Queensland appropriately. I would urge those opposite who respect scientific research to speak long and hard to the members of their party room who want to dismiss the science, who want to dismiss the reality that is fast approaching and who refuse to budge and to put resources where they need to be to ensure the protection of our planet.

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