Sussan Ley (Farrer, Liberal Party, Minister for the Environment) Share this | Hansard source

I'm delighted to sum up on this very important bill, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Amendment (Coronavirus Economic Response Package) Bill 2020. It's important for the Morrison government and important for tourism internationally and nationally. It's of vital significance to my colleagues the members who live along the reef catchment and it's a significant part of our response to COVID, which has been prompt, which has been meaningful and which has been welcomed.

Listening to the member for Dawson, it does seem a long time ago I was with him in the Whitsundays, hearing directly from tourism operators about the effect of no tourists visiting the reef and very dim prospects for the rest of the year and being able to let them know that the government was working on a package which would effectively waive the environmental management charge for tourists visiting the reef. This bill makes amendments that waive the environmental management charge for the period 1 January to 31 March this year. And with the appropriations bill that previously passed the parliament last month the rest of the year is waived. So effectively this gives tourism operators one year of relief from the environmental management charge on the reef. It's very important and, as I said, it's been welcomed.

I was surprised to see the member for Griffith saying she wants to end the 'politicising of the reef'. I'm not sure what she means. But, having said that she wanted to do that and having moved an amendment, she did then say—

Ms Burney interjecting—

See this speech in context