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

I thank the member for Kennedy for his question, and reassure him that Australia will always stand up for our national interest. This year's 44th session of the World Heritage Committee is organised by UNESCO in cooperation with the host country China. The member refers to media reports this morning that draft recommendations were released last night that would seek to place the Great Barrier Reef on the 'in danger' list. We will work closely with all state parties in the World Heritage system to ensure they understand why Australia believes it is wrong to single out the best managed reef in the world for this potential 'in danger' listing. Climate change is the single-biggest threat to all of the world's reef ecosystems, not just Australia's, and there are 83 natural World Heritage properties facing climate change threat, so it's not fair to simply single out Australia.

The draft recommendation was based on old data. UNESCO and the World Heritage Centre didn't actually come and inspect the reef for themselves, and this means that they have failed to witness firsthand the enormous efforts of traditional owners, farmers, tourism operators and communities up and down the reef coast who are working with the Australian and Queensland governments to protect the reef. There are 200 different reef protection projects happening on the ground because of our investment. That's a $3 billion combined investment, which builds on the Liberal-National coalition's fine history of protecting the Great Barrier Reef. And I'd like to remind the House, and the member for Kennedy would be only too aware of this, that it was the Fraser government which, in 1975, banned oil and gas operations on the Great Barrier Reef. In 1981, when it was under the stewardship of the Liberal and National parties, the Great Barrier Reef won World Heritage status. On this side of the House we have a proud and determined record in protecting this national icon, and that will continue.

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